Emma McCosker is Store Manager at Caffé Nero on Merrion Row, Dublin.
The Merrion Row café is the first of the brand's stores in Dublin so Emma also helps to recruit and train new team members.
How did you get to your current position?
I completed a management degree at Queens University in Belfast and although I loved the management aspects, I always knew I didn't want to work in an office! I had been working in coffee shops and restaurants part-time during my studies and loved it!
When I graduated in 2009, I noticed that Caffè Nero were recruiting an Assistant Manager for one of their stores in Belfast. This combined both areas perfectly. I got the job in summer 2009 and, with a lot of hard work, exactly one year after I started I was managing my own store in Holywood! It has been almost six years now and I have been the manager of several of stores... but Dublin is my favourite!
What is a typical working day?
It's an early start as the store on Merrion Row opens at 7am so I start at 6am. I set up the store, set up the coffee machine and bake the pastries ready for our customers at 7am. Once we're open, it is lots of coffee making and chatting to all our lovely regular customers! When it's quiet, I catch up on paperwork and work with the other managers on training, as well as carrying out in-store coffee audits and checks to make sure all our baristas are making perfect coffees every time.
Why did you choose your current career?
I've always worked in hospitality. My father is a chef so it's an environment I grew up in. Also, since university, I have been a bit of a coffee addict so this is the perfect career for me!
What are the biggest challenges you face in your career?
Moving to Dublin has been a big challenge. Caffè Nero is well recognised, known and admired in the UK but as I was the first store in Dublin, there was a lot of pressure on myself and my team to be great ambassadors for the brand in Ireland.
What are the most rewarding aspects?
It has to be the people. Working in a coffee shop, you become an important part of a person's day. Since working for the company, I have made some great friends; both people I have worked with and people I have got to know through making their coffee every day. Also, I get to drink a lot of coffee everyday so who could complain about that?
Could you ever see your work taking you away from Ireland?
No, I see myself in Dublin for many years to come.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
What has been the one pinch me moment of your career so far?
Winning Caffè Nero Newcomer Manager of Year in 2011 - amazing!
What is the biggest misconception about what you do?
That making coffee is easy. Being a barista is a very skilled job and takes a lot of training and practice.
What is the biggest mistake that you think people in your chosen sector make?
Over complicating coffee. I also think it's really important to get a good balance of great coffee and great customer service.
Describe what you want to achieve in your career with one sentence.
Seeing Caffè Nero's popularity continue to grow in Dublin, as that means I've been a good ambassador.
