Lead Barista / Front of House

Forno Cultura | Toronto, ON

Full-Time / Permanent | In Person

Forno Cultura is looking for an experienced Lead Barista who cares equally about exceptional coffee and genuine hospitality.

This is a hands-on Front of House role with added responsibility for leading our coffee standard. You’ll work alongside the FOH team serving guests, operating the POS, supporting food service, stocking, cleaning, and maintaining the overall guest experience — while helping ensure every coffee leaving the bar meets Forno Cultura’s standards.

You are not stepping away from service to “manage the coffee department.” You are the coffee leader within the team: setting the example, coaching others, protecting consistency, and supporting the Supervisor or Manager leading the overall shift.

What You’ll Do

Lead Coffee Quality

- Prepare espresso-based and other beverages consistently to Forno Cultura recipes and presentation standards.
- Dial in espresso machines and grinders daily and make adjustments throughout service.
- Monitor extraction, dose, yield, grind, milk texture, temperature, taste, and beverage presentation.
- Identify and correct quality issues before they affect the guest experience.
- Maintain consistent beverage standards across different baristas and service periods.
- Keep espresso machines, grinders, brewers, tools, refrigeration, and the coffee bar clean, organized, and service-ready.

Coach & Develop the Team
- Lead by example through solid coffee technique, hospitality, cleanliness, urgency, and professionalism.
- Coach FOH team members on espresso preparation, grinder adjustment, milk steaming, recipes, workflow, beverage presentation, and equipment care.
- Support onboarding and coffee training for new team members.
- Give clear, respectful, practical feedback during service.




- Identify recurring training or quality gaps and communicate them to FOH leadership.
- Participate in tastings, calibration sessions, training, and ongoing development.

Deliver Great Hospitality
- Welcome guests warmly and provide polished, knowledgeable service.
- Take orders, operate the POS, package and serve products, and support food and beverage service.
- Learn the full Forno Cultura offering — not only coffee — so you can confidently speak about our food, ingredients, preparation methods, craftsmanship, and slow-food approach.
- Make thoughtful coffee and food recommendations without making the experience feel transactional.
- Maintain speed and accuracy during busy periods while protecting quality and hospitality.

Support the Full Front of House
- Keep displays, counters, retail areas, seating areas, and the coffee bar clean, stocked, organized, and intentionally presented.
- Replenish products and supplies proactively.
- Monitor coffee beans, dairy and alternative milks, cups, lids, filters, cleaning products, and other beverage supplies.
- Support opening, closing, cleaning, stocking, receiving, rotation, inventory, waste, food safety, sanitation, and workplace procedures.
- Move between coffee, POS, food service, merchandising, stocking, cleaning, and other FOH responsibilities based on what the business needs.

What We’re Looking For
- 2+ years of professional barista experience, ideally in specialty coffee or a quality-focused café environment.




- Robust espresso preparation and milk-steaming skills.
- Confidence dialing in espresso and adjusting grinders independently.
- Good understanding of extraction, dose, yield, taste, milk texture, and beverage consistency.
- Previous experience training, coaching, or informally leading other baristas is strongly preferred.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-volume hospitality setting.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to give constructive feedback respectfully.
- Organized, reliable, detail-oriented, and proactive.
- Comfortable switching between coffee and broader Front of House responsibilities.
- Genuine interest in food, coffee, hospitality, and craftsmanship.
- Availability to work mornings, weekends, and holidays as required by the business.

What Success Looks Like You’ll know you’re succeeding when:
- Guests consistently receive welcoming, knowledgeable service.
- Coffee quality remains excellent regardless of which team member is on bar.
- Baristas become more confident and technically capable because of your coaching.
- The coffee bar stays clean, stocked, calibrated, and ready for service.
- Equipment and supply issues are identified early rather than becoming emergencies.
- You know when to lead the coffee standard and when to support the priorities of the Supervisor or Manager leading the shift.

About Forno Cultura Forno Cultura is an Italian bakery and hospitality company built around craftsmanship, thoughtful food, and genuine hospitality. We believe the guest experience is created by the full team — from the way our products are made and presented to the way guests are welcomed and cared for.

Pay: $19.00-$20.00 per hour

Experience

- Barista: 2 years (required)
- Hospitality: 2 years (required)

Work Location: In person

📌 Lead Barista (Toronto)
🏢 Forno Cultura
📍 Toronto