so CS is one of my favorite positions because I love making sure that my team is set up for success - here's how I do it (though your store should have CS cards set up somewhere for you to reference as a general rule of thumb):

1. check coffees every time you're on the floor - I don't wear the CS timer because it makes me go crazy, every time I'm in the front, I'll check the coffees, even if I checked it less than 5 minutes before. try to remember the order in which you brewed so you always have an idea of what's the oldest brew on the floor at any given time. also pay attention (or ask) register/dto what they're selling the most of at a given time (at my store, it's usually pike or dark, so I prep whatever they say is going quickly)
2. CHECK MILKS (edit: + ice buckets) - bar baristas are constantly going through oatmilk & 2% at my store, so I always check in to see where the fridges are at at any given time
3. trash behind the bar - bar, oven, and brewer trash fill up QUICKLY (the trash beneath our brewer gets heavy very quickly, so I usually focus brews, bar, oven trashses)
4. dishes - check on what dishes may need to be done, if your store has a dishwasher, this step may take less time than if your store doesn't have a dishwasher. it might be time to refill the sinks with new wash/sanitizer; the sanitizer behind the bar lasts 2 hours, check the timer as well as how disgusting the sanitizer bins on bar are and refresh if/as needed.
5. restock essentials - ESSENTIALS ONLY - my store usually assigns someone as a restock person, so I don't concern myself with a heavy restock, but if inclusions are running low I'll make sure to stock them on some of those as well as any syrups, toppings, or whips/sweet creams if necessary
6. lobby sweep - if you have an open cafe, I make sure to check the trashes in the cafe as well as make sure that the customer-facing part of the store doesn't look like shit
7. check coffees again lol (at this point it for me it's been about 15 minutes, i check on hot coffee and brew what's needed)
8. check the bathrooms (I'm bad at this tbh), make sure the bathroom is clean, wipe down any general messes, restock toilet paper, soap, and seat covers as necessary & check the trash
9. check with your shift for any extra tasks if you're finished with any other tasks and still have time before needing to restart any of these steps

again, CS is one of my favorite positions, and i tend to be very fast (through time & practice), so i end up doing extra stuff that my shift or SM needs, if you run out of stuff to do it's always helpful to organize the back or get started on EOD cleanup

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edit: my cat somehow posted this before I was done revising/editing, please forgive any typos, I'm a little tipsy atm LOL

1. Wear the timer.
2. Throw a load of dishes in the washer.
3. Run up front and check the trash, milks, ice, sleeves, beans, lids and cups.
4. Check lobby and bathroom.
When’s he timer goes off, repeat. In general, at busy stores you probably will end up getting out of order due to the floor running out of random things you didn’t think of especially when your first learning. As you get better, try to make production right after cleaning the dishes, that’s what I do, a load of dishes, some prep, then run and check the floor. At my store the inside is usually dead due to the drive thru and mobile, so the register person beats me to the coffee.

I don't really like CS, so I always manage to get overwhelmed too, something I've taken note of though:

• You don't have to do everything at once! If someone asks for a trash change, you don't have to change ALL the fill trashes of you're really busy. Or, if they need ice, it's okay to get a bucket or two instead of focusing on filling it up all the way.

• (This can work if you're on CS alone) When you get the chance, empty out the coffee filters and grounds and premake a batch of ground coffee ready to go at the click of the button. Really helpful.

• Don't be afraid to ask for help! If someone position is slow (DTO is a great one for this) you can ask them to get simple things done, like changing trash or checking fridges.

• Use a timer for changing out coffee

• Make a habit of checking fridges and make a mental OR physical list of the milks you will need soon. This way you save yourself time and can work on other things while marking off the list when you get the chance, instead of rushing it all in that one moment


Just remember you don't have to do everything 100%! That's what I struggle with on CS and have to tell myself to stay sane lol