Meet the Barista

meetthebarista

Emma Lyell

BESTIE CAFÉ, AUCKLAND

After working in cafes throughout her University degree, Emma Lyell, barista at Auckland hotspot, Bestie Café, realised hospitality was home after she graduated.

Drawn to the customer service side of the hospitality industry, Lyell doesn’t necessarily consider herself ‘super nerdy’ about coffee, instead she loves the mix of speed and multitasking that being a barista requires.

Starting its life as a humble coffee cart, Bestie Café is housed in the iconic St Kevin’s Arcade building on Auckland’s Karangahape Rd and describes itself as a place that provides simple, delicious food and good times.

Lyell’s favourite coffee brand is Eightthitry, so it was a no-brainer for her to have the brand on board when she opened Bestie with Tane Williams in 2016. “Eightthirty for life!”

The best part of the job for Lyell is when things at the café are incredibly busy, but everyone in the store is happy, staff and customers alike.

Her go-to coffee order is an oat milk flat white, noting that there has been an increase in the popularity of plant-based milk and milk alternatives. With oat milk orders nearly matching cow milk orders at Bestie, she uses the All Good brand as it froths like regular milk and matches well with the coffee.

Bestie cafe is pivoting towards more takeaway coffees at the moment, with customers making the change during the pandemic and continuing the trend as restrictions lift. Despite all the takeaway orders, Lyell still considers latte art to be important for the customer experience, as it shows that a barista takes pride in their work and has attention to detail.

When not behind the coffee machine, Lyell can be found hiking, spending time with her boyfriend and cat, or watching F1 on Netflix with a glass of wine. She is incredibly grateful to have people back out and about, as it serves as a reminder of why she loves being a barista.

“It’s been a crazy couple of years and it finally feels like things are heading back to a positive space for the industry.”