barista

store manager

surveillant du service alimentaire

assistant store manager

administrative assistant

CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice

Summary: This is a good place for students or people looking for part-time jobs, especially if you don't rely on your payment for a living. If you are looking for a place to grow or a fair place to work, this is not for you.

Bad things:
- The training is inconsistent, you may start your training with a supervisor and then they can change the supervisor/change you to another store. This is a problem since there is no supervision of the process and many duties/details are left unsaid, but if you make a mistake it’s on you (even if you had no idea about it).
- They expect you to memorize and work at the same time. You could be cooking 6 different things on day 3 while taking notes for recipes that could be as long as 12 steps.
- They never trained me in cleaning procedures, safety, or security. One time we had a security issue and suddenly they realized we didn’t have access to the security number.
- There are cleaning tasks that you have to do on your hands and knees, like cleaning the floor under the tables with a small cloth.
- The cameras in the store are used to check ON the employees and NOT for their safety. They check what you do, how you do it, and even if you talk to each other, which they don’t like.
- There is no first aid kit, just a box with bandages. Take in mind that this job exposes you to burns, cuts, you can slip on the floor or when using a ladder, etc.
- Sometimes they don’t pay on time and there is no explanation for it. Also, they distribute the tips according to a system that is not disclosed every couple of months, not weekly or monthly. 
- You only have 30 min after closing to clean every container and utensils, clean the toilet, mop and sweep the floors, and take the garbage out. If it’s not enough time they will not pay for the extra time.
- The only benefit is free bubble tea, but keep in mind that you can only drink on your break or after your shift. You can’t drink water in front of customers, only in the kitchen or the back of the store.
- You have to use your own cup for your drinks or don’t get your free drink. The same applies to water consumption!!!
- There is no information about promotions or how to get them.
- They unexpectedly cut your hours, you can have full-time and suddenly you are doing part-time. However, you still have to be available full-time.
- There are periods of time when management is nowhere to be seen, this is because CoCo gives as many stores as they can to one manager, so they prioritize checking on one store over the others.

Good things:
- Free bubble tea. Keep in mind that MANY drinks are not part of your free drink, and they charge you for paper straws.
- Bubble tea is tasty.
- They don’t ask for previous experience. 
- You can choose the music in the store.
- Wifi access.

A typical day of work, is opening and closing the store, cooking what is needed in the morning, sanitizing everything and turning on the equipment. What i learn was how to double multitask and do three different station by myself, while the other employees are busy in the back of the store talking. I trained all the new employees in the store.  The management, i find the store to be very disorganized as there is no management at the store and the store owners come in when they feel like it.  Work place culture is a China, Hong Kong, restaurant.  The hardest part was i was the on call employee and i would have to come into work on my days off. Or work my shift plus someone else shift on top. Sometimes i leave the store 2 hrs after they close while other employees leave right away, leave me to clean the store up at night . By the time i got home i would get 2 to 3 hrs of sleep a night. I have to be back at work the next day to open the store and work my shift. The floor happen to be wet and i didn't see it, i happened to slip,  had  a pot of boiling hot water fall on me  with management in the store and seen it happen. They didn't allow me to medical attention until 5 hrs later. By the time i got medical attention i had 3rd degree burns, they told me to just change my uniform and come back and work.  I had more medical appointment for the burns and i had to talk with management for half an hour  to even get the day off, but i still had to come into work that day to open the store, stay until they got there.  The most enjoyable part of the job, was making the drinks and greeting the customers.

I work in both Hamilton locations (because I requested it) and have been working for over a year. I can definately say that the management here is amazing. The supervisors are respectful and supportive of how you do. They don't pressure you to learn everything quickly. They let you learn at your own pace and advances you to another section of the store when they see that you are ready. They focus strongly on letting you get everything right instead of letting you turn your mistakes into habits. If it's very busy, they're very understanding of your mistakes and everyone helps each other out. Most of the time it will be super busy (depending on the store) which is why having good organization and multitasking skills are important. They have daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning that they divide up amoung the employees fairly so the stores are clean. The employees are all very nice and kind. I rarely get called in on my day off unless a coworker needs it. I have never had a bad experience with a customer before (minus a couple). Most customers are youth anyway. Theres a lot of remember when working (especially the drinks) but once you get the hang of it, you will be fine. 

Extremely mismanaged and just abysmal overall. When I started, I was excited to work in a space I was passionate about. Unfortunately, I realized my visions of this position were fundamentally flawed only about two weeks later; the reality of the job was a lot more hectic and unregulated. The memorization was fairly easy, but the expectations and examinations were confusingly arbitrary and unstandardized. I received nearly no employee benefits, although my co-workers were always supportive and ameliorated the painful experience overall. 

The days I worked were usually fairly busy (especially in the early afternoon and evenings); however, I was regularly not compensated for my time when I closed the store over my scheduled shift hours. Additionally, in a remarkable instance, they entirely failed to pay me for one pay period and did not address it until I felt pressed to ask. Not only are the paydays greatly inconsistent, but my questions regarding wage also were answered vaguely and dismissively. 

You can find a better job anywhere else - there is no reason to turn towards Coco.

I was demanded to memorize all formula of topping preparation within three shifts and got a written exam afterward (the exam (paper) took at least 35 minutes to finish after your shift (not counted as working hours)).

The training process is a mess! Because of "multi-tasking", I was trained with many kinds of tasks, such as defrosting packaged fruit, measuring hot water, and handling the cooker, at the same time! I understand that was the realistic situation in such a busy working environment but how can a person learning tons of tasks at the same time instead of being taught by starting with a single task one-by-one! That was not a good training!

Even though there was noticable tables about the procedures and amount needed sticking on the wall, many data was missing and wrong. 

Besides, I was requested to perform as fast as I can as if I was being there for a month! The truth is I was there for three days!

If you see this post, I suggest you not to apply the post (Cashier/ Barista) for the store in Richmond centre (Not applicable to other stores).

Takes time to get used to it, might be easier if you have unwavering confidence. Training is tough. You start off taking orders and scooping toppings, then move onto kitchen, then the actual drinks. Depending on which stage of training you're at, that's where they usually station you for the day. If you are on orders, you have to handle 6 types of orders: In store, APP orders, Fantuan orders, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, and phone orders. It's stressful having to input all of those orders simultaneously. Notebooks are the lifeline, nothing is written down so everything must be memorized (topping levels, drink recipes, drink restrictions). Not a lot of time to get comfortable or learn properly. Coworkers are alright but they like to gossip, especially in Chinese. If you don't speak it they will take advantage of that. Most of the time they forgot I was pretty fluent, so I caught both management and my coworkers calling me very hurtful things. Not the best place to work unless you have a strong will and thick skin.

Working at CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice can be a good experience, especially for students or those looking for part-time work in a fast-paced environment. The job helps employees build important skills such as customer service, communication, teamwork, and the ability to work efficiently under pressure. Since bubble tea shops often get very busy, staff members learn how to manage rush periods, prepare drinks quickly, and handle customer orders accurately. Another positive aspect is that some locations may offer flexible scheduling, which is helpful for students balancing school and work. However, the experience can also depend a lot on the specific store and manager. Some employees may find the work repetitive, physically tiring, or stressful during peak hours. Pay and hours may also vary by location. Overall, CoCo can be a decent starting job for gaining work experience, improving interpersonal skills, and learning how to work in a busy retail setting, but the quality of the job often depends on the management and team atmosphere.


In my first three days (4hrs per shift) my supervisor told me that after my third day I was expected to preform tasks from memory (i.e cooking time, ingredient amounts, and instructions). I was also sighed at when I asked questions, and left to do tasks by myself after one demonstration, which I was required to take notes on. I because of the sheer number of things I was multitasking on, I couldn't write ever single thing down, and would miss things. When seen looking at the instructions on the walls, I was scolded and told not to use them.  And jokingly threatened with management 'giving me a yelling' if I were to ask for help or refer to my notes while  they were there. I understand being short staffed and wanting a new self sufficient employee to help, but people do need some time to be trained! It seems like CoCo expects all people to know how to make boba and other items, even though the job claims no experience needed. 

I was hired as a cashier at first and then our shift leader trained me as a food handler. Because our boss keeps changing the source of suppliment, the quality of the ingredients will be different. In this case, these changes varie our operation standard, such as extend the time of blending the cream and change the temperature of the fridge. After working there over a year, I've learnt how to bring great service to various types of customers. To see those customers' smile with satisfaction is my pleasure and my goal. I enjoy talking with people and answer their questions. Never the less, my co-workers are super nice and easy-going. We support each other and form a great team. Although the working environment are pleasant, my salary is not enough for my life cost. I've tried to talk to my boss about raising but he turns to be extremely inconvincible. This is why I have to seek a higher-paid job. It is a pity to leave a great team but I have got no choice.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you, binge drinking bubble tea and actually working for it are two different things.
Before you can actually make a drink, you will have to do prep for toppings (like pearls, grass jelly, pudding, etc) in the kitchen. Memorize everything, all the sugar level, amount of water, just everything. They do different toppings different amount of stuff. Don’t do wrong steps! They do be picky about it. And then you’ll have an exam for it. *Be prepared that you’ll always get scalded and have to move up heavy stuff.
Also, they do be harsh to their workers because they expect new worker to get familiar with their working environment after just three days of training. No any minor mistakes allowed afterwards. (Your salary includes getting roasted)
So, definitely not recommend this job not even if you are desperate for a job. But if you like a high pressure low outcome job I’m not stopping you.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Barista 56 salaries reported	$19.22 per hour
Store manager 4 salaries reported	$20.50 per hour
Surveillant du service alimentaire 14 salaries reported	$20.55 per hour
Assistant store manager 17 salaries reported	$18.26 per hour
Administrative assistant 1 salary reported	$45,000 per year

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