Barista Blues

Who runs this blog?

My name is Alex, and I’ve been a barista for 3 (almost 4) years now and I’ve worked in general customer service for a bit longer. I’ve made the coffees, taken the orders, cashed people out, made sandwiches, everything in your average coffee place, I’ve done.

What’s this blog for?

To vent, honestly. There’s a lot of bullshit in the service industry in general, but there’s a special kind when it comes to coffee places. This is for me to vent and give advice on how to function better as both a barista or customer.

Why?

This is objectively the worst job I’ve ever had.

I had placed a notice of resignation, but I’m done.

That’s the correct way we’re supposed to do it because our corporation is cheap as hell. There’s a famous one where we’ve had to explain to people that while it’s not on the menu, we can still make it but it’ll cost more due to being typed in manually.

Some people either don’t know or they’re being nice when they type it the cheaper way, and that’s the only reason that happens.

I just had a guy with his girlfriend throw a little fit at me about this fact, because the other stores don’t do this! I could barely pay attention to his bullshit because on the window of his car was a VoreDash sticker.

- a customer today after she knowingly drove up without enough money and her purse unreachable in the backseat.

The system wouldn’t let me save it because it was partially paid, and wouldn’t let me cancel if after trying to back out of that 🙃

Like y’all, it’s weird to camp outside a Starbucks at 3 AM to ask for a cup and then get mad you chose a store that doesn’t sell them to begin with.

When I left work around 10 AM yesterday, we’d gotten over 50 people who had called or driven up to ask if we had it.

Y’all, do not pull up to a coffee shop of any kinda and try to order something that isn’t on the menu.

Too many people see a trendy Internet drink that was named by people online and somehow think that baristas know what it is and how to make it.

If it’s not on the menu, it doesn’t exist.

Don’t. Just don’t.

Even more so if you’re in the drive thru.

It’s so important to use your words when you’re ordering. Be clear and specific when you order! Nothing is less clear and specific than pointing vaguely at a menu that’s almost always above the person taking your order.

Remember that they’re not required to memorize what that menu looks like. Even if they did, there is no way to guess what part of the menu that you’re specifically pointing at!

And once again, same for the drive thru! No one memorized what the menu outside the building looks like, most if not all of the employees don’t even know what the drive thru menu looks like on the average day because they don’t interact with it.