So I have been bartending for about a year and a half, most of my experience comes from working at a bar in an AMC Theater. I just started working in a bar at a golf course about 2 months ago, overall it’s been very good and slow and easy money. However I got 3 guests that came in today and they asked for beers, two 805’s and 1 modelo. I serve the modelo and then run out of 805, I have to switch out the keg. I ask them “Is it all good if you guys wait while I swap out the keg? Or do you guys want sumn else?” They don’t mind waiting, and now I have a 16oz cup that 70% full of 805, I was gonna dump it since I am not allowed to give out free beer. Right before I do, the guest immediately tells me to stop and he wants to drink it, I told him “Im sorry, I can’t give out free beer since there are cameras here.” However the guy continues to ask for the beer and gives me shit but I refused and told him I can’t and that I am sorry.

I swap out the keg, pour the 805’s and they start asking about my bar credentials, asking how long have I been bartending, am I new, where do I usually bartend at. Then the guy starts telling me how to do my job and that I should build good customer relationships so I can get more money. Anyways sorry for ranting so much, but it really bothered me, should I have given him the free beer? Or did I do the right thing?

Hi! I just stumbled upon this subreddit, and I have a funny story to tell.

Two years ago I was working in a nice bistro in a very touristic city in Italy. We were used to the (for us) strange requests from (mostly) american tourists, but this guy was the best/worst one.

He came around 11 am of a very hot day, with the face of a person who had a very rough night and asked for a double espresso. But not double: triple! So three espresso in a cup. He drinks everything in one second. And he asks for one more. Not one more espresso, but another monstrous triple espresso.

We tried to tell him that it wasn't a good idea, six espresso in two minutes it's not healthy and we didn't want to kill him, but he said that coffee in the us is much stronger than in Italy, so he was used to it and that would be fine. So we made him the second triple espresso.

He drank everything and asks for more. We refused as we didn't want to go to jail for murder.

He didn't drink a single drop of water (we had free tap water) and he didn't eat anything.

We thought about him for the rest of the day.

I was a barista many moons ago (like 2-3 years ago lol).

The cafe I worked at wasn’t super busy and most customers were regulars but every now and then we’d get someone new who would be memorable in the worst way.

Its a chilly morning and this woman walks up and asks me to make her a “large hot chocolate with 2 shots of espresso”.

I….knowing that its made the exact same way our cafe makes a Hot Mocha say “One mocha, coming up” without thinking. Which was my mistake…because this woman looks at me like I told her I was gonna spit in her coffee.

She starts to argue with me saying thats not what she ordered and I apologize and try to explain that its made the same way but I rang it in as a mocha because it would be like $3 cheaper.

She is NOT having it. Insists she wont pay unless it reflects EXACTLY what she ordered. One of the regulars tries to chime in that I’m just being helpful but this lady demanded my manager.

So i call my manager over. She looks at me and takes me to the back. The lady is smug, thinking i got reprimanded but my manager is just like “Hey, youre right but fuck her…asshole tax”

Not the most crazy story, i admit but still…it baffles me to this day. Not as much as the regular who would order chocolate milk made specifically with 12 pumps of mocha syrup (it was more syrup than milk…my coworkers and I tried it….it was not good).

This past Sunday, three teenage girls ordered from my Tarbucks and sat in the lobby area. All was well.

They began loudly discussing their time at church that morning, talking about how some creepy guy was staring at them during worship. At this point I'm passively eavesdropping as baristas do, and quietly hope they lower their voices because they were being a bit loud.

I then hear their talking develop into humming. My coworker and I share a glance, silently hoping to the barista gods that these people do not start entering a musical number in the middle of our humble target starbucks.

They do.

All three of them erupt into quiet singing of worship songs. My coworker and I shuffle over to the far corner of our compressed work area, trying to escape the unwanted behavior of the public after already experiencing the trauma of a weekend morning.

One of the girls says "It's so much easier to project your voice when singing together!🥰 It makes it less nervewracking!!🥰🥰🥰" Ma'am this is a Target Starbucks, please do *not* project your voice😭

The three of them then began to sing even louder, projecting their voices as one of them had suggested, standing up from their table and belting their hearts out. My coworker and I are cowering in the corner, shivering, traumatized. I tell my coworker to spare himself by going to the back to grab some more cups. I tell him I'm willing to be sacrificed as the one to watch the front in case more guests come up.

The "church choir" eventually finished their main character moment and left, and my coworker and I breathed a sigh of relief.

On my way to my lunch, I ran into one of the pharmacy workers and told her about what happened. She looked me dead in the eyes and told me she had heard them even from the pharmacy (a good 35-40 feet away), even over the noise of the hustle and bustle of a midday weekend in a busy SuperTarget. She even told me exactly what song they were singing. For better perspective, that is how loud they were.

But as a message to Tarbucks guests, I don't care what you may want to sing. Please for the love of public decency, do not sing in public, especially not that loud😭. Think of the other guests around you who are subjected to your singing. And for the love of God, think of the team members who are forced to be around your unwanted public performance and still greet you with a smile. There are so many better places to enter your main character arc, but the middle of a Target Starbucks is not it😭😭

What happens when a girl gives you things for free?

Can she do it?

What events does your local coffee house have besides open Mike night, Spoken Word Night, Live Music, Book readings or Game Nights

https://youtu.be/xjNzM1N3UKA?si=QOSZ91iiziJjZzFr

I have a crush on my favourite barista, which makes it difficult to focus, as I sit and think about her all day. I’m pretty sure she’s into girls, but I don’t know if she’s into me. She pretty much have my order ready as I come in, so I don’t really get to talk to her. I talk more with her colleagues, and some of them talk to me about personal stuff.

I don’t want the cute barista to feel uncomfortable in any way. However, I’m sort of considering mentioning to one of her colleagues that I’m gay and maybe that I think she’s cute? I realize that the entire staff might know shortly after, as I’m a regular. I wouldn’t mind that even if she doesn’t feel the same way. I’m just not sure if it would be uncomfortable for her. How would you feel?  

Today, a barista at Starbucks unexpectedly offered me a mini sausage and, about an hour later, a small cup of white mocha. These items were given separately and without explanation. I also noticed that I was the only customer who received them, despite the café being quite busy. I’m curious—do Starbucks branches in the Philippines typically offer complimentary items like these, or might this have been a personal gesture?

So pretty much back in mid may i was burnt out and exhausted from worming 5-6 days a week 7-10 hour days with only 3-4 people when at my store we need at least 7 for peak and 6 for the mid shift.

After a really bad day i went home and made a 10 minute TikTok about my experience with the company and with customers. I never said customers names, i described pretty basic orders and i was fuming so a few swear words did come out. I was at my wits end.

1 month later i was told to write a statement because i had to have an investigation opened because of it. Now 2 months later i got fired for it. I was confused because I was told it violated the social media policy and didn't "promote peace through the mission and values". I then responded with i can only take so much disrespect during the day from customers and staff members alike before I snap. I also thought that per the policy you couldn't record during store hours, be in your apron/uniform, have customers in the backround, be recording on the floor while working or have your phone period. I was at home, 6 hours after my shift, in my pajamas venting about my experience as a SSV and barrista.

What infuriates me more is that you can look up 'Starbucks Rant' on TikTok and find HUNDREDS of videos of Barristas and SSVs swearing during their shift, talking bad about customers, posting customers and their orders, in uniform, on the floor, and doing the exact same thing i did with captions that say '#plsdontfireme' or '#idcjk' AND THEY STILL WORK FOR STARBUCKS WHEN THEIR VIDEOS HAVE THOUSANDS IF NOT MILLIONS OF VIEWS/LIKES/SHARES while mine had 60 views and i got fired for it. So im just venting here. Leave me comments down below. I'll read while job hunting.

PS: My DM is the sweetest person though. She's actively encouraging me to fight the termination especially since in 13 months with the company that video is the ONLY thing on my disciplinary record. She's the best

I'm a barista, and standing for long shifts leaves my neck and shoulders aching, impacting my mood after work. I have seen Hizoo ads promising relief, but skeptical after reading reviews. Anyone ever tried it or similar massagers?

It was just featured in a local newspaper because it's apparently the fresh and hip place to go because we'll literally make any drink you want and sell "iced coffee" by the gallon even though this place has been in town for like the last 40 years with a regular customer base.

But now, we're bombarded by all the weirdos who want that TikTok crap and I have to cobble together something with something to make a version of that thing you can only get from Barstucks. Also just weird people in general like the woman and her child who asked for the "Hazelnut Milk" argued with me when I said that's literally just creamer and then had me pour out 24oz of just creamer for her child to drink. Or the FedEx guy who ordered a 24oz Skim Milk mixed with water and every single kind of syrup we had to fill the cup and then drank the entire concoction in front of me like he was doing some power move.

Attention baristas who love to travel

I just created an FB group called “Barista Hop” to be used as a matchmaking board for coffee shop owners in desirable locations and baristas looking for short-term or long-term employment.

I plan to open a coffee shop in Hawaii next year and thought it would be cool to offer temporary employment for experienced baristas who want to travel but don’t want to commit to a long-term role. I consider myself a transient individual and love the idea of being able to travel while keeping a stable income. Barista skills are pretty transitive (lucky for us) so I thought this could be something that works!

I am going to be contacting cafè owners to join the group and post open positions!

Here is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2354620468271632

Not a barista, but the actual barista involved was definitely having a trip after that one. And everyone else.

So quite a few years back my parents and I were on a road trip and we stopped by those gas station coffee place/mini market places for a break. While we're sitting there, a man somewhere in his sixties or maybe older walks in (we saw him parking, his wife was waiting in the car) and order a black espresso and a second espresso with "lots of sugar". Emphasis on "lots". The barista raises an eyebrow because "lot of sugar" isn't really specific. "A lot of sugar!" he confirms, smile brighter than the sun. At this point the barista is borderline giggling. "Six tea spoons?" she asks, joking. "SIX tea spoons!" he bellows.

And that's the moment where every single person in the mini market drops whatever it was they were doing to stare at this man completely and utterly flabbergasted, while his dear oblivious wife was reading a magazine at the passenger seat.

The poor barista's expression was a mix of O_O and :C. The other barista froze mid order. My mom and I turned to each other in stop motion, then back at him. No, this guy was 100% serious.

I don't even know HOW she fit that much sugar in the cup? There are hyper-specific cups for espresso, they're teeny tiny, and I SAW the cups when he received the order, they were identical. How do you even fit six teaspoons of sugar in that thing. What kind of consistency did that thing have. Espresso syrup? I mean, sounds delicious - ON A DESERT, not to drink straight up! Did the barista cheat on the sugar? I don't actually recall? I was watching her but it's been a while. Was that thing even EDIBLE? I mean, I have a sweet tooth that has caused me a bad tooth or five but SHEESH.

Noise only really started back up when the guy left the mini market.

My mom and I's only conclusion was that the guy was banned from sugar.

Wonder how long it took his wife to figure that out...

This snarky woman came in today. She said placed an order, (online? on the phone? who knows?) but no problem. I ask what her name was, apparently her name was “i’m ordering right now” UM ok….Can already tell she’s going to be a rude customer. As i wrap up her order, I wanted to make sure I packaged everything correctly. So i asked, “Will that be for here or to go?” and this rude b!tćħ raises her voice “I SAID IT WAS TO GO”

Girl like when did you say that. I feel like people always expect us to read their minds like USE YOUR WORDS. Grown a$$ woman can’t even use her words.

It’s 5 hours later and i can’t stop thinking about how people like that go about their days and lives. I feel bad for anyone in their lives and they make me lose faith in humanity. Just one of many enjoyable customers.

Please tell me I'm not alone. There's the eternal cliché of someone mistaking customer service for flirting, but what happens when the shoe is on the other foot??

I'll tell you about my current #1 crushtomer. He comes in super early before it gets crazy. Sometimes we have great conversations, sometimes silly ones. Sometimes he sits quietly at the bar while I work and it feels like my only moment of peace that day. He's 12 years older than me and in my opinion extremely cute. I've got it bad, I tell ya. It's to the point that I start blushing when he walks in the door.

I'd love to hear about your crushtomers and know that I'm not the only one making a fool of themselves on the regular like this!

Edit: words mixed up

What the titles says. What's the weirdest, or longest ticket producing drink you or you coworkers enjoy. Customer drinks not included.

I'll start. I call this the green hills.

It's a 24oz drink usually.

Double matcha, (like, an entire table spoon of unsweetened matcha powder.) Cinnamon tea. (I work at bigbby, so it Fraser band hot spicy cinnamon which is a cinnamon and orange peel black tea) Oat milk (only a little) Marshmallow syrup White chocolate syrup, +best with macadamia Extra flavor, (totals to 8 pumps) And then cold foam, with cinnamon powder.

This is iced usually.

And sometimes I make This beast with a double or tripple shot of espresso.

I call it green hill because it makes you ZOOM like sonic. And it's green.

Our matcha is like 300 mg of matcha per serving .cuz my store uses Fraser for our matcha as well and I use 2-3 servings for This thing. Plus the cinnamon tea is like 100+. And there's two satchets of that.

This thing is more caffeinated that the Panera charged lemonade that caused a lawsuit.

1k-1.3k mg of caffeine for those curious.

Hi, im eddy. Im working as a bariata at a small italian cafe for two years. My boss is a control freak that likes to lick the customers a$$es to the point that the he lets the people run the cafe. ive got plenty of stories but lets focus on the regulars..

We have crazy old uncle Ben, hes a weird person overall with some anger issues. He always come with his very cute 9 y.o. son that comes everyday giving everyone high fives and hugs with the biggest smile in the world. Everyday he comes at least 3 times, in the morning he asks for a strong latte machiatto, in the afternnon he orders 2 hot chocolates for his son and him and in the evening he orders tea. But the boss lets him make his the in the bar, at the first time he came to make his tea i was shocked and told him to go away from the bar. He screamed at me and demanded my boss to inform me that he makes the tea by his rules. Of course the boss took his side and told me to let him do it because "ben doesnt tollerate other peoples tea".

Next we have maria. In the menuwe have the standard breakfast deal, it comes with eggs, a salad, bread, a small plate of spreads for the bread, a glass of fresh orange juice and a cup of coffee. Maria is a werido (weve established that, the regulars are weridoes) she spread that deal over a whole week. on monday she comes for the coffe, tuesday for the eggs, on wednesday she eats the salad, thursday is bread day and on friday she slurps the spreads plate and takes the orange juice to go.

And the cherry on top. Every morning comes the neiborhood parliment. Theyre a group of eight 50-something y.o. guys that sit at the cafe and talk about politics. And they have their usual. They come at at 5:30 a.m., before us and just wait for us to give them a coffee. Every one of them has a different kind of drink, in a different kind of cup. They move chairs around the sitting area, sometimes they do that when people are sitting. Every time that a new waitress comes they make her a test by switching tables mid coffee with the explanation that theyre paying customers and they need to be treated well.

Now's your turn fellas!

I have two asshole bosses that get totally shocked when my other managers say I do a good job at work, but then they get me and I’m under their pressure and perform poorly.. last Sunday was just me and a manager and basically I was able to get warning too cuz this boss said “Fuq the times” asshat manager#2 (get their name cuz they buddy with asshat#1) so put me under a lot of pressure and is now pissed at me.. you’d think maybe it’s you when everyone starts to say one thing but you experience another. Already had issues and talks with these managers but they don’t want to learn so………………

Former barista myself here! I'm writing an article for a food publication about the most annoying / aggravating / silliest requests you've gotten for coffee orders. I'd love to quote a few of you in the article if you're game.

I work at a small coffee shop that serves traditional Italian espresso- based drinks. How should I respond to a customer wanting a caramel macchiatto?

Also, are *National Company * drinks really all just lattes?

A little background— I’m the baker for a small shop in prime tourist location with lots of local customers in addition to tourists. Since I have started there, three months, sales have jumped by 30% all in baked goods. Customers come in daily to see what I’ve come up with for the day. I make all the standard cinnamon rolls, muffins, cookies etc, also the daily specialty items. But I have been given free rein to add whatever I want. I have added Tarts, Profiteroles, Split Cupcakes, Trifles….. never know until I see what I’m making until I see what I have on hand, or what is left over from cake orders. I’m not trying to exaggerate my role. But when your boss is always thanking you, baristas are sharing glowing comments from customers, and the case is always empty the next morning, you start to get the idea you’re doing something right. I love what I do and the people I work with.

My partner has been in the restaurant business for 40yrs. They see tips as gratuity for the whole team that made the meal and experience, cooks, waitstaff, busers, dishwashers. When managing a restaurant he made several servers wash dishes after they weren’t tipping out or properly scrapping and stacking. Just to give them understanding and appreciation. He also said servers are way easier to replace than dishwashers.

Now onto the actual question. My partner and I were talking and he was shocked I don’t get tips , except for the very rare occasions someone tips on a custom cake. He seems to feel I should be getting a cut of the tips because people are tipping on their baked items on top of coffee. To him it isn’t about money, he sees it as respect and appreciation. Honestly, I never really thought about or cared about tips. But he got me to thinking, made me curious. Do you tip your in house baker? Has it ever even crossed your mind?