Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
↑
23
↓
What’s the dumbest thing you’ve done? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by AdamAce3
Hi fellow baristas,
I wanted to start a thread about dumb things that have happened at your store. I know peaks and long shifts can be stressful and exhausting and, for that reason, I’m sure a lot of you have hilarious stories and embarrassing things that you’ve done.
For example, the other day, I realized I forgot to put a shot in a drink during a rush and I felt so bad. The sad thing was that the customer never came back.
Another, a new bar partner at my store forgot to grind the beans before brewing. Everyone was so confused when we had no pike, and then we realized they were never grinded. 😂
Even more, my manager accidentally knocked over an entire toddy in the back room, I he whole back was flooded in cold brew. Took hours to clean up and she was so embarrassed. I lowk felt bad.
Keep this thread going! I’d love to hear everyone hilarious stories no matter how embarrassing. It makes us feel like we are not alone for making dumb mistakes haha
I wanted to start a thread about dumb things that have happened at your store. I know peaks and long shifts can be stressful and exhausting and, for that reason, I’m sure a lot of you have hilarious stories and embarrassing things that you’ve done.
For example, the other day, I realized I forgot to put a shot in a drink during a rush and I felt so bad. The sad thing was that the customer never came back.
Another, a new bar partner at my store forgot to grind the beans before brewing. Everyone was so confused when we had no pike, and then we realized they were never grinded. 😂
Even more, my manager accidentally knocked over an entire toddy in the back room, I he whole back was flooded in cold brew. Took hours to clean up and she was so embarrassed. I lowk felt bad.
Keep this thread going! I’d love to hear everyone hilarious stories no matter how embarrassing. It makes us feel like we are not alone for making dumb mistakes haha
flowrpot 28 points 3y ago
When I was new, I was asked to brew more green tea. I felt confident enough to not ask how to do it, so I took a tea bag (like, the single drink tea) and steeped it in the tea pitcher. Once the timer went off I asked “Now what do I do?” And my shift just stares at the tea like ē_ē
AdamAce3 [OP] 6 points 3y ago
😂😂😭
smallging 19 points 3y ago
I have two
1. Poured a bag of beans into the bean hopper but jokes on me, I didn’t take off the lid so they spilled everywhere
2. I thought for some ungodly reason I heard the milk finish steaming so I moved the pitcher but it was indeed still steaming so I spewed hot milk everywhere!
The life of a barista who is also a full time student and an opener. Lack of sleep makes me do dumb things every day
1. Poured a bag of beans into the bean hopper but jokes on me, I didn’t take off the lid so they spilled everywhere
2. I thought for some ungodly reason I heard the milk finish steaming so I moved the pitcher but it was indeed still steaming so I spewed hot milk everywhere!
The life of a barista who is also a full time student and an opener. Lack of sleep makes me do dumb things every day
AdamAce3 [OP] 3 points 3y ago
Ahaha that’s funny. Making messes on bar during a rush is hell.
smallging 4 points 3y ago
I have a running joke going where I have to spill at least one thing per shift😂
BuffyBoltonVampFlayr 15 points 3y ago
Like twice now I've poured drip into my medicine ball cup instead of water lol.
Tbf to myself though, I always use the hot water spout on the drip stand thing since I'm over there anyway grabbing the tea bags and it's faster than the sinks hot water (by like 2 seconds but shit during a rush that helps a lot lmao), hence, occasionally pulling the knob that's only 2 inches away from the one I *actually* want...
Tbf to myself though, I always use the hot water spout on the drip stand thing since I'm over there anyway grabbing the tea bags and it's faster than the sinks hot water (by like 2 seconds but shit during a rush that helps a lot lmao), hence, occasionally pulling the knob that's only 2 inches away from the one I *actually* want...
AdamAce3 [OP] 3 points 3y ago
Ah. Our only hot water spout is next to all our coffee, but I can’t say I’ve put hot coffee into a tea before. I have started pouring the wrong coffee roast in the cup though ngl.
-jellybones 14 points 3y ago
When I was a green bean, I thought you were supposed to put the egg bites into the egg bite trays before putting them into the oven. I think I went an entire month doing this before someone noticed. I don’t know how I never burnt down the store.
AdamAce3 [OP] 7 points 3y ago
Ahh. See I never did that, but I didn’t know there was two separate spoons for blonde and pike beans. I though they were the same... until someone let me know 3 months in lmao
cfuqua 4 points 3y ago
I went way longer than that without being informed of the blonde bean scoop
ladygnarmalade 11 points 3y ago
I opened the store and forgot to turn on the oven.................. for and hour and a half........
AdamAce3 [OP] 5 points 3y ago
Lmao that sucks. Did you notice when someone bought food
ladygnarmalade 5 points 3y ago
Yup excactly I went to put it in and I even pushed the buttons
AdamAce3 [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Ahaha
extracrunchies 11 points 3y ago
A few years ago I was on a new medication that made me very very very loopy. During peak we ran out of pike and I made a full batch without grinding the beans. Got the worst disappointed dad look from my SM.
AdamAce3 [OP] 3 points 3y ago
Ahaha. The disappointed dad look got me 😂😂😭
missjriss 11 points 3y ago
I was helping out closing at another store I was unfamiliar with and the shift started filling a mop bucket in the back. A few minutes later I see water in front and realized neither of us had turned it off and had flooded the back!
beccaboo2u 4 points 3y ago
The floor got cleaner than usual I bet!
missjriss 2 points 3y ago
Ha probably. We had to use almost every rag and apron in stock to help sock up the water! Then had to just hope the rest would dry overnight.
AdamAce3 [OP] 3 points 3y ago
Ahh that’s sucks!
Ashesremindme 9 points 3y ago
The other day I was in drive and I greeted the customer and took their payment. It was busy and I was waiting for their drink and I made their food, and then once everything was ready, I went back to the window and said "🎵hello!!🎵😊" like they just drove up, lol. We both laughed at me.
Or making a frapp and forgetting to put in the ice. Then wondering why it's soup for a moment.
Another time, I grabbed out heavy cream to put in someone's coffee, and I always like to shake it a bit because it gets kind of chunky. I shook it before I noticed it had no lid. Milk in my face and all over my front.
Or making a frapp and forgetting to put in the ice. Then wondering why it's soup for a moment.
Another time, I grabbed out heavy cream to put in someone's coffee, and I always like to shake it a bit because it gets kind of chunky. I shook it before I noticed it had no lid. Milk in my face and all over my front.
AdamAce3 [OP] 2 points 3y ago
😂😂😂
xcanIclockoutx 8 points 3y ago
I told a customer I had their drink ready and proceeded to pour it down the sink.
Luckily they were a regular and laughed it off with me.
RIP Granda Iced Caramel Macchiato
Luckily they were a regular and laughed it off with me.
RIP Granda Iced Caramel Macchiato
jclene 8 points 3y ago
in my first week, i was working CS during peak, and i had emptied out some old coffee to get a new batch brewing. i did everything as normal, started brewing, and then walked by a minute later and said “why is it coming out of the spout??” another partner rushed over and flipped the handle of the spigot back into its normal position — i had left it tucked to the side from emptying it into the sink. oops. 👀
everyone at my store always says “there’s not a single stupid thing you could ever do here that someone else hasn’t already done.”
everyone at my store always says “there’s not a single stupid thing you could ever do here that someone else hasn’t already done.”
AdamAce3 [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Yeah I’ve done that haha. Spilled all over the ground
delidoll 8 points 3y ago
I FREQUENTLY fuck up making pike. Literally the easiest thing to do right? My mind is always going a million miles a minute at work and I’ll end up leaving the cap on tucked to the side so it just goes straight through the damn spout into the tray while brewing. I’ve put the beans directly into the trash when I was actually trying to put them in the grinder. I’ve forgotten to put the filter in and just put the beans directly into the thingy (lmao what’s it called). I’m just...idk what it is with me and the damn pike but we don’t vibe lmao.
AdamAce3 [OP] 4 points 3y ago
Ahaha you gotta be more attentive bruv. I gotta say, I’ve left the spout on while brewing pike and it overflowed before haha
TikiDreamer 7 points 3y ago
I was restocking the fridge and realized we needed more guava so i walk to the back and im telling myself gouda gouda gouda noooo its guava 😂
MillerPug 6 points 3y ago
It was close, we had just locked up. And suprisingly it looked like we would be out within 15 mins or so. Definitely a rarity. So, naturally I dropped a carafe of heavy cream. My fellow barista/roommate, looked at the mess I made. Screamed in frustration then doubled over in pain and vomitted. Apparently the shock upset her ulcers and made them act up....
AdamAce3 [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Ouch haha
bedusseyy 6 points 3y ago
i’m a green bean, been at my store for a little less than a month with no prior barista experience but im learning and i think i’m getting the hang of things pretty well. and then i make a drink for a mobile order, venti iced white mocha quad, pull 4 shots, start sequencing other drinks, look at my white mocha and see the shots are done, pull it to finish it. look over at the mastrena to see the two other shots being pulled into nothing as i’m putting whipped cream on the drink.
AdamAce3 [OP] 3 points 3y ago
Ahhh I’ve done that so many times. Pulling it halfway way between shots. I really doubt they notice though. As long as there’s some espresso i just go with it lmao
Daguirre1 5 points 3y ago
When I had finished my training way back when, it was during a rush that my manager asked me to make more iced coffee. I couldn’t remember how so instead of asking I felt I need to be confident in making iced coffee since I just finished training. So I grabbed a bag and conflicted on brewing it or steeping it. So I got a pitched and filled it up with water and added iced coffee to it 🤦🏻♀️ I was left on pos the rest of the shift lol
GreenTourmaline13 5 points 3y ago
I'm usually on the inner bar, and the outer bar closer to handoff is where we keep sanitizer bucket. Every time I'm on outer bar I knock the damn thing over, and it seeps under the wall where customers pick up their drinks. I hate it everytime!!
AdamAce3 [OP] 2 points 3y ago
That sucks! What did they say?
pupmonkey8 4 points 3y ago
when i was being trained on cold bar, i was making my first frappuccino. i put all the stuff in the blender carefully looking at the instructions on the fridge and then my trainer was like oki blend it. but for some reason i thought the lid was supposed to be on the bottom.(??) so i flipped the pitcher upside down and set it in the blender as it proceeded to spill out all over the counter. 👌👌👌
AdamAce3 [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Ahh that sucks lmao
mphillipsphotography 4 points 3y ago
I was very sleep deprived and it was a late closing shift and I made sweet cream-whipped cream hybrids (used the sweet cream recipe for whipped cream).
It was like 20 canisters but they’re easy to clean.
My shift looked at me and was like, “why is the 2% out??” and I looked at her so confused and when I realized what I did I just laid my head on the countertop in defeat, she started laughing and was like, “girl same” .
It was like 20 canisters but they’re easy to clean.
My shift looked at me and was like, “why is the 2% out??” and I looked at her so confused and when I realized what I did I just laid my head on the countertop in defeat, she started laughing and was like, “girl same” .
lil-ek 4 points 3y ago
When I was a green bean, I made a chai and forgot to put the chai in it so it was literally just milk and water lmao. The guy never came back tho.
Also one time a lady ordered a cheese danish at the speaker and I asked if she wanted it hot or iced. A little embarrassing.
Also one time a lady ordered a cheese danish at the speaker and I asked if she wanted it hot or iced. A little embarrassing.
thememequeenv3 2 points 3y ago
The cheese danish made me bust out laughing
spicyquiche 1 points 3y ago
green bean here, one time someone ordered a chocolate croissant in cafe and i asked him what size
katiebean19 3 points 3y ago
spilled almost half a tub of mocha all over the fridge and floor and had a coworker come in the next day to ask me if I had some fun with mocha when I was closing 😭
TheDarkestRoastPod 3 points 3y ago
This is brilliant! And also exactly what our podcast is! We are starting the podcast to shed light on the untold truths of the barista life. Trust us, as baristas here, we know what we alone go through, so we want to create a community for all the thousands of baristas to be able to listen and relate! Any stories are welcome and DM's are always open! Reach out and we can get your story featured!
\-The Darkest Roast Podcast team
(Twitter: darkestroastpod)
\-The Darkest Roast Podcast team
(Twitter: darkestroastpod)
mintcaboodle 3 points 3y ago
Two separate times over a few months I have put hot water in iced americanos and only realized after a partner gave me a funky look
pupmonkey8 3 points 3y ago
the other day in the middle of peak we realized the frapp roast container was actually filled w chai... we had made so many frappucinos already too🤦♀️
AdamAce3 [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Ahhh that sucks
melanieissleepy 3 points 3y ago
I will be completely honest: the first two weeks at my first target Starbucks gig I was giving people blonde shots thinking they were decaf. I still think about those people 🤭 also, forgot the vanilla bean powder in a VB frap once. Sweet milk frap.
thememequeenv3 2 points 3y ago
Nooooooo
AdamAce3 [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Oh shit 😬
rendercilla 3 points 3y ago
Today I zoned out for a second and started pouring steamed milk into the wrong cup... an iced drink.
thememequeenv3 2 points 3y ago
I put sweet cream in a mango dragonfruit instead of water cause I saw the grey lid
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc • HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.