Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Green Bean looking for advice (i assume Green Bean = newbie? lol) (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by OutrageousDeer8593
Hey everyone so I'm a recently hired partner (have worked 5 shifts so far) and the way things have gone so far I have a strong feeling that training in general is going to be pretty scattered and not all too thorough. Not because my other partners aren't good trainers or anything like that, but just because of how busy it is when I'm scheduled and because we have been understaffed on my shifts so far. As an example of how shifts have been so far, I was supposed to do some hot bar training today but someone called out during my shift so I was flexing between Warming and CS for the whole shift.
So far I've mostly just been on warming station and also doing customer support but my store seems to be understaffed/staffed with a lot of newcomers. So getting the actual 1 on 1 training time has been very sparse. I'm a quick learner so I've been fine doing CS and Warming and haven't had any complaints about it (I've done a BIT of POS and with more experience I'm sure I'll get that down)
The thing I wanted advice on is, Is there anything y'all could recommend as a good way to "Prepare/Practice" bar at home? I mostly am worried that I'll take too long to make drinks (once im on bar) because I'll be spending too much time trying to recall how much syrup goes in X drink or how many shots of espresso go into Y drink etc. I was thinking about just like studying/looking at a drink cheat sheet I had seen someone else post but I wanted to ask if y'all had some method or suggestions that are more efficient before I commit to doing something inefficient. Thank you in advance for any advice :)
So far I've mostly just been on warming station and also doing customer support but my store seems to be understaffed/staffed with a lot of newcomers. So getting the actual 1 on 1 training time has been very sparse. I'm a quick learner so I've been fine doing CS and Warming and haven't had any complaints about it (I've done a BIT of POS and with more experience I'm sure I'll get that down)
The thing I wanted advice on is, Is there anything y'all could recommend as a good way to "Prepare/Practice" bar at home? I mostly am worried that I'll take too long to make drinks (once im on bar) because I'll be spending too much time trying to recall how much syrup goes in X drink or how many shots of espresso go into Y drink etc. I was thinking about just like studying/looking at a drink cheat sheet I had seen someone else post but I wanted to ask if y'all had some method or suggestions that are more efficient before I commit to doing something inefficient. Thank you in advance for any advice :)
_johnnychinaman 7 points 2y ago
I’ve been a barista for 5 years , 2 of which were at Starbucks . My advice is, as much as you can help it, DO NOT take work home with you. It is not your responsibility to train yourself at home, that time is carved out of the schedule and really you should be getting compensated for any energy you exert that is work-related. No one will bat an eyelash if you are slow at making the drinks if you’re a new hire, that is expected. Everyone is affected by the company learning curve to some extent, and more importantly no new hire is getting paid extra because they were practicing at home. It’s great that you want to hone your craft on your own time but there’s plenty of opportunity to do that during your scheduled shifts!
That said, if you have areas of improvement that you’d like to work on while you’re clocked in , just ask your shift supervisors (or AM/SMs if they are available) if you can get more time on certain positions (bar, register, whatever..) to build your confidence and skill set. A simple “hey , since it’s slowed down a bit, could I get some bar practice?” will usually work since there’s not really a reason for the shift to say no. Also, if you’re really itching for more training content you could always pick up a store tablet or recipe book and swipe through the training pages on your 10 for a quick refresher. Most importantly, always ask your coworkers questions! There’s no shame in that and they will be happy to help you grow as an employee within the company. Hope this helps !
That said, if you have areas of improvement that you’d like to work on while you’re clocked in , just ask your shift supervisors (or AM/SMs if they are available) if you can get more time on certain positions (bar, register, whatever..) to build your confidence and skill set. A simple “hey , since it’s slowed down a bit, could I get some bar practice?” will usually work since there’s not really a reason for the shift to say no. Also, if you’re really itching for more training content you could always pick up a store tablet or recipe book and swipe through the training pages on your 10 for a quick refresher. Most importantly, always ask your coworkers questions! There’s no shame in that and they will be happy to help you grow as an employee within the company. Hope this helps !
isolated-grace 2 points 2y ago
All drink information is on the tablet, and my barista trainer made cups with syrup quantities and shot amounts written on them. Don’t try to make drinks at home, or memorize these things at home, they don’t pay you enough to work for free. ;)
You will make bad drinks. It’s fine. It’ll just be a minute to remake it. You will have customers that can’t be happy. That’s retail everywhere. If they talk down to you, let them know their behavior is unacceptable, and if they don’t choose to treat you with dignity and respect, then they will have to leave.
But it won’t take long to learn bar once you’re on bar. I have a 2 month old green bean at my store who’s a closer with me, and he manages to solo towards the end of the night for getting his practice in. He keeps a cheat sheet, and asks questions when he needs to, and knows to check the tablet if there’s further problems. :)
Another thing we do with trainees at my store, is business permitting, they make their own drinks when they go on break (usually they’re on reg the whole time, so they don’t get a lot of bar practice), and it gives them the opportunity to learn how and taste what they might be doing wrong. :)
You will make bad drinks. It’s fine. It’ll just be a minute to remake it. You will have customers that can’t be happy. That’s retail everywhere. If they talk down to you, let them know their behavior is unacceptable, and if they don’t choose to treat you with dignity and respect, then they will have to leave.
But it won’t take long to learn bar once you’re on bar. I have a 2 month old green bean at my store who’s a closer with me, and he manages to solo towards the end of the night for getting his practice in. He keeps a cheat sheet, and asks questions when he needs to, and knows to check the tablet if there’s further problems. :)
Another thing we do with trainees at my store, is business permitting, they make their own drinks when they go on break (usually they’re on reg the whole time, so they don’t get a lot of bar practice), and it gives them the opportunity to learn how and taste what they might be doing wrong. :)
XenaBean13 1 points 2y ago
There are a ton of cheat sheets made by partners on google. I printed one out on a 1/4 sheet of paper (make sure it’s updated!) laminated it, and put it on a key ring that I keep in my apron. That way if I get a new drink and panic, I can always refer back.
I have cards for hot and cold drinks, frappes, expiration dates, a current calendar, restocking and making sauces and whip etc. v handy!
I have cards for hot and cold drinks, frappes, expiration dates, a current calendar, restocking and making sauces and whip etc. v handy!
DeluxeWhiteBoy 1 points 2y ago
What I did was as I did the training videos and such I made flash cards for the drinks additionally if you have questions about drinks don’t worry about asking your partners are there to help you just as much as you’re there to help them- and the app is a great resource to check out what goes in drinks you may have not encountered yet or you’re unsure about
airernie 0 points 2y ago
While it might be the responsibility of management to provide training for you, I see nothing wrong in advancing knowledge by studying the ingredient list on the Starbucks app.
I will also go in some mornings before my shift to borrow the iPad so I can look over the beverage recipes, updates, etc.
To me any knowledge gained benefits me as much as Starbucks.
I will also go in some mornings before my shift to borrow the iPad so I can look over the beverage recipes, updates, etc.
To me any knowledge gained benefits me as much as Starbucks.
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