Approximately 83% of American's drink at least one cup of coffee a day. On average, American's spend around $1,100 on coffee annually. Studies have also begun to show that drinking coffee might even help you live longer, so if you didn't drink coffee already, drink on:
1. Talk on Your phone.Â
One of the most annoying things that customers do at the window is ignoring baristas and talk on their phones. I've had customers drive up to the window and have a full conversation before they even acknowledge my existence. It makes things awkward for your barista because we don't really want to be rude and interrupt so when we just stare at you. Please, order your drink so we can get it started.
2. Turn Up the Radio.Â
For some of the larger stands, it's already really tough to hear customers over the machines. Between the espresso machine and ice machine we already struggle to hear you, turning up your radio can be extremely distracting when we're trying to take your order, and a lot of baristas prefer to talk to you while they work and that isn't possible. We can't ask you about specifics in your drink if you can't hear us.
3. Please Please Do Not Change Your Order Halfway Through.Â
Nothing is more frustrating than pulling fresh shots and being told that you'd rather have white coffee. Tell us when you order! You have to say if you want a latte, mocha, or Americano and if you want a milk alternative. We always default to a latte with regular milk.
4. Come to the Window With Yours Rolled Up.Â
There have been numerous times where I have had customers come up to my window with their windows up and keep them up for close to a minute. This is just as bad as talking on the phone. If you need a second to read the menu just let us know so we don't feel like you're being rude. After you order, if you decide to roll your window back up, that's fine, however, we won't get to ask you specifics about your drink such as whipped cream, milk alternative, etc. So please don't be frustrated with us if your drink wasn't exact if you roll your window back up.
5. Ignore the Tip.Â
For many baristas, tips make the world of difference for bills, especially for baristas who are still in school. When you can, try to tip in cash, most stands allow you to keep all of your cash tips, or at least split them. If your change is less than $1, and you want your change, it's kind of discouraging because we feel we did something wrong. When you tip electronically, by the time the taxes are taken out, there's really not much left. That being said, we will never be disappointed with any type of tip, electronic or cash. They let us know if we did a good job and provided great customer service.
6. Complain About Prices.Â
I cannot stress this enough. Baristas do not set the prices. So please don't chew us out because you aren't happy with them. Almost every coffee stand menu you will see has prices listed on it, order something cheaper if you need to. The prices are decided based off of how expensive the beans are, the price of the cups, lids, straws, etc. If you'll pay it at Starbucks, why are you angry about paying it at a local stand?
7. Don't Forget to Tell Us Hot or Iced.Â
This seems minor to some, but it is really annoying to complete a drink and try to hand it to a customer just to be told they wanted it made the opposite way. We can't read your mind. It's different if we misheard you, but most baristas default to hot depending on the season. It makes your wait shorter and our job easier if the first thing you say is hot or iced and what size you want. That way we can grab the cup as you're ordering and there's less chance for error.
8. Don't be Impatient.Â
When there's only one of us working, it can be pretty difficult to try and focus on both windows at once and not mix up any drinks. If you order more than two drinks at a smaller stand bear with us, the stands I've worked at only could pull four shots at a time so please be patient. We try to get you your drink as fast as we can.
9. Don't Wait to Add a Drink to the Order When We're Done.Â
Multitasking is possible. If you plan on ordering more than one drink but need to think about the other, let us know. If a stand is really busy, we're focused on getting your drink to you and on to the next customer. It's a lot faster if we know what we're supposed to be making.