Newport & Bristol, RI

Step 1 of 8

Welcome

About us.

At Empire Tea & Coffee, we've been part of the fabric of Newport for over 20 years and Bristol for more than a decade, and that kind of staying power only happens when you genuinely love where you work and who you serve. We're locally owned and locally cared for, which means every decision we make starts and ends with our community in mind.

What we care about most is pretty simple. The people who walk into our cafés should leave feeling a little more known and a little more cared for than when they came in. Customers, vendors, the person delivering produce, the regular who's having a hard week, everyone gets the same humane treatment from our team. That's the actual job.

The team we've built over time tends to be quietly observant. Self starting. Curious about the work. People who notice that the milk pitcher rinser is dripping and just fix it, instead of waiting to be told. People who learn the names of regulars and remember things.

If that sounds right, we'd love to hear from you. No prior coffee experience needed. Roughly half our team started with us with zero café background. We can teach the craft. What we can't easily teach is the temperament.

This application takes about 10 minutes. The next steps walk you through our roles, our values, and what the day to day really looks like, so by the time you fill in your availability, you've got a clear picture of what you're signing up for.

Let's get to know you

Tell us about you.

Step 2 · The roles

Which roles interest you, friend?

Tap a card to see pay, schedule, day in the life, and growth path. Pick all that apply. Managers will see your full set of interests when reading the application.

Most of our team holds more than one role over time. No prior experience is required for Barista or Kitchen.

Step 3 · What we value

Our values, in action.

Six things we look for. Tap any row to see what each one looks like on a real shift.

Step 4 · Real talk

Here's what the work actually looks like.

Tap a section to read more. These are the things people wish they'd asked us before signing on.

Schedule. Early mornings, two week visibility, weekends required.

Weekend mornings are required, that's our busiest time and it's when our community shows up. We arrive at 5:30am and leave around 7pm. A typical shift is 5 to 8 hours. We post the schedule two weeks ahead and we don't change it after it's published without talking to you first. Our scheduled work week is Monday to Sunday.

Pay and benefits. $16/hr plus tips, growth bumps, health, free shift meal.

The pay structure. Base wage starts at $16/hr. Tips are pooled per week by location and have been averaging $7+/hr and seasonally adjusts across our four locations, with the number rising in summer when Newport tourism picks up. Assistant managers and managers are paid based on experience. Within your first year, you can stack three role bumps. Lead Barista, Mixologist, Team Lead. Each one comes with a bonus and an hourly bump.

Benefits. Health insurance for staff scheduled 30+ hours per week on average. PTO accrues from day one. 30% off our product at any of our cafés (in shop or to go), and a free shift meal every day you're on.

Growth. Many of our managers started as part time baristas. We promote internally before we look outside. We pay for food safety certification and a Barista Hustle subscription for staff who want to learn the craft seriously, and we'll point you toward the next step on the bar whenever you're ready for it.

First week. Shadowing, menu, register, prep.

You will be shadowing experienced staff. Reading our menu, our coffee story, our roasts. Learning the register. Learning our food prep and working through our task lists to keep our stores cleaned, stocked, and ready for our guests.

6 months. Speed, regulars, picking up a specialty.

You're making drinks at speed. You know most of the regulars by sight. You've started picking up skills, maybe roasting basics, maybe latte art, maybe building friendships with the guests. People rely on you.

Why people leave by month 4. And why we're telling you up front.

The commute math stops working. The early mornings break them. They thought café work would be more social or more performative or more lucrative than it actually is. None of those are character flaws. They just mean it wasn't a fit. We'd rather find that out now.

Honest about the commute. We know Newport and Bristol are expensive places to live. If you're commuting from outside the area, do this math before applying: average hourly all in (base plus tips) times shift length, minus gas or fare. If that number doesn't make sense for your life, we get it. We'd rather you decide that now than three weeks in. We've watched it not work out before, and we'd rather not waste either of our time.

Why people stay 2+ years. What we've learned from the team we've kept.

They liked the regulars. They liked the team. They treated it as real work and got better at it over time. They took the growth opportunities. Our average current tenure is 2–3 years; our longest-tenured staff member has been with us 12 years and counting.

How we hire

What happens after you hit submit.

Within 5 business days, a manager reads your application.

Every submission is read by a manager at the location you applied to, sometimes a second manager. We do not use a personality test or a keyword filter. If we find a fitting candidate, we'll reach out by phone or email.

What the interview is like. 30 minutes, in person, mostly conversation.

We meet at the café you applied to. We'll talk about a typical work week, walk you through what a real shift looks like, and ask you to expand on a few things from this application. You'll meet whoever's on bar that day. You can ask us anything, bring questions. We're not trying to trip you up; we're trying to figure out together whether this is the right match.

What we're listening for, and what we're not.

We're listening for awareness, humane treatment, a willingness to talk to a coworker before going to a manager, and a learning posture when you don't know something. We're not listening for prior café experience, polished interview answers, or anything that sounds rehearsed. The four scenarios in this application aren't a test, they're a way for us to hear how you actually think about the work.

Step 6 · About you

A bit more about you.

Resume, age, work authorization. About 60 seconds.

PDF or Word, 5 MB max. If you don't have one, that's totally fine, just skip this.

School, volunteering, prior jobs, sports, hobbies, whatever you think matters. If you'd rather just attach the resume, that's fine too. About 150 words.

Age band

RI restricts hours and shift types for under-18; we use this to schedule legally, not to filter.

Are you legally authorized to work in the US?

Step 7 · Scenarios

A few scenarios for you, friend.

Short, no experience required hypotheticals. About 5 minutes if you take your time. There are no trick questions and no single right answer. We're listening for how you think.

Scenario 1. A slow Tuesday

It's 2:30pm on a Tuesday. The bar is wiped, the espresso machine is clean, and there are no customers in the café. You have about 15 minutes before the next rush.

What do you actually do? (3–5 sentences is plenty.)

Why we ask this
We're looking for awareness, initiative, and a sense of what work actually is in a café when no one's asking you to do it. Strong answers notice something specific. Restocking the pastry case, topping off the bean hopper, refreshing milk, wiping menu boards, prepping limes for tomorrow's tea drinks, or asking a coworker if they need anything. None of those are the "right" answer. They're a window into how you read a quiet room.

Scenario 2. A first time customer can't decide

A customer steps up to the register, looks at the menu for a while, then looks back at you and says something like, "I've never been in here before, what's good?" There are two other customers in line behind them, not in a rush.

What do you actually do? (3 to 5 sentences is plenty.)

Why we ask this
We want to see that you can welcome someone in without making them feel rushed or judged. Strong answers ask one quick clarifying question (hot or iced, sweet or not, coffee or tea), make a real recommendation instead of listing the whole menu, and acknowledge the people in line behind them along the way. We're listening for whether you can hold both customers at once with care, not whether you nail a specific drink suggestion.

Scenario 3. A coworker isn't pulling their weight

You've worked four shifts with a coworker who started two weeks after you. They're polite, on time, but they keep skipping cleaning tasks, forgetting closing steps, and leaving the heavier work to you. You don't know if they're struggling or just not invested.

What do you actually do? (3–5 sentences. There's no single right answer.)

Why we ask this
We're looking for empathy plus initiative without aggression. Strong answers ask the coworker directly and gently, "hey, the closing checklist's a lot when you're new, want me to walk it through with you?" and then loop in the manager if it doesn't change. Quietly resenting and doing all the work yourself isn't a strong answer. In a small team, martyrdom corrodes the whole bar. We're not looking for one prescribed approach. We're listening for whether you'd actually talk to the person.

Scenario 4. You don't know the answer

A customer asks you a specific question about coffee, say, the difference between a washed and a natural process Ethiopian, or what makes our house blend "house." You genuinely don't know the answer. There's a line of three behind them.

What do you actually do? (2–4 sentences.)

Why we ask this
Humility, curiosity, and service instinct. Strong answers tell the customer the truth. "I want to give you a real answer, let me ask my manager," or "let me grab the bag and read it to you," or "I'll find out and have something for you next time you come in." Inventing an answer is a red flag for our voice. Shrugging or freezing tells us this person hasn't yet thought of "I don't know" as a complete sentence, which is something we'd have to teach them.

Two short reflections

A little about you.

2 to 3 sentences. There's no wrong answer. We're listening for self awareness.

2 to 3 sentences. If you've been in one of our cafés: tell us anything you noticed. What you liked, what you'd change. Real observations beat compliments. If you haven't: that's fine. What made you click apply on this job vs. other coffee jobs you've seen?

Step 5 · Logistics & availability

Where + when can you work, friend?

Pick the cafés that work for you, then mark the windows you can actually be in.

Which cafés would you like to work at? Three Newport, one Bristol, across the East Bay. Tap a card to pick it.
Have you been to one of our cafés before?
Your weekly availability

Tap the days you can work and set your start/end times. Add a second window if your day is split (e.g. 6am to 10am and 4pm to 9pm). We accommodate religious observance and existing commitments, let us know in the optional field below.

When could you start?
How long are you imagining staying with us?
Roughly how far is your commute?
Do you have reliable transportation for early-morning shifts?

RIPTA buses don't run early enough for our 5:30 start time.

Step 8 · Review & submit

Almost done. One more look.

Quick recap of what you've told us. Tap any section to jump back and edit. Then hit submit.

What happens next

After you submit.

Thanks for the time. We mean it. Ten minutes is real attention and we don't take it for granted.

  1. A manager (and sometimes the owner) reads your application within 5 business days.
  2. If we find a fitting candidate, we'll reach out by phone or email to set up a 30-minute conversation in person at the location you applied to.
  3. The interview is mostly conversation. We'll ask about your week, walk you through a real shift, and you can ask us anything. Bring questions.
  4. If we don't reach back: it's almost never about you. Sometimes a position fills before we get to read everyone. You're welcome to reapply in 90 days.

Questions in the meantime? barista@empireteaandcoffee.com.

Application received

Thanks for applying.

A confirmation just went to your inbox. If you don't see it within a few minutes, check your spam or junk folder — automated emails sometimes land there, and any later updates from us about your application will come through the same address.

A manager will read your application within 5 business days. If we find a fitting candidate, we'll reach out by phone or email to set up a 30-minute conversation in person at the location you applied to.

If you want to come back and update anything, reply to that confirmation email and we'll work it out.

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