If you were opening the cafe on your own, what would you do before the first customer arrived?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests opening and closing procedures. Describes the steps to set up or break down the bar, backflushing and cleaning machines, restocking and securing the store.
• Strong answers: Turning on and checking machines, dialing in espresso, brewing coffee, stocking milk and cups, setting up pastries, and counting the drawer.
• Likely follow-up: What would you do if the espresso machine was not heating up?

Another way it may be asked: You unlock the doors at six in the morning. What gets done before you flip the sign?

A structure to follow: Answer, explain, example, limits

1. Step 1

   Answer

   Give your direct answer in the first sentence so the interviewer knows where you are going.

2. Step 2

   Explain

   Say how it works or why you would do it that way, in plain words before jargon.

3. Step 3

   Example

   Anchor it in something you have actually done or seen, with the detail that shows hands-on experience.

4. Step 4

   Limits

   Say when your approach would not be the right one. It shows judgement.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Reciting a definition without showing you have applied it.
• Using terms you cannot explain if asked a level deeper.
• Claiming experience beyond what you can discuss in detail.

How to practise it

Say the answer in 90 seconds, then answer the follow-up as if it were a new question.

Related questions

• Walk me through how you close down the bar so the morning crew can start smoothly.
• A customer walks up and says they have never ordered at a coffee shop and do not know what to get. How would you help?
• What do you do to keep the espresso bar clean and safe during a shift?
• When you are on the register, how do you make sure the order and the payment are both correct?
• How do you know if a shot of espresso is good, and what do you change if it is not?

Browse all questions