If you’ve ever been to a coffee shop in the middle of a rush, I’m sure you’ll agree that the frazzled baristas deserve compassion in these busy times rather than beration — unfortunately, this is not the sentiment shared by every customer.
I’ve never worked as a barista or a bobarista (an employee who prepares and serves bubble tea) in my life before, but I’ve heard my fair share of horror stories and general complaints about the life of professional drink makers. Here are some of their biggest pet peeves, as told to me by one ex-barista from Starbucks and one ex-bobarista for a local boba shop.
Paying in cash
Look, there’s nothing wrong with paying with cash, but when there’s a huge rush and you’re counting out coins, you can’t expect your bobarista to not get a little annoyed with you. Please, for the sake of your bobarista or barista — pay with a card.
Also, as a side note, make sure you have a basic understanding of how to order on a screen and how to swipe your card properly when paying. Nobody wants to type in a card number manually when the chip reader doesn’t work in the middle of a busy rush.
Watching the drink being made
“Probably my biggest [pet peeve] is when people will order, and then sit there and stare at you until you finish making their drink,” said one ex-Starbucks barista, especially pointing to people in a rush who think that staring will get their drinks made faster — spoiler alert: it won’t.
This barista’s advice? Don’t come to Starbucks if you’re already in a hurry. If coffee is really that important for you to have on the way to the office, anticipate the morning rush and get to your coffee shop earlier so that you can get to work on time. It’s not your barista’s fault that you’re late to work; don’t get upset with the coffee shop employees for doing their job and making drink orders in order.
Coming in right before closing time
Late night drink cravings are fine, but for this bobarista, it’s hard not to let out a sigh when someone comes in five minutes before closing, especially if there’s been a lull in business for the past hour.
Especially for high school and college students who just want to go home after their shift, being halfway done with cleaning up then having to clean up all over again after a new customer comes in late at night is frustrating, to say the least.
Plan your local boba shop visits at least half an hour before closing, and your bobarista will thank you.
Rude customers
Baristas are as human as their customers, and a mistake is guaranteed to happen at some point. If someone at Starbucks accidentally messes up your drink, have some common courtesy and let them know in a respectful manner, rather than throwing a dramatic fit — or even worse, throwing your drink on the floor.
Considerate customers understand that a mistake isn’t the end of the world, and ask for a new drink respectfully. Oftentimes, baristas will apologize and remake your drink for free.
Asking for too many modifications
For boba shops and coffee shops alike, modifications are built into the system of ordering. However, there should be some limits to how many modifications you ask for, especially if it fundamentally changes the drink.
This pet peeve isn’t directed towards those who substitute whole milk for oat milk or ask for lychee jelly to be added into their drink. This is pointing to people who want to substitute honey for strawberry syrup in a strawberry-flavored drink — then proceed to complain about the lack of strawberry flavor in their drink. Think before you modify!
Online order misunderstandings
In this digital age, ordering drinks online before picking them up is often more convenient. However, for some people who don’t understand how ordering online works, it might be smarter to order drinks in person.
For example, people who show up immediately after placing their drink order and ask where their drink is? Yeah, they should order in-person. Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, people who show up hours after ordering online and wonder why their drink is melted? They should also stick to ordering in-person.
While ordering online is extremely convenient, time doesn’t stand still or accelerate along your timeline — drinks naturally need time to be made, and they also need to be picked up within a certain time period if you want the drink to still taste good.