barista

shift leader

store manager

shift manager

assistant manager

BIGGBY COFFEE

Since Biggby is a franchise business, it really depends on where you are and who you are working for. I worked at two different locations, one in Holland, MI and one in Grand Rapids, MI. The one in Holland was amazing. The owner was in the shop several days a week and even worked side by side with us at least once a week.  He made sure to get to know every one of his workers on a friend level and he even threw a couple get togethers for the people at my location and people from the other two locations he owned so we could all get to know each other. I worked under a very friendly manager and assistant manager also. Everyone was always very willing to help you out whenever you needed it and we even had a few fun BOGOs with the local police. Being in a small college town, we were always busy, but we had great flexibility. I also liked this particular franchise because if you wanted extra hours, you could pick up shifts at one of the other locations. It was a great job while I was in school and I was always excited to go to work. 
However, when I “transferred” to the Grand Rapids location, things were totally different. It wasn’t by any means terrible, but it wasn’t great. The owners lived an hour and a half away so you didn’t see them often and usually when you saw them, they were firing someone over something trivial. The manager was in a relationship with one of the shift leads which shouldn’t really be an issue, but it affected their work vastly and it started to make some of the workers, myself included, very uncomfortable. I like to think of myself as a very tidy and thorough person and when I started working at this location, it was very clear that majority of the workers there did not care about the proper procedures. I often ended up having to go back and clean things again because my coworkers were not putting as much effort in as they should have been. They weren’t bad people (except for one), I think it was due to a lack of proper training, but some of these things were also common knowledge. Overall, I think Biggby is a fun place to work. Even though my second experience wasn’t the best, I still had fun because I liked the company and the customers were great. If you’re looking into applying at Biggby, definitely look into the culture of the specific location you’re applying to because some places are much better than others.

I worked at Biggby for a good nine months at least at a local store. It was convenient for me due to how close-by to the store I was; I could just ride my bike or walk there if I chose, which made getting to-and-from perfect. What I enjoyed the most about the job were my coworkers I befriended (and still are friends with to this day), and the regulars that came in. Many of the regulars were awesome people and were always a joy to see when they came in. However, my purest complaint is management... I am autistic, and I struggle socially very badly, and I mentioned this in my interview. Biggby really strives to make sure you are being social to every person who comes into the store, and as someone with social limitations, it was so hard to do such a thing. But, I didn't think it would lend me where I am now. I was fired nine months into working, and was not given a proper talking to about what it was that I WASN'T doing right. I assumed I was doing okay for being at the store for as long as I had been, but apparently not. I was let go for reasons such as: not being social enough, and coming off as upset. When in reality, those things pertain to my autistic conditions that I cannot control or are unaware of even doing. I was told that I was spoken to "several times" about being more social, but in hindsight, I wasn't spoken to at all. I was never approached directly and told that I need to be better, therefore leading me to believe I was at least doing okay. And worse yet, a coworker I had got away with rude treatment to the other coworkers (including me), and got a simple "talking to", but I, doing my job and actually getting things done without bossing around my coworkers, get fired because I cannot be social enough. It still breaks my heart that I was let go for the reasons I was; I have not been back to the store since and do not plan to return, even as a regular, again. So if you are a very extroverted person, then this is the perfect place for you. But if you struggle socially, then I wouldn't... 

You should absolutely work here as a barista if you are looking for a part-time job to just help out while you're going to school or because you're bored.

The most flexible scheduling ever, they're totally willing to work around school schedules, or even last minute switches with another employee because you forgot you had Aunt Ida's 95th birthday party to attend.

It's quite fun; the hardest thing you have to do there is maybe clean a bathroom once in a while.  Making drinks and putting smiles on people's faces all day is AWESOME.  The customers are amazing--we don't treat our customers like just more money, we actually have real relationships with them, and they repay us with kindness, tips, even cookies!

THAT SAID.  There are NO raises, ever.  Tips are pretty good so on top of minimum wage, you are making a few bucks more per hour, which is great for what the job is.  But there's no incentive to go above and beyond, or to not take that slightly higher-paying job, because the operators just view everyone as easily replaceable (which tbh, is true, easy enough to train a newbie) so no reason to give raises.

Also there is very little upward movement.  You can get promoted to lead barista, which means you have a key and "lead the shift," but after that there's pretty much nowhere to go.  If a management position DOES happen to open up, trust me, you don't want to take it, because now that it's illegal for you to get tips, you probably make LESS per hour than the baristas, even if you do manage to only work 40 hours - which you probably won't, because you're on-call 24/7, so you end up working 60-hour weeks with no compensation, no vacation, and NO BENEFITS.  I seriously feel bad for my manager, and I think she's burning out too.

Working as a Biggby barista was my first job and I was super excited to start it. My excitement to join the team and to contribute my time/energy, quickly turned into a deep disappointment from the complete lack of empathy towards workers.

About a month in, I was promoted from a barista to a shift-lead (something I tried to reject but couldn't). Working as a barista is fast-paced, difficult, and very stressful, but it is manageable. Working as a Biggby barista is all of those things, but management and corporate will exploit you in every way they can. Fortunately, my managers were great (apparently uncommon for Biggby), but the franchise owner was not great.

I haven't heard of anything positive about the franchise owner from any barista there. Working at Biggby can be a nightmare. You are not paid anything for overtime work unless you bring it up multiple times. You are not given breaks even if you work well over 8 hours (in multiple meetings the owner has explained that time in between customers is meant for cleaning NOT for a break, anything else is worthy of being fired). You aren't even allowed a chair to sit on, a crate was taken away by the owner because people used it to sit during slow moments.

I quickly started experiencing intense anxiety over work and was having panic attacks in my car before work. Not because customers would yell at me and tell me I was stupid, but because when they stopped yelling at me, corporate would yell at me instead. The owner profits massively while paying the workers the absolute minimum, all while cutting every corner possible in order to exploit the workers. Being a barista is difficult, but being a Biggby barista is absolutely terrible.

All for $9.75 an hour and some tips.

Coming into work either involves opening or closing the store. But that is just the technical parts of it. I work closely with customers making their drinks and talking to them about their lives. If there is ever a suggestion or a concern, customers can talk to me about them, so that I can pass them on to management or deal with them as needed. I also work with employees, directing them what they need to do, as well as help them with anything they appear to be struggling or excelling with.
I have absolutely learned the power of the human spirit. People are remarkable beings, and they have shown this to me by remembering me and being kind to the person who makes their coffee everyday. Management is great, I am very lucky to have the management that I do. My manager has been a great support person when I ever need advice or help with anything.
My co-workers are very hardworking, and willing to do what it needed when it is needed. It has been nice knowing that when I need help on the job I can ask for it, and receive it promptly and done well.
The hardest part of my job is understanding that not every customer or co-worker is going to like you. Some personalities do not mesh well with others. Also, there are some days when no matter how hard I work to make someone's day, it's not always possible. There are sometimes when you need to let people work their trouble's out by themselves.
The most enjoyable part of my job is getting to meet new people, and to make their day. I love talking to people and making them smile. There is something really wonderful about doing something good for another person.

To be honest, at first it was fun I never pictured myself as a barista and there I was. To be completely honest with you, management freaking sucks. The main people in charge are, alyssa, connor and mark. Boy, oh boy never have I ever met someone so entitled as them, they think they're above everybody else. My best advice is to not apply, don't even consider it, if you're thinking about it, don't!!!! A typical day as a biggby worker includes being schulded more than 35 hours a week, but getting in trouble if you go over 40, or you're either called in to cover a shift because management cannot do it themselves. Oooo lets talk about management!!! Ok imagine if you gave a kindergartener a job for a day, you told them they're in charge of this and you're not gonna help them at all.  Ok that, but worse. At my location, my manager knew nothing about how to manage a place and it quickly went downhill!! I don't think they get the proper people to manage in my opinion. This "establistment" doesn't follow the 3 write up rule they have, I mean why have it if you don't follow it. Instead without a warning they fire you, and completely ghost you. The hardest part of this job honestly is having free time, they will overwork you and constantly expect you to, metaphorically speaking, know the united states constitution. The most enjoyable part can be some of the employees, after some of my shifts we go to the back of the store and just scream. I wouldn't recommend this job to anybody, not your mom, sister, dog, best friends, your best friends mother in law, literally nobody, however if this sounds like the ideal workplace for you; two things, 1. Here ya go, apply and 2. Please get some help

Withhold earnings as they please especially in overtime hours they believe havent been approved for the branch manager by owership although that manager is told early on in training that their store is their responsibility and are held accountable to make ends meet every day especially when staffing is low. They instill during training that managers are required to keep stores open the full daily hours even in staffing crisis. Meaning when all else fails and no body shows up to work it's on the management to show up and work those shifts after all attempts to find coverage and all resources were exhausted. Unfortunately, this company also believes that management must work minimal of 33 hours per week and if they end up going into overtime covering for staff shortages then they have to seek approval from ownership as well as can't close the store they're assigned if they don't get immediate response to ot approval. They will automatically deduct the ot hours as well as the normal rate of wage in full from the manager after management has already worked the shifts required if they feel like the overtime didnt serve them any increase in revenue and cut off all hours that exceed over 79 hours without any notification to the management of their losses and what now is considered volunteer work done or free labor without employee consent. 

• A typical day at this job is hearing inappropriate comments and complaints from colleagues and managers, while trying to preform the task of making bagels and drinks.
• This job has taught me about making drinks, counting money, customer service, as well as how to independently teach myself those things so that I can properly train new coworkers.
• The management at the Berkley MI location in particular is really bad, it is very disorganized and (in my experience) they didn’t teach me how to properly make drinks, take orders, brew coffee, etc. it was almost like they just expected me to know everything. Then if I were to mess up the manager would talk about my failures to my colleagues, instead of just explaining what I was doing wrong. 
• Within the workplace behind the counter the workers are very inappropriate and say really disrespectful jokes about their own colleagues, managers also take part in this. On the other side of the counter the customers can be very polite and nice but also can be very rude and mean towards myself and my colleagues.
• The most difficult part of work here is your colleagues the things that they say to others and the way that it’s almost like they are verbally abusing each other is hurtful and disgusting. 
• The most enjoyable part of this job are the nice regular customers, they try to make you laugh and have a great time with you. I try to joke and make them laugh so that it can help me cope with the stressful situation happening with my colleagues and managers.

The job is great if you’re a student, whether that be college or high school. If you’re an adult with bills and your own home, do not recommend. If you have specific availability, this is not for you, especially when it comes to working weekends. We’ve had some co-workers call in sick, including myself, and have to come in and work anyways. Sick as in throwing up, which is against Health guidelines. 
The job itself is not hard at all though. 
The tasks are pretty easy. 
It’ll seem tough at first, but it’s really not. You typically get 3-4 people working with you during your shift depending on the shift. Most closing shifts there’s only a 3rd person there until 5/6 and then it’s just 2 people. It also depends on which Biggby you work at. Many are different & serve different hours as well. 
You do get free drinks & food depending on what location you work at. 
The start pay WAS $9.65 when I started, but that was in 2019. It might have went up since then. I worked there for two years and only got up to $11.15 & that’s as a shift lead, not a barista. Shift leads hold key to store and have a lot of other responsibilities that baristas do NOT.  
So depending on the situation the job is a 50/50 chance of being great or being horrible. 
Good luck! 

I worked at Biggby in New Philadelphia for two years as a shift lead, from the very beginning of the business to now watching it become quite a popular spot for the area. None of that would’ve happened the way it did if it wasn’t for the owners and general manager of that store. I’ve never met more motivated, understanding, flexible and dedicated people in my life. They truly set out to make a difference and have done just that. They’ve worked with me through countless life events that inevitably had an effect on my work schedule, availability and ability at and for work. They’ve included me in on just about everything and I never felt as though I was left in the dark as a shift lead. They have a strict no bullying rule that they stick to their guns on, and include every employee as an individual. I’ve met some of the best people working this job and although some of the crazier days it gets stressful - it built some of the most impactful relationships I’ve ever had. I’ve had a lot of jobs and Biggby has squashed every one. I recently left to pursue a career but the time spent there has made such an impact on me. If you’re considering applying - definitely go for it and become a part of such an amazing team. Biggby in New Philadelphia is the absolute best. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Barista 217 salaries reported	$13.10 per hour
Shift leader 34 salaries reported	$13.86 per hour
Store manager 8 salaries reported	$17.56 per hour
Shift manager 8 salaries reported	$13.13 per hour
Assistant manager 2 salaries reported	$17.75 per hour

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