Free template · Word and PDF

Barista reference check template

A short reference check form for baristas and cafe staff. It adds eight questions on working the morning rush, coffee quality, customers, cash handling and turning up on time.

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  • Free, no sign-up
  • Editable Word file
  • 8 barista questions

What to focus on in a barista reference check

For hospitality roles, reliability and attitude in a rush tell you more than anything else. A cafe owner or shift manager who worked the floor with the candidate is the best referee. Keep the form short so a busy manager can answer on their phone.

8 reference check questions to ask about a barista

Ask these after the standard verification and performance questions. They are already in the Word and PDF template.

  1. 1.How long did the candidate work with you, and what shifts did they usually do?
  2. 2.How did the candidate cope with the morning rush? Did quality slip when it got busy?
  3. 3.How consistent was their coffee? Could they train or calibrate the grinder?
  4. 4.How did the candidate handle an unhappy customer or a remade order?
  5. 5.Did the candidate handle cash or the register? Were there ever discrepancies?
  6. 6.How reliable were they with start times and covering shifts?
  7. 7.How did they keep the station clean and follow food safety routines?
  8. 8.Would you have them back on your roster tomorrow?

What a strong reference sounds like

  • Stays fast and friendly in the rush
  • Consistent coffee and pride in the station
  • Turns up on time and covers shifts when asked
  • The owner would rehire straight away

Red flags to follow up

  • Till discrepancies the referee is uneasy about
  • Regular late starts or last-minute cancellations
  • Rude to customers or other staff under pressure
  • A hesitant answer on rehiring

Download the barista reference check template

Free, no sign-up. The Word version is editable; the PDF is ready to print.

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Want more questions? See 35 reference check questions to ask references. Prefer referees to answer online? HiveRef sends the form, chases replies and builds the report. Start with 4 free checks.

Barista Reference Check Template

For phone or written reference checks. Use the same questions for every referee so answers are comparable.

1. Candidate and referee details

  • Candidate name
  • Role applied for
  • Referee name
  • Referee job title and organisation
  • Referee email and phone
  • Relationship to the candidate (for example, direct manager)
  • Date of reference check
  • Checked by

2. Consent

Confirm the candidate agreed to you contacting this referee. Tell the referee their answers are used only for this hiring decision.

  • Candidate consent confirmed (yes / no)
  • Date consent was given

3. Verification questions

  1. 1.How do you know the candidate, and what was your working relationship?
  2. 2.What were the candidate's start and end dates, as far as you remember them?
  3. 3.What was their job title, and did it change while you worked together?
  4. 4.Did the candidate report to you directly? If not, how often did you see their work?
  5. 5.What were the main reasons the candidate left, as far as you know?

4. Performance questions

  1. 6.Which parts of the role did the candidate own day to day?
  2. 7.Tell me about a deadline the candidate missed or nearly missed. What happened next?
  3. 8.Give an example of the candidate producing good work with incomplete information.
  4. 9.What result improved while they were in the role, and what was their contribution?
  5. 10.When results were below expectations, how did they respond to feedback?
  6. 11.What skill did the candidate develop most while you worked together?

5. Barista questions

  1. 12.How long did the candidate work with you, and what shifts did they usually do?
  2. 13.How did the candidate cope with the morning rush? Did quality slip when it got busy?
  3. 14.How consistent was their coffee? Could they train or calibrate the grinder?
  4. 15.How did the candidate handle an unhappy customer or a remade order?
  5. 16.Did the candidate handle cash or the register? Were there ever discrepancies?
  6. 17.How reliable were they with start times and covering shifts?
  7. 18.How did they keep the station clean and follow food safety routines?
  8. 19.Would you have them back on your roster tomorrow?

6. Working style and integrity

  1. 20.Describe a disagreement the candidate had with a colleague. How did they move the work forward?
  2. 21.How did the candidate ask for help when they needed it?
  3. 22.When the candidate made a mistake that affected others, what did they do?
  4. 23.What would you tell a new manager about working with this person?

7. Closing questions

  1. 24.Is there anything we have not asked that you think we should know?
  2. 25.What kind of manager or team would get the best out of this person?
  3. 26.Would you hire or work with this person again? Why or why not?

8. Recommendation

  • Overall: recommend / recommend with reservations / do not recommend
  • Strengths confirmed
  • Concerns or follow-ups
  • Signed and dated

Do not ask about health, family, age, religion or other protected personal information, and check the law where you hire.

Frequently asked questions

Do I really need to check references for a barista?

Yes. A two-minute check catches the most common hospitality problems: no-shows, cash issues and attitude in a rush. It costs far less than rehiring a month later.

What if the candidate has never worked in a cafe?

Use a referee from any customer-facing job, such as retail or fast food, and ask the reliability and customer questions.

How fast can I get a barista reference back?

Send the questions as a short online form. Cafe managers often reply the same day when the form takes a few minutes on a phone.

Send these barista questions online instead.

HiveRef emails the referees, chases them for you and puts every answer into one report. First 4 checks free, no card needed.

Start freeSee a sample report