Having worked at Dunkin Donuts for two years, I have learned a lot about dealing with customers and thought I would share some of my thoughts that I share with my fellow employees. These are ten things we believe our customers should take into consideration next time they come to a Dunkin Donuts to make your visit a much better experience.

1. Hot or iced can make a big difference.

There have been many times where I have gotten a customer's order wrong because they did not specify whether or not their coffee was hot or iced. Sometimes we ask them and their instinct makes them say oh yeah it's a hot coffee and then they pull up to the window and say "Oh I actually wanted iced coffee." To make it easier for yourself, just make sure you have your order ready in your head and then when you come inside or drive up to the drive thru, you will be ready to go. And if you do happen to forget to mention it, feel free to mention right before driving up to the window so at least we know to fix it before you get there.

2. We don't make the prices.

I have gotten dozens of dirty looks and complaints from customers whenever I tell them the prices. Unfortunately, myself or any other employee of Dunkin Donuts does not have any control over the prices, we just make and/or serve you your coffee. If you would like to complain about our prices, talk to the manager or call the owner, but please don't take it out on the people at the window.

3. Just because you come here all the time does not mean you know everything.

There have been too many instances where a customer tells us something like, "Oh you do have this flavor, I came here yesterday and you had it" or "you do make this in this size I got it yesterday." A lot can change in one day. We run out of a certain donut or we stop using a certain flavor, things change all the time here. We make sure to let the customers know whenever we get a new flavor or discontinue something. So to make it easy, feel free to ask us about our flavors or donuts and then we can let you know which ones we have and don't have.

4. Not all stores are the same.

The phrase "Well the other Dunkin Donuts has it" is not a valid argument. All stores have different prices and carry different flavors and donuts. Just because one store has a certain item does not mean all stores have it. All stores have different owners and the owners choose what we have and don't have. If you're not happy that we don't have what the other Dunkin has, well I'm sorry but there is nothing we can do. Feel free to go to that Dunkin and get it there. There are more times than not numerous Dunkins around and I'm sure one in your area will have exactly what you're looking for.

5. Be Specific; we're not mind readers.

Many times when taking an order have I heard the phrase, "I'll have a medium coffee.. That can mean a lot of different things. If you like it cream and sugar then say cream and sugar. It is not wise to assume that we automatically know how you like your coffee. Everyone is different and people have different tastes. Some like it "light and sweet," some like it "just cream," some just like it black. But the key thing is to be as specific as possible when placing your order, the more specific you are the less chance for error there is when we are making your order.

6. We ask you to repeat your order for a reason.

Would you rather get annoyed at us for asking you to repeat your order so we get it right or get mad when we get it wrong? We only ask you to repeat your order just to make sure that you are 100 percent satisfied. But there have been far too many times where customers have become upset for asking them to repeat themselves. I understand that people do not like repeating themselves, but at Dunkin we only do it just so you will be guaranteed to get exactly what you asked for. We don't like messing up your orders and you don't like us messing up your orders so just know that we are not asking you to repeat yourself to be annoying, we're just trying to make sure your order comes out right.

7. It's called a drive thru for a reason.

The purpose of a drive thru is to order and get your coffee as quickly as possible. Most people use the drive thru because they are either in a hurry and need their coffee on the go. Others just don't like to come inside which is fine everyone can get their coffee however they choose. But customers should understand that we get timed by how fast we make and serve you your coffee and the bigger the order the longer it takes. If you order four coffees and six sandwiches, you are going to be waiting for a while and will also be making the people behind you forced to wait, completely depleting the purpose of the drive thru. Also another issue that I've dealt with too many times is waiting for a customer to simply pull up to the window. Most of the time it's because they are looking down at their phone. Please remember that there are other people waiting in line, and you can wait a few minutes to answer that text so be considerate and just pull up.

8. We're not Starbucks; we're Dunkin Donuts.

There have been too many times that I have heard the phrase "well at Starbucks they make it like this..." The truth is they are two distinct franchises and have their own ways of making their coffee. Most people choose Dunkin coffee over Starbucks coffee to save money. Customers should take into account that because the coffee they are paying for is cheaper that the quality is also different from what they are accustomed to. If you're a Starbucks regular and you come into Dunkin feel free to explain to us how you like your coffee made, and we will do our best to make it for you. We can't promise it will be exactly the same, but we will at least try to give you something to wake you up in the morning.

9. If we mess up, let us know.

I've had countless encounters with a wide variety of customers in my two years at Dunkin and too many times they have ended with them leaving the store angry. I understand it can be annoying when someone messes up your coffee in the morning before work. What seems like such a simple task, crucial to jump starting your morning is ruined. But if we mess up your order, feel free to come back into the store and just let us know that we made your coffee wrong or we gave you the wrong donut or sandwich. You nicely ask us to fix an issue for you and we will be more than happy to fix it for you. Those few extra seconds it takes us to fix your coffee can make a big difference in how your day goes.

10. We are human and people make mistakes.

We are not perfect; no one is perfect. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we put a little too much cream in a coffee, sometimes we grab the wrong donut, sometimes we forget a drink, etc. It happens and we already feel bad enough messing up your order and it does not help the situation when you start to give us a hard time. At the end of the day we are people outside of work and we have feelings. Sometimes we get a little frustrated at work and the last thing we need is to hear a total stranger start to give us lip for making a mistake. You're words can easily make or break our day, so next time think about that girl you yelled at just cause she made your coffee a little too light. Think about how you would feel if that girl in the apron was you. You work yourself and probably hate it when you get yelled at by your boss or someone else you work with and you should never want to make someone else feel that way. To make your overall experience better just treat others with respect and we will give you the same respect back.

I hope that future and current Dunkin customers take these into account. I believe that by considering these, it will make work easier for us employees as well as make our customer service better. By remembering these ten things, our future experiences will be better and more satisfactory.