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Practical coffee know-how, equipment notes, recipes and everyday stories from behind the bar.
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10 publishedLatte or Iced Latte
He clearly wanted the latte all along but having seen the sign thought it was funny to ask for an Iced Latte. Erm, why? If he had charm and charisma, it could have ended up as funny banter, but instead just a minor annoyance to add to the rest of the people doing similar.
Read article →Fake Bank Notes
The day I caught a fake bank note in two seconds without even needing to check the bank note.
Read article →Americano: Black or White?
One of the annoyances of working as a barista at Starbucks is the simple misunderstanding customers have with drinks, and even with a drink as simple as an Americano, some people complain "where is the milk?" An Americano is a black coffee.
Read article →Bottled Water Prices are Racist!
A white guy with a black friend in tow, orders a bottle of water... unhappy at the price, he looks to his friend, before looking back at me and exclaiming that it is racist. I thought everything other than racism being racist was a past meme trend that had faded, clearly not.
Read article →Are you open?
For some reason despite the above, some customers approach thinking a lack of customers in a queue means the coffee shop is shut. Some days, upwards of 12 people will ask that simple question. The urge to say "No, Sorry" is in the back of the mind after the seventh interaction, although desperate for human interaction and to make someone a drink the answer is always "yes".
Read article →American speak no Americano
Being a global American brand founded in Seattle in 1971, with the most coffee shops on the planet, it is probably no surprise that Americans visiting or having relocated to the UK would visit Starbucks in the same way as other familiar American global giants such as McDonalds.
Read article →Condiment Bar: Ideal Laptop Tray
Gets out the work laptop, decides to use the Condiment Bar as a laptop tray. As soon as he has opened his laptop, his drink is called, resulting in a dash to put it back away again.
Read article →What time are you opening?
There is some sort of unwritten rule which I haven't received the memo for that the coffee shop should be open a good 5-10 minutes before schedule. Customers often ask "When are you opening?", "What time do you open?" or "What time are you opening?" typically with a follow up huff and a puff just as we are opening on the exact minute we are scheduled to.
Read article →It's only me here ... Eye roll
Some customers REALLY hate being asked for their name.
Read article →Debit Card and Will reopens the coffee shop?
A customer approaches counter, gets card out of his wallet, before finally realising the coffee shop is closed. Instead of being humble realising it has been closed for some while, the customer reacts as if the unit was suddenly closed as he was walking up. Letting adults join the dots rather than a forced 3 minute conversation with everyone (which could yield a bad review if I seemed too dismissive, annoyed or rude) seems reasonable here.
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