- Skilled barista retention is becoming a growing challenge for coffee businesses across the United States
- US accommodation and food services recorded a 4.3% quit rate in March 2026, highlighting ongoing retention challenges
- As workforce expectations evolve, operators are being forced to rethink how they attract, develop, and retain talent
The modern coffee industry’s growth has been built on skilled labour. Better-trained baristas deliver better drinks, stronger customer experiences, and greater consistency. But for many coffee shop owners, the challenge is no longer attracting talent – it’s keeping it.
Across the United States, operators are finding themselves trapped in a cycle of recruitment, onboarding, and retraining as employees move between employers more frequently than in previous years. While staff turnover has long been part of hospitality, many coffee businesses argue it is becoming increasingly difficult to build stable teams capable of supporting long-term growth.
In hospitality hubs such as Miami, where coffee shops compete with restaurants, hotels, bars, events, and a growing range of alternative employment opportunities, those pressures are particularly visible.
The revolving door is getting faster
Hospitality has traditionally experienced higher turnover than many other industries, and the issue remains particularly pronounced across foodservice.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), accommodation and food services continue to record one of the highest quit rates of any major employment sector. In March 2026, the industry’s quit rate reached 4.3% – nearly double the private-sector average.
For coffee businesses, this creates a difficult operating environment. Competition for staff no longer comes exclusively from neighbouring coffee shops, but from a much broader hospitality ecosystem.
“Coffee businesses are not only competing with other coffee shops or roasters in this market, but also with restaurants, hotels, bars, and new concepts that have or want strong coffee programs,” says Milan Sljivich Jr., Owner and President of Escondido Coffee Company.
“It’s not uncommon for an individual to find a new opportunity with slightly better pay, or better hours, since so many of these new establishments are being opened.”
Miami offers a particularly visible example of this trend. Major sporting events, tourism, nightlife, and a constantly evolving hospitality scene create a labour market where employees often have multiple options available at any given time.
“To a certain degree yes, but the real trend in our city is that employees take on additional shifts or temporary work with other companies during major events or peak tourism periods,” Milan says when asked about whether he has noticed a higher frequency of employees changing jobs.
“This gives them the opportunity to earn additional income and continue to grow in their experience and careers.”
The result is a labour market where retaining staff has become increasingly unpredictable. According to the National Restaurant Association‘s 2025 State of the Restaurant Industry report, 77% of restaurant operators say retaining employees remains a significant challenge for their businesses.
It seems that employees are no longer choosing between competing coffee shops alone – rather, they are choosing between a growing range of hospitality, event, and gig economy opportunities that can often offer greater flexibility or short-term earning potential.
Training investments are becoming harder to recover
For many coffee shop owners, the greatest cost of turnover is not recruitment itself. Rather, it’s the time, money, and effort invested in training.
Unlike many entry-level hospitality roles, coffee requires a significant level of technical skill. From dialling in espresso and managing workflow to customer service and product knowledge, developing a competent barista takes time.
“It has a huge impact,” Milan says. “Employers and businesses invest a significant amount of resources on training and developing their teams and staff, in order to produce the best overall customer experience.”
When trained employees leave, operators often find themselves restarting the process from the beginning.
“Once team members leave, there’s a gap that needs to be solved quickly, which is why it’s critical to have strong onboarding programs and SOPs, so the business doesn’t miss a beat and ultimately so the customers don’t feel it.”
This creates a challenge – and cost – that extends well beyond staffing levels. Every hour spent recruiting, onboarding, and retraining employees is an hour not spent improving operations, developing new offerings, or growing the business.
For many owners, barista retention has become as much a management challenge as a labour one. As coffee businesses continue to raise quality standards, the pressure to maintain consistency despite frequent staff changes is becoming increasingly difficult.
Barista retention requires a different approach
Many operators also believe the workforce itself is changing. The pandemic appears to have accelerated shifts in how hospitality employees approach work, careers, and long-term commitment.
While coffee has traditionally relied on passionate professionals willing to invest heavily in developing their skills, today’s workforce often has a wider range of priorities and opportunities competing for their attention.
“Before COVID-19, it was much more common to see employees building long-term careers in coffee and hospitality,” Milan says. “Since the pandemic, hospitality has become far more transient. They are willing to move between different roles and companies in the industry in search of bettering their lives and careers.”
One coffee shop owner in Miami’s Edgewater neighbourhood describes a noticeable shift in lifestyle expectations among younger workers. They point to habits such as regularly using ride-share services such as Uber for short commutes, or ordering food delivery during workdays, as examples of a generation that often places greater emphasis on convenience, flexibility, and quality of life than previous cohorts.
For business owners, the challenge is adapting to these changing expectations while still maintaining operational stability.
Some operators are finding greater success by focusing less on barista retention incentives and more on career development. Rather than treating café positions as standalone roles, they are creating clearer pathways for progression and helping employees build longer-term careers within the industry.
“I think the companies doing this best are the ones that offer employees a path beyond their current role,” Milan says. “They take the time to understand each person’s career goals and provide opportunities for growth, new experiences, and greater autonomy.”
High turnover is hardly a new challenge for hospitality. What is changing is the amount of training, consistency, and operational discipline modern specialty coffee businesses require.
As workforce expectations continue to shift, the challenge for operators no longer appears to be attracting people into coffee – it may be finding ways to build careers that encourage them to stay.
