Coffee wasn't popular among the Chinese community in Hong Kong a decade ago. As our lifestyle has become more westernised, starting the day with a cup of aromatic coffee has become a trend among the younger generation. The number of coffee shops in the city has surged in the past five years with the introduction of international coffee chains.
Fast-food giant McDonald's entered the race by launching the first McCafe - which focuses on coffee and sandwiches - in Central in 1999. With 52 McCafe outlets in the city, it is always on the lookout for staff.
'We keep expanding. Many locations in Hong Kong are suitable for us to open McCafe,' said Janet Yuen, restaurant solutions group deployment manager of McCafe.
'In general, the coffee market is very active and the development is expected to be fast in the coming few years. The coffee culture here is not as mature as in the US and Europe, there is a lot of work that can be done in the years ahead.'
Ms Yuen said that the company's business growth and internal development of staff ensured a continuous recruitment of young employees. 'We keep on recruiting junior staff,' she said. 'We have a holistic training programme to equip employees with the skills and knowledge they need during different stages of their career.'
After picking up basic catering expertise in areas such as food safety and hospitality, trainees become responsible for food and beverage preparation, assisting the restaurant's management team to maintain the cafe's daily operations and serving the customers. After nine-months on-the-job training trainees will progress to be a beanie, learning to brew coffee and getting involved in simple tasks such as that of cashier and taking orders. They won't be allowed to make coffee for customers until they have satisfied the requirements to be a barista.
