Lead Barista

Jul 08 2025
Honolulu Museum of Art |Honolulu|Full Time, $20.00 / hour
Job Description

TO BE CONSIDERED APPLY DIRECTLY TO https://honolulumuseum.org/pQ3viv/opportunities


Employment Status: Regular Part-Time, Non-Exempt

Job Summary:

Under the general direction of the Head of Food and Beverage, the Lead Barista drives the Coffee Bar team in creating an exceptional dining experience while maintaining high quality standards. The Lead Barista demonstrates knowledge of coffee equipment, coffee brew methods and extraction basics, milk science, and bar efficiency.

The Lead Barista’s duties include but are not limited to; engaging with guests and providing prompt and friendly customer service; preparing quality food and beverages; maintaining a sanitary and comfortable environment for Museum patrons and staff; and assisting the Head of Food and Beverage with barista training, menu development, and staffing when needed.

 

The Honolulu Museum of Art:

Opened in 1927, the Honolulu Museum of Art is a home for art and education created for the benefit of the entire community. Founder Anna Rice Cooke envisioned a museum that would bring people together through the power of art and “the deep intuitions that are common to all.” The museum was conceived of as a place of meaningful exchange and dialogue, celebrating the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of Hawai‘i’s multi-ethnic population. From this founding intention grew the museum of today, with a world-class encyclopedic collection of more than 55,000 works of art, representing a stunning breadth of places and eras, from all corners of the globe and from the ancient past to the present day.

To learn more about HoMA, please visit our website.

 

Minimum Qualifications:

  • High school diploma or equivalent.
  • 2 years of prior experience as a barista in a cafe or restaurant.
  • Knowledge of coffee brew methods and extraction basics.
  • Knowledge and understanding of milk science and bar efficiency.
  • Capable of creating beverage specials for seasonal promotion, themed events, or as needed.
  • Excellent customer service skills. Ability to remain calm and pleasant under stress or demands.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a current blue card from the Honolulu Liquor Commission.
  • General understanding of and experience using a restaurant point of sale system.
  • Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
  • Honesty, integrity, enthusiasm, perspective, and a strong work ethic supported by commitment and follow-through.
  • Ability to work within and support a diverse community of visitors, artists, and employees.
  • Ability to build, lead, and develop a driven, diverse team of employees and volunteers.

Desired Qualifications:

  • Associate degree or higher in hospitality management.
  • 1-2 years of prior restaurant experience in a supervisory or management role.
  • Basic to intermediate wine and beer knowledge and strong understanding of alcohol service.
  • Certification in food handling from an ANSI accredited source.
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel.
  • Interest in assessing and utilizing technology for improved efficiencies and processes.

Essential Duties:

  • Performs the day-to-day operations of the Coffee Bar.
  • Prepares coffee, drinks, and food items, and ensures that food and drink quality meet the standards of the Honolulu Museum of Art.
  • Able to delegate production list and cleaning tasks to baristas as needed.
  • Updates training material and training agenda for new baristas.
  • Cleans and maintains Coffee Bar.
  • Maintains appropriate stock levels and beverage preparation items.
  • Maintains a poised appearance during periods of high volume.
  • Anticipates customer needs and can make recommendations on menu items.
  • Models a ‘customer comes first’ attitude and delivers excellent customer service.
  • Responsible for working special events, exhibition openings, and catered functions.
  • Responsible for accurate daily sales reporting and cash deposit to finance.
  • Oversees tip pool calculations and distributions, ensuring accuracy.
  • Demonstrates an ability to initiate and sustain momentum without close supervision.
  • Well organized, mentally focused, and capable of successful task completion.
  • Exhibits a polished presence, diplomacy, discretion, and a deep respect and understanding of HoMA and its vision, mission, and values.
  • Demonstrates a commitment to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion through respectful communication and cooperation with others at all times, continuous training and modeling inclusive behaviors.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Compensation

The Honolulu Museum of Art is committed to practicing salary transparency. The salary for this position is $20.00 per hour, plus tips. Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. Many factors are taken into consideration when setting pay, including education, experience, the external labor market, and internal equity. This opportunity includes a generous benefits package, including but not limited to:

  • Fully covered medical, dental, and vision insurance for employee
  • 12 paid holidays
  • 15 days of vacation accrual in 1st year, increasing to 20 days in 2nd year
  • 15 days of annual sick leave
  • Group retirement plans with employer matching after 2nd year
  • Shop, Museum Café, and Art School discounts
  • Onsite parking provided

Working Conditions and Atmosphere:

Coffee Bar Hours:

  • Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday 9:00am – 6:00pm.
  • Friday & Saturday 9:00am – 6:00pm.
  • Additional hours at the coffee bar or for events as needed.

The Lead Barista is generally scheduled for 30-35 hours per week.

Must be able to stand and walk for up to 12 hours (with a break) and be able to maneuver around and between chairs and tables. Able to bend, stoop, and kneel. Must be able to use fingers, hands, and arms to hold utensils, plates, glasses, and cups. Must be able to lift, hold and carry up to 25 pounds and occasionally up to 50 pounds. Must be able to reach outward and overhead. Noise level can be louder than normal due to conversation in the coffee bar area and machinery used in the museum. Able to hear and understand normal conversation to take food orders. Ability to speak clearly and audibly. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, to keep up with orders, service, and customer needs. Ability to work in open air in all types of weather including heat, sun, wind, light rain and chill.

The employee must be able to fulfil all Essential Duties with or without a reasonable accommodation. This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of all activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

 

Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusivity:

HoMA welcomes people from all backgrounds and walks of life, and this is reflected in our diverse community of employees. We encourage applications from candidates across a wide variety of backgrounds, including, but not limited to, people of all races and ethnicities, people with disabilities, women, veterans, and all members of the LGBTQ community.

 

Equal Employment Opportunity:

HoMA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. HoMA recruits, hires, trains, promotes, compensates, and administers all personnel actions and benefit programs without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, including pregnancy and gender identity and expression, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, reproductive health decisions, marital status, arrest and court record, citizenship, credit history, military and veteran service, victim of domestic violence or sexual abuse victim status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibilities and essential functions of this position but should not be considered to be an all-inclusive listing of work duties and requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other areas to cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise balance the workload. HoMA maintains a policy of nondiscrimination in all employment practices and decisions, ensuring equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals. This applies to both HoMA employees and applicants for employment with the Museum. Any form of harassment of any employee because of any protected status is also prohibited.

TO BE CONSIDERED APPLY DIRECTLY TO https://honolulumuseum.org/pQ3viv/opportunities