January 2011
291 posts
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Customer Conversations.
For awhile at the coffee shop I work at we had a sign advertising our chai - a microbrewed concentrate with pressed ginger, lots of pepper, pretty darn good. The post said: try it in a latte + coffee + baking + vodka + anything you can imagine!
Customer: I'll have a chai, what kind do you use?
Me: - I direct him to the handy poster in front of him - It's infused with ginger, the guy brew it locally and it has ---
Customer: Vodka! You have vodka? What the hell am I doing ordering coffee? Can you do a vodka on the rocks?
Me: ...Vodka?
Customer: The sign says so right here.
Me: Uh, we don't serve alcohol here, I'm sorry. It's good just with milk, I swear!
Customer: Is it good to vodka? Know what? Only fill the cup half way. I'm going home and adding my own. Can I bring you a bottle to put under the counter?
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Try to keep a serious face when this happens.
(This all occurs at a drive-thru window.)
Customer: “I’m so sorry, I’m not sure what it is I want, but I know it’s (she spells) F-L-A-T and it has caramel and whip cream and it’s a cappuccino.”
Me: “I think you want a frappucino. It’s blended and frozen, like a milkshake but with coffee.”
Customer: “Maybe, I’m just not sure. I always get my granddaughter to order it for me because she speaks...
6 tags
Try to keep a serious face when this happens.
(This all occurs at a drive-thru window.)
Customer: “I’m so sorry, I’m not sure what it is I want, but I know it’s (she spells) F-L-A-T and it has caramel and whip cream and it’s a cappuccino.”
Me: “I think you want a frappucino. It’s blended and frozen, like a milkshake but with coffee.”
Customer: “Maybe, I’m just not sure. I always get my granddaughter to order it for me because she speaks...
4 tags
Customer Conversations.
Customer: I need a grande green tea frappuccino.
Me: I actually can't make a green tea frappuccino. (I'm trying to make a joke here.) You know how it goes. They have super secret recipes and mixes and I love them but can't recreate them.
Customer: Excuse me? I've seen them make it. Brew green tea and add ice and milk.
Me: They use a blend with matcha, I believe. And I don't have that.
Customer: You're telling me you don't have tea?
Me: No... I have tea, but that's a Starbucks drink and I honestly don't know how to make it. I don't think regular tea and milk and ice would be good... at all.
Customer: So this is a 'hating Starbucks' thing then? I just want my drink.
Me: I like Starbucks, I get the frappuccions with the green tea all the time, I just can't make them.
Customer: Just make it the way I suggested. I dont care. I'll drink it.
-So, I make the drink, charge her only two bucks for it because I don't even feel right giving it to her.-
Customer: It's fine. Thanks.
-Five minutes later she comes back in with one from Starbucks-
Customer: I told them you made this and they said you can't make it because you don't have the mix. I need my money back.
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Customer Conversations.
Customer: I need a small cappuccino.
Barista: Of course, it'll be ____.
-I start making the drink.-
Customer: Oh, did I say no foam? I hate foam. I don't want any foam on there and I always get it.
Barista: Oh, well you should order a latte, with no foam it'll probably save on confusion.
Customer: Did I say I wanted a latte? What are you making?
Me: A... no foam cappuccino?
Customer: I know what I like. I don't like lattes, I don't want that.
Reason #19523 you should ask your barista coffee questions.
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4 tags
Maybe?
This blog is new but followers are growing and I’d like it to be something people enjoy! If you have time…?
http://www.tumblr.com/directory/recommend/food/baristababble
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Sketchy.
You always seem to have a few sketchy customers mixed in with the rest of them. I cannot count how many times people had said things, done things that made me want to never see them again. The best examples are from when I was a basement barista at the hospital.
I made coffee for mostly doctors and some patients. The doctors were nice, always in a hurry, but they tipped well. I worked alone, the...
cloudbearer asked: My stepdad's going to open a coffee shop so I, at least, have to be of use in there! And yes, I love coffee and people :)
cloudbearer asked: My stepdad's going to open a coffee shop so I, at least, have to be of use in there! And yes, I love coffee and people :)
cloudbearer asked: Thanks for the links! I'll be attending Barista classes on the starting 5th so I guess a few bits of knowledge about what I'll be doing would surely help :) So thank you!
cloudbearer asked: Thanks for the links! I'll be attending Barista classes on the starting 5th so I guess a few bits of knowledge about what I'll be doing would surely help :) So thank you!
cloudbearer asked: Can you make a video on how you make those designs on top of the coffee? Please please please? :D
cloudbearer asked: Can you make a video on how you make those designs on top of the coffee? Please please please? :D
Morning Jugs.
Customer: Can I get a tall brewed coffee?
Me: Sure, do you want any cream or sugar?
Customer: Room for cream, non fat, i’ll put it in
Me: Okay *grabs coffee, puts some non fat in a short cup and hands it to him*
Customer: Oh, am I not allowed to touch the jug?
Me: haha, no, you don’t want too many people touching the jugs.
*headdesk* I didn’t realize what I had said...
This conversation actually happened
Customer: Can I get a tall brewed coffee?
Me: Sure, do you want any cream or sugar?
Customer: Room for cream, non fat, i’ll put it in
Me: Okay *grabs coffee, puts some non fat in a short cup and hands it to him*
Customer: Oh, am I not allowed to touch the jug?
Me: haha, no, you don’t want too many people touching the jugs.
*headdesk* I didn’t realize what I had said until he...
kumran asked: I love this blog idea so much! I definately have some things I could submit.
I too have a coffee blog ; [fuckyeahlatteart.tumblr.com]
barista pride<3
I too have a coffee blog ; [fuckyeahlatteart.tumblr.com]
barista pride<3
kumran asked: I love this blog idea so much! I definately have some things I could submit.
I too have a coffee blog ; [fuckyeahlatteart.tumblr.com]
barista pride<3
I too have a coffee blog ; [fuckyeahlatteart.tumblr.com]
barista pride<3
5 tags
5 tags
Followers!
I added a submit page to the top there!
If you have any stories you’d like to share, please do!
I’ll post, with a link back to your blog.
Everyone needs to vent sometimes!
:)
6 tags
The anti-tippers.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people give me a bad time about tips. If you don’t want to tip me, fine. I’m not going to spit in your drink, or track you down and yell about it. Do I like tips? I think that anyone who works in a coffee shop likes tips. Extra income is awesome. Walking out the door with cash in your hand is awesome. But, it’s your prerogative. I will tell...
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4 tags
December 2010
31 posts
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"We don't do that here."
When you work at a coffee shop, you get a lot of criticism. You get odd requests from people who don’t really know what they want, and people get mad over ridiculous things. I understand. You haven’t had your coffee yet and I’m bouncing around behind the bar chipper, playing music and chatting you up because I’ve been here since five am and have had probably an unhealthy...
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Coffee 101
Sometimes people come into the coffee shop and look entirely lost, and I like to call them lost ducklings, trying to find help from anyone who will offer it - but still wanting to be able to do it themselves. Coffee lingo is a foreign language and I know at some places the people working don’t offer you any help! Don’t you worry - I’ve got you covered. You’ll be able to...
Coffee 101
Sometimes people come into the coffee shop and look entirely lost, and I like to call them lost ducklings, trying to find help from anyone who will offer it - but still wanting to be able to do it themselves. Coffee lingo is a foreign language and I know at some places the people working don’t offer you any help! Don’t you worry - I’ve got you covered. You’ll be able to...
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Please and thank you!
Follow my blog with bloglovin
On here, you can follow the blog no matter what ‘blog site’ you usually use!
Plus, you can find lots of other amazing blogs!
5 tags
The 60 year old cowboy.
When I applied to work in a college town I figured I would have a crowd of students as customers who wanted to use our free wi-fi. I assumed it’d be pretty mellow, coffee shops here are a dime a dozen, one (or two) on every block trying to out-do each other with bigger and better products and catchier names. Mellow isn’t the word I would use, and we get an odd assortment of customers,...
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I think its easy to argue that working at any high volume coffee shop means you come in contact with some of the nicest, and some of the strangest people you will ever meet. Barista’s get crazy requests, take loads of verbal abuse, and are expected to be smiling, and chipper at five thirty am, but at the same time are able to forge relationships and friendships with the regular crowd and can...