Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Juicer
💰 $24,000 - $38,000 / year
🎯 Role Definition
A Juicer is responsible for preparing and serving high-quality fresh juices, smoothies, and wellness beverages in retail, café, or juice-bar environments. This role requires proficiency with commercial juicing equipment, strict adherence to food safety and sanitation standards, consistent recipe execution, and excellent customer service. The ideal candidate blends speed and accuracy during peak service periods with attention to consistency, presentation, and inventory control while promoting health-forward products and upselling add-ons to meet sales targets.
Keywords: juicer, juice bar, cold-pressed juice, fresh juice preparation, commercial juicer operation, food safety, ServSafe, HACCP, smoothie preparation, POS operation, inventory management, customer service.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- Line Cook or Prep Cook in a café or restaurant environment.
- Barista or Beverage Attendant at coffee shops or smoothie bars.
- Retail Customer Service Associate with food handling experience.
Advancement To:
- Juice Bar Lead or Shift Supervisor
- Store Manager or Café Manager
- Operations Lead for a multi-location beverage concept
- Food Safety Coordinator or Production Supervisor (for cold-pressed juice manufacturers)
Lateral Moves:
- Barista / Smoothie Maker
- Catering Beverage Specialist
- Nutrition Coach or Wellness Consultant
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Prepare and assemble fresh juices, cold-pressed juices, smoothies, and wellness shots following established recipes and portion-control standards to ensure consistent flavor, yield, and cost targets.
- Operate and maintain commercial juicers, blenders, and extraction equipment safely and efficiently, performing routine cleaning, calibration, and minor troubleshooting as required.
- Follow all food safety, sanitation, and allergen control procedures, including proper glove use, handwashing, cross-contamination prevention, and temperature monitoring to maintain compliance with local health-code regulations.
- Weigh, measure, and portion ingredients to adhere to recipe specifications, reduce waste, and maintain consistent nutritional and flavor profiles across shifts.
- Perform opening and closing duties, including equipment startup/shutdown, sanitation checklists, refrigeration checks, restocking of prep stations, and secure cash handling at shift end.
- Greet customers warmly, take orders accurately, and provide product recommendations and add-on suggestions that increase average ticket while reflecting nutrition and ingredient transparency.
- Manage point-of-sale (POS) transactions including cash handling, card payments, order modifiers, and accurate till reconciliation while following company cash-control policies.
- Monitor product freshness and shelf life by rotating inventory (FIFO), labeling dates, and discarding expired or unsafe ingredients to protect product quality and customer safety.
- Maintain clean, organized, and visually appealing service, prep, and storage areas; sanitize work surfaces, utensils, and equipment according to cleaning schedules and checklist requirements.
- Track daily ingredient yields, waste logs, and batch production records to support inventory forecasting, cost control, and supplier reordering cadence.
- Prepare pre-batched juices and cold-pressed inventory for peak service times or catering orders, ensuring appropriate packaging, labeling (date, batch number), and cold chain handling.
- Follow HACCP or other food-safety plans during cold-press production and store operations, documenting critical control points and corrective actions when deviations occur.
- Assist with receiving deliveries, verifying supplier invoices, checking product quality, updating inventory systems, and properly storing incoming produce and perishables.
- Educate customers about ingredients, sourcing (organic/local), nutritional benefits, and seasonal menu items while handling dietary restrictions and allergen inquiries professionally.
- Participate in product launches, seasonal menu changes, and in-store promotions by learning new recipes, creating sample stations, and communicating features to customers.
- Assist in training new juicing staff on recipes, equipment operation, safety, and customer service best practices to achieve consistent team performance.
- Monitor and report equipment malfunctions, safety hazards, and maintenance needs to management and coordinate timely service to minimize downtime.
- Maintain accurate records for daily production volumes, waste logs, temperature logs, and sanitation checklists to support audits and continuous improvement.
- Take and fulfill phone, in-person, and online orders for pick-up and delivery services with proper packing, labeling, and cold-storage instructions to maintain product integrity on transit.
- Support catering and wholesale orders by accurately batching, packaging, and coordinating logistics with kitchen teams and external partners to meet deadlines and quality expectations.
- Implement portion control and upsell techniques at the point of sale to help meet store sales goals while preserving margins and minimizing overuse of premium ingredients.
- Enforce store policies on packaging choices, recycling, composting, and single-use plastics to align with sustainability initiatives and brand standards.
Secondary Functions
- Assist the manager with basic inventory forecasting, supplier communication, and placing orders to ensure continuous supply of fresh produce and consumables.
- Contribute feedback on menu performance, recipe optimization, and ingredient cost-savings ideas based on on-floor observations and sales trends.
- Support marketing initiatives by preparing samples, participating in community events, and suggesting promotions to attract repeat customers and increase foot traffic.
- Participate in cross-training and agile shift coverage to provide consistent service during staffing fluctuations, peak periods, and special events.
- Help maintain digital records for compliance, including temperature logs, cleaning checklists, and training confirmations, to prepare for inspections and audits.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Proven experience operating commercial juicers (centrifugal, masticating/cold-press) and high-capacity blenders while adhering to safety protocols.
- Knowledge of food safety systems such as ServSafe, HACCP, or equivalent local certifications and ability to follow critical control point documentation.
- Recipe execution, batch scaling, and portion-control skills to ensure consistent flavor and cost-effective production.
- Fresh produce handling knowledge including washing, peeling, trimming, and yield optimization for perishable ingredients.
- POS system proficiency and basic cash-handling experience, including transaction modifiers, split payments, and end-of-day reconciliation.
- Inventory management and FIFO stock rotation practices to minimize spoilage and maintain quality.
- Basic knife skills and food-prep competencies for cutting fruits, vegetables, and garnishes safely and quickly.
- Temperature control and cold-chain management for refrigeration units, cold-pressed juice storage, and transport packaging.
- Packaging and labeling best practices for retail and catering orders, including allergen declarations and “best-by” dating.
- Basic equipment maintenance and sanitation skills, including routine disassembly/reassembly for cleaning and recognizing signs of mechanical failure.
- Ability to perform physical tasks: standing for long periods, lifting up to 40 lbs, repetitive motions, and working in cold prep environments.
- Familiarity with nutrition, ingredient sourcing (organic/local), and dietary concerns (gluten-free, vegan, paleo) to advise customers credibly.
Soft Skills
- Outstanding customer service and interpersonal skills with a friendly, patient, and professional demeanor.
- Strong attention to detail to maintain consistent product quality, safety logs, and accurate order fulfillment.
- Time management and prioritization skills to balance prep work, service demands, and cleaning responsibilities during peak periods.
- Team-player attitude and cooperative communication to work effectively with kitchen staff, managers, and front-of-house colleagues.
- Problem-solving aptitude to troubleshoot equipment issues quickly and adapt recipes or workflows during supply shortages.
- Reliability and punctuality with the ability to adhere to scheduled shifts, opening/closing routines, and attendance policies.
- Upselling and suggestive-selling capability to promote add-ons, subscriptions, and higher-margin items respectfully.
- Resilience under pressure and the ability to maintain calm and accuracy in high-volume service windows.
- Continuous-learning mindset to incorporate new recipes, equipment updates, and food-safety practices into daily routines.
- Positive, health-focused brand ambassador quality that aligns with wellness-driven consumer expectations.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
- High school diploma or equivalent.
Preferred Education:
- Certificate or coursework in culinary arts, food handling, nutrition, hospitality, or a related field.
- ServSafe or equivalent food handler/manager certification preferred.
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Culinary Arts
- Nutrition or Dietetics
- Hospitality Management
- Food Science
- Business or Retail Management
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range: 0–3 years in food service, café, or juice-bar environments.
Preferred: 1–2 years of direct experience operating commercial juicers/blenders, following recipes for high-volume beverage production, and working in a fast-paced retail food environment. Prior experience with cold-pressed juice production, catering coordination, or store-level inventory management is a strong plus.