We all need a caffeine boost from time to time to get through the existential dread of full-time schooling and minimum-wage jobs. Surprisingly, one of those (often) minimum-wage jobs happens to be working at the coffee shops college students flock to in order to chat with friends or internally scream over philosophy textbooks. I have been working in coffee shops for the majority of 2019, and believe me when I tell you that it has been a journey.
From irate customers to fights breaking out to spilling 150° pitchers of milk on the front of an apron, working at coffee chains can be dramatic and wonderful altogether. Being a barista has its perks - the caffeine being one of them - and I would not change it for the world. However, there are some things that we baristas strongly believe our customers should be aware of to make your coffee going experience easier.
Here are the top ten things customers should be aware of when ordering at any local coffee shop!
1. Your drink will be ready when your barista calls out your name or order.
No one likes to wait very long. Most of us are impatient beings, particularly when it comes to coffee. We want to get in, get out, and go along with the rest of our lives outside of a tiny building tucked into the corner of a lot with no parking. If the barista on register asks for a name, it's the name that will be called when your order is ready. Asking, "Is this my drink?" will only confuse us both, so it is much easier to ask how far down the ticket line your own name or order is while waiting.
2. If it's busy, making conversation only slows down the line.
While it is part of the job description for us to engage in conversation, if you see your baristas drowning in orders, please let them be! It is so much easier to focus on steaming milk for a latte macchiato when you don't have someone asking you how school is doing. When the line dwindles down, feel free to chat!
3. Arguing with us about how to make your drink only ensures that your drink will be thrown together in anger, not with care.
Listen, we are very much aware that people like their drinks to be made a certain way. We all want what we want, no matter what a recipe says. However, telling a barista they are "making your drink wrong" when it is their job to know how to make drinks to standard only further irritates them and means your drink won't be made as nicely or might take a little longer. We baristas have gone through extensive training to learn these drinks, and explaining what something is to us only gets us down on ourselves and/or a little bit irritable.
4. "I'll have my usual, please!" Okay, but what is it?
If you have a usual, please be aware that baristas are not required to memorize your specific order! We will do our best, but especially if it has a lot of modifications, not all of us will remember it. If we see you a lot, we'll be more likely to remember it, but that isn't always the case! Please know your own order so that we can do our best for you every time regardless of who is on shift that day.
5. If you don't like it, we can always make something else for you!
Like at any restaurant, if it isn't made to your liking or you simply try a new recipe you don't enjoy, you can always have it remade! I've remade drinks upwards of six times for people until I got something right. More than anything else, we want you to have a good experience with what we are making for you. All you have to do is be kind and baristas will go above and beyond to get it right!
6. "Oh, I wanted that iced/blended/hot..."
No. Just no. There are far too many times where baristas hand out a drink only to be told that it was meant to be a completely different temperature. Most of the time, your barista will ask you whether you want something hot, iced, or frozen, but if you have a specific one in mind please let your register barista know! For example, a popular drink is an iced vanilla latte, and it really is that simple to order it. All you have to do is say you want an iced ___, a hot ___, or a blended/frozen ___ and it saves everyone time in the end!
7. Yes, we know the upcharges are crazy. No, we can't do anything about it.
I remember one time someone asked me why my particular coffee shop charged nearly a dollar for non-dairy milk and an extra shot of espresso and demanded that I cut her $25 order in half because of it. I know it is ridiculous, and I wish it didn't have to be that way for people to make certain choices, but baristas are not the heads of huge corporations who make those decisions for them. Maybe someday we will be in a world where soy milk doesn't cost an extra 60 cents, but for now, we can't do anything about it.
8. Ask questions!
Believe me, working in a coffee shop means you likely love coffee, and we baristas love talking about it! If you aren't sure what to order or what something is, you can always ask -- and likely, you'll wind up with something better and more suited to your taste than what is directly on the menu board, anyways.
9. Kindness goes a long way.
Baristas, like most retail and restaurant workers, get a lot of angry customers. Hearing even one person ask us how we are or telling us to have a good day can result in an extra espresso shot (they get pulled in twos, anyways) or some more flavoring the next time you come in.
10. Tips, tips, tips!
Almost all coffee shops all you to tip your baristas! While most coffee isn't cheap, even a few spare coins can go a long way in making your barista's day better as well as adding a little more love into your coffee. I make it a point to be extra nice to anyone who tips, but it is never an obligation if you are short on cash!
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