The "I Show, You Do" Training Method Is Costing You $8,000+ Per Year
Part 1 of 6: Breaking Down the Barista Training Systems That Kill Your Business
Are you loing baristas faster than you can train them?
My guess is you're training new baristas the same way you were trained—by showing them how to pull a shot, steam milk, and build drinks, then turning them loose on the bar—you're not alone.
The "I Show, You Do" method is the most popular barista training system in independent coffee shops across the country.
It's also one of the most expensive mistakes you can make.
In my years as an in-house trainer for a roasting company with over 150 wholesale accounts, I saw it all the time. Owners thought they were saving money by skipping formal training programs and just getting people on bar faster. What they didn't realize was how much it was actually costing them—in wasted product, lost customers, and constant turnover.
Let me show you why this training method is quietly draining your bank account, and what you can do about it.
What Is the "I Show, You Do" Training Method?
You've probably used this system yourself, even if you didn't know it had a name.
Here's how it works:
- A new hire shows up for their first shift
- You (or a senior barista) demonstrate a skill—pulling espresso, steaming milk, making a latte
- The new person tries to repeat what they just saw
- You give them real-time corrections as they work
- After a shift or two, they're expected to perform on their own
The appeal is obvious: it's fast, it feels hands-on, and it doesn't require any upfront investment in training materials or programs.
But here's the problem: your new barista learns the "how" without ever understanding the "why."
They learn to twist a portafilter and press a button. They learn to position a steam wand and create foam. But they have no idea what's actually happening throughout the brew cycle, how to control milk texture, or how to troubleshoot when something goes wrong.
And trust me—something always goes wrong.
When the grinder needs adjusting, they don't know how to dial it in.
When the espresso tastes salty or burnt, they don't know how to fix it.
When you're not there to supervise, quality slips.
Here's what "I Show, You Do" training actually produces:
- Baristas who can't explain what they're doing or why it matters
- Inconsistent drink quality that depends on who's working that day
- High anxiety among staff who feel unprepared and undervalued
- A revolving door of employees who leave as soon as they find something better
And all of that costs you a lot more than you think.
The Real Cost of "I Show, You Do" Training: $8,000+ Per Year (And That's Conservative)
Let me break down the actual cost of this training method, because it's not just about the time you spend showing someone how to make a drink.
Wasted Product: $2,250/Year (Just in Milk)
A poorly trained barista wastes an average of 1.56 gallons of milk per day.
They are never taught how much milk to use for the various sized drinks on the menu. When things get hectic, they pour what "seems right" or "close enough." But pouring just 2oz more than required for drinks adds up fast. Conservatively it adds up to...
1.56 gallons per day × 365 days = 569.4 gallons per year
At roughly $4 per gallon (depending on your market), that's $2,250 in wasted milk alone. And that's just one ingredient.
Add in the espresso wasted because they don't know how to dial in efficiently and you're easily over $3,000 in product loss per year.
Turnover Costs: $5,760/Year
Here's the bigger problem: baristas trained with the "I Show, You Do" method don't stick around.
Why would they? They're thrown into a high-pressure environment with minimal preparation, expected to perform like pros within days, and given no real investment in their growth or development.
When they leave (and they will), you have to replace them. The average cost to hire and train a new barista is $480 when you factor in:
- Time spent interviewing and onboarding
- Productivity loss during their learning curve
- Your time training them (which takes you away from growing your business)
If you're replacing just one barista per month—which is conservative for shops using this method—that's $5,760 per year in turnover costs alone.
Your Time: Priceless (But Also Expensive)
Every hour you spend training new hires is an hour you're not spending on:
- Building relationships with customers
- Developing new menu items
- Marketing your business
- Planning for growth
Your time is worth more than standing at the espresso machine showing someone how to make a latte for the 47th time.
When you add up wasted product, turnover costs, and the opportunity cost of your time, the "I Show, You Do" method costs most coffee shops $8,000 to $10,000+ per year.
And that's before you factor in the cost of losing customers who got a bad drink from an undertrained barista.
This Method Kills... Well... You.
The "I Show, You Do" training method doesn't just cost you money and product quality.
It keeps you trapped in your business.
You can't grow because you're constantly hiring and retraining.
You can't step away because no one really knows what they're doing.
You can't grow because you're to busy working IN your business instead of ON your business.
I get it. I've been there. But it doesn't have to be this way!
There's a Better Way (And It Actually Makes You Money)
What every owner needs is a...
A self-guided online barista training course can transform a brand-new hire into a profit-generating barista in 12 hours or less—without you having to be there.
Instead of wasting $8,000+ per year on a broken training method, you could invest $49 per month in a system that:
- Trains unlimited team members
- Works on their schedule (and yours)
- Builds actual coffee knowledge, not just mechanical repetition
- Creates consistent quality across your entire team
- Gives you back your time to work on growing your business
Finally you get a shop that works constantly so you don't have to.
Finally you get to work ON your business instead of being stuck IN it.
Ready to stop the $8,000/year bleed?
Try Essential Barista Training free. Transform new hires into confident, profit-generating baristas in just 12 hours—without you having to be there.
No credit card required. [Start For Free→]
This is Part 1 of our 6-part series breaking down the barista training systems used by coffee shops today. In the coming posts, we'll examine roaster-provided training, hiring veteran baristas, trade school programs, and the "Internet Hodgepodge" method—and why none of them solve the real problem.
