Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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am i in the wrong for making green bean remake drink?? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by BatWeary
i was a borrowed partner at a store today and towards the end of my shift, i was soloing dto. someone ordered a venti iced coconut milk latte, 2 extra shots. i was given a drink that was the color of an iced coffee with a teeny tiny splash of coconut milk — so very, very dark - almost black. even the customer at the window asked if it was a latte when i picked up the drink
i asked the green bean (roughly 2 weeks in from what she told me) if it was made as an iced coffee or cold brew by mistake and she immediately became defensive and justified the color bc it was a 5 shot. i’ve made many 5+ shot lattes and they’ve never looked like that, even with extra ice, but i didn’t want to hand it out bc it definitely didn’t look right. it’s also worth mentioning that she immediately started saying snarky comments about it to the other barista on bar, which i feel was super unnecessary. i hate asking for remakes but??? as a customer i wouldn’t have accepted that drink
i asked the green bean (roughly 2 weeks in from what she told me) if it was made as an iced coffee or cold brew by mistake and she immediately became defensive and justified the color bc it was a 5 shot. i’ve made many 5+ shot lattes and they’ve never looked like that, even with extra ice, but i didn’t want to hand it out bc it definitely didn’t look right. it’s also worth mentioning that she immediately started saying snarky comments about it to the other barista on bar, which i feel was super unnecessary. i hate asking for remakes but??? as a customer i wouldn’t have accepted that drink
Normal_Human_4567 102 points 1y ago
Sounds like
1) a little rat with a massive ego
2) green bean that messed up but was afraid to say so in case they got in trouble
3) the drink was genuinely correct and just looked weird on a fluke
Either way their reaction was still wrong, shouldn't be getting snippy over it
1) a little rat with a massive ego
2) green bean that messed up but was afraid to say so in case they got in trouble
3) the drink was genuinely correct and just looked weird on a fluke
Either way their reaction was still wrong, shouldn't be getting snippy over it
rio8envy7 44 points 1y ago
No. You’re not in the wrong
JHOOOOBI 30 points 1y ago
No you’re not wrong for asking for clarification and asking for a remake. It’s part of on the spot coaching. And we can’t learn if we aren’t being coached.
Kwasan 17 points 1y ago
Definitely not in the wrong. Even a shaken espresso won't look that dark.
JessicaAlice421 8 points 1y ago
I’ve been at sbux since July. I’ve work hot bar maybe an hour. Kinda jealous that barista is 3 weeks in and get to
BatWeary [OP] 12 points 1y ago
it took 3 months before i could even touch bar, and four more months before i was on bar without someone “training” me. i definitely feel cheated when i see all of the new people training their first week tbh
actualgabeitch 5 points 1y ago
I’m newish and got trained a tiny bit on bar, but then our store closed for like 2/3 weeks right after all my training was finished and I forgot a ton, so I’ve literally just been dto/dtw every single day bc there’s no time for me to practice making anything since we’re usually so busy
[deleted] 3 points 1y ago
Oh no, your stuck in training forever.
ScreechingEagle 2 points 1y ago
Fight your way up there and don't accept the 'we're too busy' argument.
I learned early on at my store that you had to assert yourself and demand bar training and bar practice time during rush if you wanted to get off POS within any acceptable time frame. I think I moved to majority main bar shifts as a trusted barista after 2½ months.
If it's always busy, then they can sure as hell plan in training you up and letting you loose, but no one else is going to demand that for you, so you need to get on it!
EDIT: Idk why I see this sentiment so often, but I'm thinking it's maybe because a loooot of baristas and green beans are just really young and not used to having to stand up for themselves and demand better from their bosses at work.
I get it, and I definitely wouldn't have been as assertive as I am at work when I was mid-late teens, but it's a good time to practice doing so if you fall into this category.
The thing is, most of your SSVs and certainly every SM, knows that corporate expects retail staff to receive adequate training through all of their positions early on in their tenure, and they know they're not supposed to just pigeonhole their workers into doing the exact same tasks every single day bc that's mind-numbing and a bad way to work for almost anyone.
So, keeping the pressure up, making sure to ask for training and then continuously following up until it happens the first time and then continuing to follow up if they don't keep up with it is a good habit to learn early on, and an essential one if career satisfaction is ever important to you.
To me, even just temporary, non-career-job satisfaction is extremely important, and I can't recommend it more!
It's part of an SM's responsibility to you as an employer and a manager. It's not near the *top* of their priorities, but it is an HR-related duty that they are capable of doing with the resources they have. It is something they are expected to do over time, so it's not like you don't have a leg to stand on or a basis on which to demand better training & more responsibilities with demonstrated competence.
/rant
I learned early on at my store that you had to assert yourself and demand bar training and bar practice time during rush if you wanted to get off POS within any acceptable time frame. I think I moved to majority main bar shifts as a trusted barista after 2½ months.
If it's always busy, then they can sure as hell plan in training you up and letting you loose, but no one else is going to demand that for you, so you need to get on it!
EDIT: Idk why I see this sentiment so often, but I'm thinking it's maybe because a loooot of baristas and green beans are just really young and not used to having to stand up for themselves and demand better from their bosses at work.
I get it, and I definitely wouldn't have been as assertive as I am at work when I was mid-late teens, but it's a good time to practice doing so if you fall into this category.
The thing is, most of your SSVs and certainly every SM, knows that corporate expects retail staff to receive adequate training through all of their positions early on in their tenure, and they know they're not supposed to just pigeonhole their workers into doing the exact same tasks every single day bc that's mind-numbing and a bad way to work for almost anyone.
So, keeping the pressure up, making sure to ask for training and then continuously following up until it happens the first time and then continuing to follow up if they don't keep up with it is a good habit to learn early on, and an essential one if career satisfaction is ever important to you.
To me, even just temporary, non-career-job satisfaction is extremely important, and I can't recommend it more!
It's part of an SM's responsibility to you as an employer and a manager. It's not near the *top* of their priorities, but it is an HR-related duty that they are capable of doing with the resources they have. It is something they are expected to do over time, so it's not like you don't have a leg to stand on or a basis on which to demand better training & more responsibilities with demonstrated competence.
/rant
actualgabeitch 1 points 1y ago
I will have to do that! I talked to my SSV the other day and she knows it’s an issue and definitely wanted to plan out time for me to practice/retrain while she’s there. The store’s situation is a little unique right now so I’ve been trying to give everything a little more time because I get why I haven’t had the opportunity yet. I’m a student so I work before my classes and on the weekends, and can’t work after classes bc our store is closed. Once we get an actual SM and more SSVs (how many is an avg number for a store??) maybe things will calm down a little more
YorkTownBratty 3 points 1y ago
I wasn’t allowed on bar for almost a year after I started lol. For a long time my store wanted people to be pros on bar after the first two weeks and if you still messed up occasionally they wouldn’t put you on it so you never got better.
[deleted] 2 points 1y ago
Honestly same, I leap of joy for any chance to be at bar. I love it.
spensyr 7 points 1y ago
They’re getting paid to do the job so they should be doing it correctly. You are in the right, I’d have done the same thing, and tried to label it as a teaching lesson. If they wanted to give attitude, I’d have a talk with them and then the SM just in case it escalates. Inappropriate and unprofessional on their part.
FfierceLaw 6 points 1y ago
That’s a feral green bean that got thrown to the wolves. No wonder they’re snarling, I’ll bet the atmosphere at that store is entirely unsupportive. Then you walk in and expect beverages built to standard and everyone to Assume Best Intent. You were not in the wrong
BatWeary [OP] 3 points 1y ago
i’ve worked at this store before and they’re actually really supportive. we had no orders on cafe/mobile, a cold bar and only 2 or 3 cars in DT so it was extremely slow. they just wanted her to get practice.
however, in the time i have been a borrowed partner at this store, drink quality isn’t a priority. when the SM isn’t around nobody makes drinks to standard (she’s aware of this but it’s difficult to coach when you are t there) so i feel like that could have something to do with it
however, in the time i have been a borrowed partner at this store, drink quality isn’t a priority. when the SM isn’t around nobody makes drinks to standard (she’s aware of this but it’s difficult to coach when you are t there) so i feel like that could have something to do with it
Pippy575 1 points 1y ago
I’d make anyone, green bean or not, remake that drink if it looked that wrong. Green beans don’t get special treatment because they’re new, aside from explaining what they did wrong and how to correct it for next time. Honestly if it wasn’t a green bean I’d also razz them about giving it to me looking like that when they should know better.
cxbar 1 points 1y ago
also, i’ve noticed new hires are the ones with snarky attitudes always saying unnecessary BS. like where did they all come from?
Roolita 1 points 1y ago
For real!! I try to help and tell them how to make a drink and they act like I told them their dog died
moon_light523 1 points 1y ago
I completely agree. we had a few green beans who would straight up blow you off if you coached them in any way.
then there’s the one who despite having someone train one on one with him for WEEKS knows nothing but says he knows everything. that’s a whole other story tho
then there’s the one who despite having someone train one on one with him for WEEKS knows nothing but says he knows everything. that’s a whole other story tho
cxbar 1 points 1y ago
if it’s so dark it could be mistaken as CB or Iced Coffee, it should definitely be remade. Even with 5 shots it would still be extremely light. you did everything right!
sero5074 1 points 1y ago
Green bean omg
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
I am a green bean, any chance I get on bar even to remake it cause I am extremely grateful. Lol thats just cause coffee is a passion. Yeah, they are afraid of being let go.
Brownbaristahh 1 points 1y ago
Maybe she didn’t shake the coconut milk???
darkwolf523 1 points 1y ago
Nah you’re not wrong. I get the same order sometimes and it never looked like cold brew or iced coffee.
awesomechief989 1 points 1y ago
If I had to guess they put 5 shots, extra ice to the top with coconut milk? I can’t think how to make a latte look black
rlogranite 0 points 1y ago
Just tell the 2 weeks in barista to shut the f__k up and remake the drink.
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