One thing I always tell any person I’m training on bar: “ just focus on two drinks at a time”. Whether that’s learning how to prep a latte while your first one is steaming milk and pulling shots, OR making a shaken tea while your frappachino is blending. It’s not perfect science, but once you get into the habit of multitasking two drinks at a time, then you’ll start feeling comfortable enough do go pour that ice coffee real quickly while your shots are pulling on the Americano and your vanilla bean frap is blending. I know it’s easy to get down on yourself, but give yourself some grace. This is not an easy job despite what others say. You’ll eventually get there and start feeling more confident. I always try to tell myself what my SM says: it’s just coffee!!

another great tip that I used when I was training was going on the starbucks app and pulling up drinks and going over how to make them in my head. knowing the sequencing and knowing the components before going on bar can calm those nerves because you know what you’re doing, and between being calmer and not having to stop and think you’ll notice your proficiency increasing! then just give it time. it’ll be frustrating for a while but let it grow.

It really just comes to you over time, with continued exposure. You get better at things the more you do them, right? And ten minute stints here and there hardly count - how can anyone develop any sort of skill or proficiency ten minutes at a time, periodically?

If you want to improve, I’d talk with your shifts and ask them to put you on bar, off-peak, because you need the practice.

Make yourself cup flashcards:
Grab a cup of each size, iced and hot
Write on the bottom of each of them pump #s and shot #s

Trenta P:7 S:0 (Nothing espresso comes in a trenta)
Venti iced P:6 S:3
Grande iced P:4 S:2
Tall iced P:3 S:1

Venti hot P:5 S:2
Grande hot P:4 S:2
Tall hot P:2 S:1
Short P:1 S:1

Go through these flashcups a couple times a day, mix them up, try to say it out loud before you look at the bottom of the cup, etc until you can go through it fully without looking. This helped me more than anything else ever did.

Always use the measuring cups for cold bar drinks.

When pouring out the non-dairy milks, open the cap just barely so it stops the milk from exploding out the front.

Keep an eye on what is low and when you have 2 whips left tell the CS. When you're low on anything tell them so they have it in their mind to get it to you. It's a little annoying when you're doing something as CS and someone yells "We need more vanilla sweet cream inmediately!"

Dont worry about speed yet. You'll get it with practice. Focus on what's in front of you.

When making drinks, try to keep in mind the sequencing you went through with training but dont focus on it. When making two frappuccinos, make the first, put it in the blender, make the second, put it in the blender and take the first to the cup.

When emptying frappuccinos into the cup, always hold the cup and shake the blender side to side rather than straight into the cup or itll all come falling onto the counter.

Dont be afraid to ask to go get water or go to the bathroom when you need to. Everyone needs to.

Dont forget about dishes. Even one small load in between cycles during CS are so helpful!

Station restock doesnt mean restock fridges and inclusions, it means lids, cups, the actual restock station itself, sleeves, stoppers, straws, napkins, etc.


I know it's a lot but hopefully you can come back here in a couple months and say "I know all this already"! And dont worry, it took me a year to figure all these out so take your time!

(PS, we dont get paid enough to deal with insistent Karen's so *when* a Karen comes in and gives you shit, turn your brain on sleep mode and nod and "Uh huh" till they've rung themselves out.")

[deleted]