closing is usually the best shift to practice!

honestly i had the same thing happening to me, but depending on the people you work with just straight up tell them hey i really want to get good at bar so can i please have some bar time today. even if it’s for 30 mins. also, for sequencing practice try using water instead of milk so you don’t waste product and just work on sequencing so you can get faster. you will get there! show them how good you are!

Someone said above, but for sure closing shifts are the best opportunity to get some bar time when it’s slower and less demand for you to power through a slew of drinks. Talk to your shift supervisor! It’s out job to help our barista’s grow, and obviously bar is a huge part of our job as baristas so I’m sure they’ll be happy to work with you on finding a good window where you can get your practice in but won’t get overwhelmed.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the needs of the business or our to-do lists we just throw our new people in a position we know they’ve got on lockdown so we can focus on other stuff. It’s nothing personal, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to help when you let them know it’s something you want to work on :)

I've been working for about 3-4 months too but I got the opposite problem. I always get put on bar but don't like it. Can we switch places lol?

I can only do opening shifts as a breastfeeding mom, so I knew I had to push to be on bar. I've worked at Starbucks since Dec 9th and have felt comfortable on bar since the beginning of January. I kind of just jumped on constantly and learned because I realized otherwise they wouldn't teach me. Sucks, but I managed. I'm pretty good now I think. Even making five drinks a day at the slowest point teaches you. Or if it's slow make yourself drinks to practice, just ring them in after.

As the new guy the reality is you're probably going to be stuck on register for most of your shifts until there's an even newer guy. I spent about 3 months on POS before getting regular bar time. It's a chicken and egg problem, it's hard to get good at bar if you don't spend time there, and it's hard to get time there if you're not good at it yet. Talk to your SSV and make sure they know you want bar time, and they'll try to give it to you when they can.

Ask for some time when you’re working when it’s not peak. I had to keep asking, and then I finally proved myself and I get more bar time. Also some people actually don’t like doing bar, so if they know you want to then you’re more likely to get to do it.

For me it's all about the shift. Some shifts will never put people on bar. Others will let you develop your skills. Eventually it will happen more though