Whats the Difference between a Starbucks barista and a fast food worker?

Question

Tom Leykis said they are the same thing, also why do you never see an ugly Barista worker or a latino type worker you see at mickey d's or burger king? you get the point

Answer 1

management at Starbucks have stricter hiring criteria- they actually interview and attract a more trendy line of workers- equally it is a trendier and less dirty job, so there is a slower turn over rate so they do not have to hire every last person that can fill out the top half of an application. They also have the ability to pick and choose because it takes less employees to run a coffee shop then a fastfood restraunt- the clerks also make the product at starbucks vs one person to do condiments, one to flip burgers, one to take orders for a drive thru one to assemble and put out orders etc.- overall neither job has much more credibility than the other- they both require similar skill levels- but for some reason there is an increased level of pride and self esteem in saying I work for strabucks vs. I work for mc donalds

Answer 2

Where do you live?  I see baristas of all ethnicities and while I would never call any of them ugly, some are definitely not hot.

Answer 3

you dont need a college degree to work at starbucks and you can also get a job there with a fake social. also ugly people and people with pimples work at both!  who cares anyways

Answer 4

Baristas get TIPS,& Date some customers!

Answer 5

I believe that you have to have a college degree to work at Starbucks, their standards are much higher you see....

Answer 6

One of them has less acne(pimple).

Answer 7

Because Mickeys D's is where they belong...

At Starbucks they actually make decent wage and have health insurance and all employees will have a valid SSN.

Not so much at Mickey D's... where only the store manager will have the above listed...

But either way they are both BS jobs for the uneducated.

Answer 8

Ok.... Basically, Starbucks doesn't subscribe to the thinking that everyone can be trained to do the same quality of job.  They do multiple interviews, and try to choose stellar people to work in their stores.  As part of the training, new hires are required to study and learn a good deal of information about coffee in general, and about Starbucks products specifically.  You also learn about merchandising, customer service the Starbucks way, and even some stuff about the geographical regions that produce coffee, and how it's done.  It's pretty extensive, and a lot is expected out of employees.  There are no employees that only work behind the scenes... All employees are out front and have to have equal knowledge and skills - making those drinks up to standard takes a little pizzazz.  They are also required/encouraged to keep learning through various programs.

As for the race comment, I have nothing to offer on that one.  My location was very multicultural, and the ones I worked at around Toronto were very varied.  You may see more of what people would call a "trendy" crowd working there, but I think that is because more of those people actually WANT to work at Starbucks, and of course it all depends on who's willing to do the work (learning) required to work there.  

You DO NOT need a college education or any special knowledge, other than what they teach you.

Baristas do make more money because Starbucks wants employees to feel as valuable as they are.  More is expected of a Starbucks employee than a McDonald's one.  Maybe a good question would be why doesn't McDonald's have higher standards for hiring, and why don't they pay THEIR staff MORE?

If you want a job at Starbucks, have a great resume ready, dress nicely and be smiley and interested at your interview, and get ready to learn a whole lot more than you ever thought you'd know about the Guatamalan rainfalls.  :-)