I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea (Frisco, TX) in Oct 2025
Interview
Simple straight forwards personality focused, asked about previous experience but not in extreme detail. Was interviewed by the owner and the manager who was also her son. Was only about 30 minutes long.
I applied online. I interviewed at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea (Ann Arbor, MI) in Oct 2023
Interview
The process was frustrating and encompassed 5-6 interviews, multiple application forms, with math, english, leadership and personality assessments sprinkled throughout, and a case study presentation I had to synthesize and lay out on the last interview. The last question of the last interview, after a month of speaking to them was, "we're entering a very busy period, are you open to freelance work at this time?" I was dumbstruck. Why not just hire me and I can help you with your busy season? During the last interview where I presented my findings on their case study scenario and then had interview questions, the CEO as well as her marketing head typed on their computers, the whole time, it felt like the entire exercise was done so they could harvest marketing strategies from me. Massively stressful and disappointing process. When I followed up the interview with a thank you note and follow up questions the response I got was "some of the questions you ask are interesting but I just don't have the time to engage in answering further." Don't join up with this outfit...don't even get your coffee there. Don't work for people who care about their time but not yours.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Region One, 7 cafes are performing well - sales are growing at 5% annually.
Region Two, 5 cafes are underperforming - sales are stagnant
Each region has a marketing budget of $50,000 for the year.
Please answer the following questions in detail:
1. What data would you pull from the well performing cafes?
2. Why would you pull that data and what will you do with it?
3. What would your marketing goals be for the underperforming cafes?
4. How would you spend the marketing budget to meet your goals?
5. Why will you spend it in that manner?
6. How would you determine your ROI?
7. Are there other metrics you will use to measure success?
8. What insights do you hope to draw from those metrics?
I applied online. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea (Denton, TX) in Jan 2023
Interview
Talking with the owner was a very down to earth experience, She was very professional, and straightforward. She requested I meet her early (around 8am) for the interview and both had a cup of coffee while she interviewed me.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"What makes you interested in working as a barista?"
"Do you have any prior experience in customer service or food service?"
"Can you tell me about a time when you had to handle a difficult customer situation?"
"How do you handle tasks or processes that require precision and attention to detail?"
"Do you have any experience with espresso machines or other coffee-related equipment?"
"Are you familiar with different types of coffee beans and brewing methods?"