Cardiff University Food & Barista Staff (2025-26)

Cardiff Union Services Ltd; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

A university food service provider in Cardiff is seeking enthusiastic baristas. Responsibilities include food preparation, cash handling, and maintaining high customer service standards. Previous experience as a barista is essential. Candidates should have a positive attitude and be flexible with shifts. Level 2 Food Safety is preferred. Join our team to work in a dynamic environment across multiple campus food sites.

Qualifications

• Experience as a barista with cash handling and till operation.
• Good understanding of café products and coffee making.
• Ability to follow instructions and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Prepare café and ensure high standards of service.
• Take and process food orders while handling cash.
• Maintain hygiene and food safety standards.

Skills

Customer service experience

Cash handling

Teamwork

Organization skills

Positive attitude

Numeracy and literacy skills

Welsh language skills

Education

Level 2 Food Safety or equivalent

Job description

Please remember to include the following in your application: your specific availability Monday-Friday each week (details below), details of your previous barista experience, & your availability for the induction date (details below).

We are looking for engaging motivated, and energetic baristas to join a pool of staff working across the Cardiff University Food sites from Heath to Central Campus. The job will be exciting yet challenging at times; experience as a barista is essential, alongside a real positive attitude and you will just love working in hospitality, easily connecting with our customers. If you think this sounds like you then we would love to hear from you.

To apply for this role, you must have previous Barista & Retail experience as you will be expected to start this role having already been barista trained. Please state your previous experience in your application.

Shifts are available every day in the following patterns:

08.30 – 17.30 Monday-Friday for Barista, Retail and Hospitality staff (these may be split into AM/PM shifts, or cover lunch events)

You must be free for at least 2 weekday shifts as noted above each week. Please state your availability clearly in your application.

There may also be shifts available for the following, but these are not guaranteed:

15:30 – 19:30 for Evening Meal Service and Hospitality

You must be available for the Induction Day on Saturday December 6th @ 10am. Please state your availability for the induction in your application. The induction will last no more than two hours.

The duties for these roles are as follows:

Barista/ Retail Main Duties:

• Preparing the café/ restaurant, paying particular attention to product placement, stock rotation, ensuring standards and stock levels are maintained.
• Maintaining a very high level of customer service and working with colleagues towards improving the level of standards and service ensuring merchandising and customer service practices are adhered to.
• Placing daily food orders and checking and singing for all deliveries from suppliers and undertaking stock rotation.
• Preparation of food and beverages, this includes serving and clearing tables, following set portion controls, making barista style drinks, and food preparation.
• Cash handling, to ensure the safe keeping of cash floats and operating the cash register throughout the service. Recording all transactions and balancing the float and takings at the end of service, in line with cash handling Policy and Procedures.
• Meeting the necessary requirements of hygiene and food safety by monitoring cleaning standards, taking temperatures and recording findings and reporting any variations, in like with Cardiff University Food Safety Policy.
• Participating in training appropriate to the position, if required.
• Undertake stock takes and ensuring control of waste and costs.
• Assisting in the identification of equipment for repair and/or replacement, and reporting.
• Collection and return of outlet keys as required, maintaining a safe and secure working environment.

Hospitality

These are ad hoc shifts from 1-2 hours over lunch periods to whole day events or evening dinners. We regularly have events across the weekends as well.

Most shifts for this role require meeting the hiring manager for instruction, then to lay out a buffet, and help customers as they have their event, and afterwards tidy/clear after ready for a driver to come back and take away anything as required.

For the fork buffets, you would be required to serve the customers the food, partake in clearing up, washing up, and restocking of food, and then tidying the event space and/or work area at the end of a shift (making sure the University space and your work area is clean, clear and tidy).

For dinner events, the role would include laying up the event, and then silver service during the event and the necessary clear down at the end of an evening.

Evening Meal service (Trevithick & Julian Hodge)

Service includes serving the students their evening meal from the counter, clearing/cleaning tables and seating area, cleaning down at the end of the evening, emptying bins and washing dishes, and other duties as required. T this role will also require being able to converse with the customers to explain menu options and any allergen requirements.

Person Specification

• You will have recent customer service experience working as a barista, with cash handling and till operation,
• You will have good numeracy and literacy skills, and evidence of ability to use email and internet-based applications,
• A good understanding of café products; including knowledge on all aspects of coffee making and sandwich/basic good production,
• You will have experience of working within a team and ability to communicate and follow instructionprocedures,
• You will be able to work without close supervision, and strong organisationalskills,
• You will have a positive, enthusiastic attitude,
• Level 2 Food Safety or equivalent, or willingness to undertake and maintain accreditation.
• You will be calm and able to undertake multiple tasks and have good timekeeping,
• Experience of stock control and purchasing,
• Experience of merchandising and product placement,
• Ability to speak/understand Welsh, or willingness to learn.

About The Company

Important information for working through Jobshop:

Please note, this advert may come down early if there are a high volume of applications. If you are interested in this role, we recommend you apply as soon as possible.

All students who undertake work through Jobshop must complete a Right to Work check before starting any paid work or work-related training. We will contact successful candidates regarding this. To f ind out more about Right to Work please [e-mail].

Students are eligible to work through Jobshop for 3-months post their end of studies date ( usually noted on their student ID/ proof of enrolment letter), providing all Right to Work documents (such as visas) are still in date. Please o nly apply if you are eligible to work for the entirety of the role .

If you are on an hour s- limited visa, it is your responsibility to ensure you do not exceed the working- hour restriction Monday - Sunday , each week . This is a legal restriction that must be adhered to for work completed both within and outside of Jobshop.