Working at Starbucks is a roller coaster of emotions. Mostly, I love my job. College students are chill and empathetic to my plights as a minimum wage student employee, and they’re always so nice. If you are a frequent customer at Starbucks, I know that you have no intention of being annoying. However, I cannot espresso how much some customer habits annoy me.
1. Do Not Ask For Water At The Handoff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you notice all of the exclamation points I added there? If you take anything away from this article, please understand that every time you ask the person making your drinks for a cup of water, a coffee tree dies. We’re making drinks!! Specifically, drinks for you!! Please wait in line for your venti iced water, or drink from the water fountain.
2. Do Not Show Up Five Minutes Before Class
I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard “I’m actually really late for class, can I get my drink now?” No! I mean, yes, because the customer is always right, but I’m not going to be happy about it. You’re inconveniencing everyone else, and I have a feeling you knew about the time of your class when you got into this line. If you see that the line is out the door and you have fifteen minutes until class, please assume that you have to make a choice between coffee and timeliness.
3. Do Not Ask For Your Drink Before I’ve Put It On The Handoff
Have you ever seen your half-made caramel macchiato on the bar, but the barista wasn’t working on it? I can see how that’d be frustrating. However, it’s for your benefit! We do this because the next steps of making your drink require our full attention, and we want to make sure espresso shots are pulling or milk is steaming for the next drink while we work on yours.
It helps us stay as efficient as possible, because we know about the “showing up five minutes before class” epidemic and are trying to get everyone’s drink out quickly. If you see your drink and the barista is working on something else, do not remind them of your drink. They know.
4. Do Not Reach Your Hand Over The Glass
Think of Starbucks like a zoo, and your local barista is the attraction. You wouldn’t put your hand in a gorilla exhibit, would you? Same rules apply here. On a trivial level, I just don’t like when people are in my space. The important reason for this, though, is because it’s unsanitary! As my good friend would say every time I reach over her food, “Why are you getting your skin flakes in my food?” If you see something that you want in my enclosure, ask me for it. Do not reach.
5. Do Ask Your Cashier For Whipped Cream
Some customers love to wait until I fill the drink with ice and put the lid on it to THEN tell me that they wanted whip cream. Most of the time it’s completely innocent; either they forgot or they did tell the cashier and the cashier forgot to tell me. Still, there are regulars who always remind me about their whipped cream as I hand them a drink I’ve already finished. Don’t do this, you’re holding up every drink behind yours.
6. Do Tell Me The Ingredients In Secret Menu Drinks
The key to Starbucks is that I will make you whatever drink your heart desires. A customer once asked me for 16 pumps of mango syrup in a tall tea, and I obliged! I’m an overly-caffeinated Willy Wonka when I’m in my zoo cage. Regardless, do not expect to throw words together that aren’t actually a drink and expect me to hand you something. I don’t know what goes in a Fuzzy French Fudge Fruity Frappuccino, and unless you do, I can’t make it for you.
#SpoonTip: If you can find that secret drink you love online, pull it up and show me your phone. Chances are the recipe will be on the website.
7. Do Not Ask The Person Making Your Drinks For Your Food
When I am making drinks, that’s my only job. I don’t know anything about food. If you go to the pastry case and ask the person dealing with the food, you will have a much quicker and more accurate answer. On top of this, food takes a lot longer to make than drinks. I can make a latte in 30 seconds (if the espresso machine is being nice to me). A breakfast sandwich takes a minimum of one minute to warm up. Please wait about five minutes after you get your drink to inquire about your food.
8. Do Not Take A Drink Without Reading It
I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this one. We write your name on the drink for a reason! I’m most annoyed when someone tells me they’ve been waiting on their drink for 30 minutes, and I KNOW I made that drink already. If you’re not sure if a drink is yours, ask me. Alternately, if a drink has been on the handoff for a long time and you’re thinking, what’s the harm if I just take this, the answer is the precious time I waste remaking that drink for a confused customer.
9. Do Not Ask Me To Fill Your Doppio Espresso With Milk
Honestly, I feel a certain sense of admiration for perpetrators of this crime. When you order two shots and ask me to fill it to the top with milk, you’re attempting to pay half price for a latte. This would be a great #SpoonTip IF you could get away with it. But you can’t. I see you. I know that trick. I’m not gonna do it.
#SpoonTip: I won’t fill your cup with milk, but we do keep half & half on the condiment bar. If you want to fill it up with that, live your best life.
10. Do Believe Me When I Tell You I Did Or Didn’t Do Something
Of course, I don’t mind if you ask once because maybe you have a milk allergy and need to be super sure. Chances are though, if it’s written on the cup, I did it. Decaf? Yes ma’am. Extra soy milk? Certainly. What I do NOT need is your life story. “Is this decaf? Are you absolutely sure? I just want to be able to sleep tonight, so I’m going to ask you one more time, is this decaf?” These are conversations that I’ve had with people multiple times!
As you can see, like an old espresso shot, I am bitter. But these are actions that can be changed! If you’ve made it to the end of the article, do something to make your local barista a little bit happier. But most importantly, don’t ask for water at the handoff.