Entrepreneurial Work Engagement among Baristas in Franchise and Nonfranchise Coffee Shop Ventures

This qualitative study examines work engagement among baristas in franchise and nonfranchise coffee shop ventures in Surabaya, Indonesia, viewed through an entrepreneurial lens on small-business human resource management in the food and beverage (F&B) sector. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model serves as the grand theory explaining how job demands and job resources shape baristas' engagement, while an entrepreneurship perspective is used to extend the model toward understanding how accumulated job resources translate into intrapreneurial initiative among frontline employees. A case study approach was used, involving in-depth semi-structured interviews and observation with four baristas holding supervisory or managerial roles, two from a franchise coffee shop and two from a nonfranchise coffee shop. Data were analyzed thematically. Findings reveal five themes: (1) learning opportunities and job resources as sources of engagement, (2) appreciation, respect, and emotional challenges in the workplace, (3) supportive and transformational leadership fostering ownership, (4) structural differences between franchise and non-franchise ventures, and (5) intrapreneurial initiative as an entrepreneurial extension of work engagement. Baristas who received strong job resources described entrepreneurial behaviors, such as proposing promotions, delivery services, and menu innovations, reflecting a sense of business ownership beyond their formal role. Franchise ventures offered more structured resources and stability, while non-franchise ventures offered greater autonomy for entrepreneurial experimentation. This study extends the JD-R model into an entrepreneurship context, offering practical implications for coffee shop entrepreneurs and franchise managers seeking to grow through employee-driven innovation.