Barista earning RM1,700 claims he does everything in the café — from making coffee to cleaning toilets — sparking strong reactions from Malaysian netizens.
A café worker’s post about his RM1,700 salary has gone viral after he claimed he handles almost every task at his workplace on his own.
In a Threads post, user @arashbob17 listed the many responsibilities he said he performs daily at the café.
“Salary RM1,700. I’m the barista, cashier and floor crew. I take orders, close with customers, close sales, take care of customers, make coffee, collect food, send food and coffee.
“I’m also the one sweeping, mopping, wiping the glass, going into the kitchen to help cook, cleaning the toilet, throwing the rubbish, counting stock, solving kitchen problems, training new staff from zero, and even creating the workflow.
“Everything in that café, I’m the one doing it — from A to Z, from 1 to 100,” he wrote.
The post quickly gained attention online, with Malaysians flooding the comments section with mixed reactions.
Some netizens sympathised with the worker, saying such situations are common in the food and beverage industry.
User myxjbrx wrote: “Been there, done that. In fact, I was the only staff there. Alhamdulillah, I’ve already resigned from that place.”
Another user,, “People say that’s the job scope of a barista, but think logically. If he makes coffee, takes orders and also sends food, that’s quite a lot of work. I’ve worked in F&B before and can imagine how exhausting it is. Employers should understand that giving this many tasks to one person can make the café inefficient,” nrakmaldin added.
Others encouraged the poster to see the situation as a way to gain valuable experience.
User aimikamarudin commented: “Collect the experience, then move somewhere that can pay slightly better with the experience you have. You’re already considered an all-rounder if you can enter the kitchen and handle orders too.”
“Take this as experience… who knows, maybe one day you’ll have the chance to open your own café. These are all the skills you’ll need,” bittersweet_eyecandy commented.
However, not everyone agreed with the complaint.
Some netizens felt the tasks described were simply part of a barista’s job.
User harry___isaac wrote: “Kids these days talk a lot of nonsense. If you think you’re the best in the shop, then go and open your own. Suffering and grinding is normal in entry-level positions.”
“Bro, I used to be a barista too. My salary was RM900 back then. Everything you listed, I did as well because it was part of the job,” ridhtech added.