How to interact with a barista and how they should interact with you.

Don't speak unless the barista is facing you and greeting you, except to make them aware of your presence. The amount of times people seemingly have a conversation with or make an order to the empty front counter is outstanding. It makes me feel like the interactions aren't as personal and if they are talking directly to the POS cash register, like if they are at a drive through. I must be a hologram.

I am not going to have a conversation from 6 metres away with an unknown person that I am not directly looking at. I may seem rude but generic conversation starters happens between customers in the coffee shop, it isn't out of the ordinary. I'm not going to gatecrash personal conversations based upon simply working there, or be shouting across vast spaces when the alternative is just a few seconds of patience away.

When it comes to orders, firing a few drinks from afar before I am at the till, likely having a task to complete first and need to login to the till, chances are I am not going to remember them.

It is always okay to request service but wait for the face-2-face eye contact before speaking in any great depth!