Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
↑
38
↓
“Latte” Rant (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Rare_Dragonfruit1885
This evening I was on DTO and this woman drove up and ordered a triple espresso, with 3 pumps vanilla and extra steamed 2% in a tall cup, and specifically asked for us to fill it to the top (spoiler... that’s a tall triple vanilla latte.)
The bar person tells me she’s not going to fill it to the top but instead do an “extra” splash of steamed 2%, because otherwise it would constitute as a latte. Obviously. When I hand the woman her drink, she grabs the cup, realizes how light it was, and was like “No. Nuh uh. This is NOT my drink. I know my drink, this is not my drink”. I’m not confrontational, so I told her I’d see what I can do to make her drink more satisfactory.
I tell the bar person the situation, and she added a tiny bit more steamed milk but still didn’t fill it up. I braced for impact as I handed this woman her half-full tall cup. She grabs it, looks at me, and is in utter disbelief. “Are you kidding me right now? I order this drink like 2-3 times a day, i KNOW my drink.”
I explain to her that I can’t fill it up all the way because that would be a latte and we didn’t charge her for a latte, and she turns red, screaming “Thats f-cking bullsh-t! I’ve ordered this drink every day for the past 3 years and you guys ALWAYS make it for me. Let me talk to that sh-t barista that made my drink, they can’t do their f-cking job”
Obviously I got the shift lead to take care of it instead, but when I tell you that left my blood BOILING. The language was unnecessary, the bar barista did NOTHING wrong, and trust me, none of us have ever seen that woman in our lives, so I highly doubt we “always make it” for her.
Anyways, how was yalls shifts today? :)
The bar person tells me she’s not going to fill it to the top but instead do an “extra” splash of steamed 2%, because otherwise it would constitute as a latte. Obviously. When I hand the woman her drink, she grabs the cup, realizes how light it was, and was like “No. Nuh uh. This is NOT my drink. I know my drink, this is not my drink”. I’m not confrontational, so I told her I’d see what I can do to make her drink more satisfactory.
I tell the bar person the situation, and she added a tiny bit more steamed milk but still didn’t fill it up. I braced for impact as I handed this woman her half-full tall cup. She grabs it, looks at me, and is in utter disbelief. “Are you kidding me right now? I order this drink like 2-3 times a day, i KNOW my drink.”
I explain to her that I can’t fill it up all the way because that would be a latte and we didn’t charge her for a latte, and she turns red, screaming “Thats f-cking bullsh-t! I’ve ordered this drink every day for the past 3 years and you guys ALWAYS make it for me. Let me talk to that sh-t barista that made my drink, they can’t do their f-cking job”
Obviously I got the shift lead to take care of it instead, but when I tell you that left my blood BOILING. The language was unnecessary, the bar barista did NOTHING wrong, and trust me, none of us have ever seen that woman in our lives, so I highly doubt we “always make it” for her.
Anyways, how was yalls shifts today? :)
LatteMaster 15 points 2y ago
First of all no human let alone customer should treat us with disrespect like that. And you have every right to be annoyed/mad/etc. To avoid situations like this in the future when you have customers order a drink with more than 4 ounces of milk you can use the buttons left side of the milk screen to indicate they want more than 4 oz. If they specify they want it full do this in tandem with no/room. This way we charge them for the labor and they still get a drink labeled as an “espresso” or whatever they are ordering.
badatlife15 11 points 2y ago
I hate that we usually end up giving into the customer in those situations because it’s just reinforcing that if you throw a big enough fit you’ll get what you want.
RistrettoIsBae 3 points 2y ago
Isn’t that the worst though when you’re having to hand a drink off and you know it’s going to make them mad, worse if the barista makes you do it TWICE and then they lay into *you* when you knew well in advance it would just be easier to save the argument and give her the dang milk the way she requested it?
It sucks so much because we know it’s going to escalate long before it actually does and the barista telling you to hand it off that way doesn’t have the same read on the situation as you do. SMH. Been there. Lol
It sucks so much because we know it’s going to escalate long before it actually does and the barista telling you to hand it off that way doesn’t have the same read on the situation as you do. SMH. Been there. Lol
throwaway3456678 2 points 2y ago
I’m very by-standard, but if someone is going to throw a tantrum over 4oz of steamed milk I won’t be petty and make it the DTs issue. Just give them the milk, Starbucks isn’t going to collapse over fifty cents. I’ve had so many coworkers and SSVs chew me out for “giving them a latte when that isn’t what they were charged for”. Which, they’re right, but I made it right the first time and I’m not putting the window partner through all that because people don’t know what they’re ordering
I prefer not to give in to karens, but if it means saving a partner from getting yelled at so be it. If the SSV wants to reason with them then by all means they can.
I prefer not to give in to karens, but if it means saving a partner from getting yelled at so be it. If the SSV wants to reason with them then by all means they can.
RistrettoIsBae 1 points 2y ago
Those were exactly my thoughts.
happybowlita83 1 points 2y ago
Honestly when it's a triple espresso in a tall cup with a syrup its going to take up about 6-7oz of the 12oz cup.... just leave that 1/4" use a little extra foam and they got exactly what they ordered withouth it really being a latte. As a partner even when I get my mark out its easier for me to order 5 shots in a venti iced cup with the WM and than to have to order a Iced White mocha with 5 shots, no whip, cahnge the milk, extra ice and so on (it also ensures I won't get any whip 100% of the time) and at the end my drink only has 4oz of dairy
IowaisFake23 1 points 2y ago
Similar thing happened to me today. I work at a cafe store. Woman orders a grande coffee and "8oz of steamed half and half with sf cinnamon dolce." So I repeat the order back as I always do. Rung her up for a grande coffee and a short cup of steamed half and half with sf cinnamon dolce." I pour the coffee and the barista steams the milk. This woman flips out because "this isn't what I ordered, I wanted it in my drink." We gave her 2 recovery cards. 🙄🤡
HengroenAndLlamrei 1 points 2y ago
“Make the moment right.” Bar is at fault for being petty and escalating a conflict with an obvious Karen over 50 cents.
Don’t get me wrong, customer was terrible. But the solution wasn’t to escalate it with pettiness.
Don’t get me wrong, customer was terrible. But the solution wasn’t to escalate it with pettiness.
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.