Just take a breath first, it’s okay to mess up. We’ve all done it, you’re not a bad green bean.

If you’re having trouble understanding people say something like “oh the speaker cut out” and they may be a little gracious as well as repeating the drink back wrong intentionally so they correct you.

Working DTO and DTW is overwhelming and people who’ve been working at Starbucks for years might need a second set of ears and hands to take over if window starts getting busy.

Don’t stress and remember, it’s okay to mess up, everyone has been there. People are there to teach you and if they act annoyed, it says more about them than about you. You’re new, just remember that.

What is it that you're struggling with specifically? I know for me, I had a lot of issues understanding what customers were saying and that made me super anxious but my most recent trainee had no issue with it at all. She struggled mostly with finding where everything was on the POS. I'll try to offer any advice I can if you have any specific questions or issues.

That’s sucks they put you on it during a holiday 💀 rest assured it’ll only go up from here! The best advice i have for new partners on DT is to always communicate with the customer. If you don’t understand them or can’t hear them, ask them to repeat themselves. No shame in that, I still do. Also, repeat the order back to them as you type it in, that way the customers knows you working on typing it and not just standing there dead silent. I always tell people that the customers can’t see you thru the box, so over exaggerate the order. Literally repeat everything. Fill the dead air with “awesome…” or “alright….” just so they know you’re still there. Be patient with yourself. Time spent at the box is not important. It’s time spent at the window that matters in the grand scheme of things, and hopefully they gave you a window person during peak! Good luck and be patient with yourself. Also, use the excuse that you’re training. I told customers “thank you for being patient, I’m still training” for a good 6 months. You got this! 👍

It's okay to be stressed out and overwhelmed. And a piece of advice is you can always tell the customer to hold on a second if you're finishing putting in the previous order or if you just need a second to find something.

You can lie and say you have to check and see if you have say...sausage and cheddar when they ask for one even if you know you have it just so you can finish typing that in.

I often end up saying "give me one sec to check and make sure we have that for you" about stuff I know we have just to buy myself time.

If you're confused it's okay to ask for help. If someone snaps at you (customer or employee) that's not on you that's on them.

Also feel free to tell customers if they being mean to you that it's your first day. (Unless they know who you are somehow then you can always say that it's your first day out of training)

It'll get easier with time as you get more used to it. And don't feel like since you're out of training that you can't still ask your trainer questions. We're there as a resource to you not just when you're training but after that too!

Don't feel bad for being stressed out or crying. We've all been there. I cried the first time I was on DTO and window. You did it and it was hard and scary and confusing but its gonna get better. You got this!

what helped me a lot a lot a lot is listening to the main part of the drink first

“venti iced skinny vanilla latte”

me : *repeats order back in tone of i am looking for buttons bc i am*
my brain: ok default page got venti iced, latte- okay she’s got espresso *search for espresso tab*
skinny -okay non fat on left bc they changing it up! but you said skinny VANILLA we have that ok sf vanilla
*next drink !*

so if they mention a latte, mocha, cappucino, flat whites —- look for espresso tab

if you ever need to customize size, iced/hot, milks, syrups, toppings — look along the side it’s there to make guidance easier

as well as my biggest piece of advice for this position is straight up: fake it till you make it

i went in one day and was like you know what i’m gonna fucking rock it and i’ve done pretty good since

As a former Green bean I came to a point where i wanted to not feel like a burden. And to do that I strengthened my strengths. Be extremely good at minor positions (CS/SUPPORT, DTO,POS) with POS( since I was most scared of DTO for the same reasons you are) I made sure to study POS in my downtime on Support or when Cafe was dead. The rest was just breathing and making sure to repeat(which you most likely know) their order with each drink. Force them to slow down, repeat after each item, "give me just a second/let me see if we have that in stock/ .....okay you would like a..." your way through DTO. NGL when I was newer I would get anxiety just walking Into my store until I trusted I knew what I was doing.

As for bar, whenever you are free and are motivated to do so, search for 'starbucks study/batista study/coffee study' on the blue flashcard(forgot name) website/app. This helped me soooo much for me to be comfortable on both cold and hot bat. And ask your coworkers (when it's slower) to clarify somethings, or what they used in that flat white, or how many pumps in the iced shaken espresso, take it slow because that short training eriod will not prepare you,it's just the start. Don't be afraid to ask if you are unsure_/don't know. I know you know but they're your team/family so they need to help you do your family responsibility in getting the people their correct coffee order.- you need to show that you interviewed for starbucks for a reason not to just get fired.

i thank the lord every day my district doesn’t have any drive thru stores

Coming from an ASM, don’t be afraid to ask questions! Also part of creating that Starbucks experience for your customers you can be completely genuine! I can’t tell you how many times I day I said “I’m so sorry I’m new and I’m just trying to find the button” and let out a little giggle. No not everyone will be 100% understanding but just voice how you’re feeling to your team and be honest with the customers! We’re all human!! (I hope)

usually i tell the customer I’m new so i may be a little slower and they seem to be nicer about it!

I will be forever grateful that I have amazing partners who would jump in and repeat stuff back to the customer while I fumbled for buttons or bounce over when they could tell I couldn't find a button. I would study the register every moment I had downtime to help learn where things were since that's where most of my fumbling was - trying to get on the right screen. The ability to listen and move around will come, it isn't instant.


I also had no issues telling someone the white lie of I couldn't quite hear you can you speak up to have them repeat things. Also, sometimes just letting them know you are new and didn't catch something could they check the screen works too. Most people get that we are human.

You're not doing a bad job, the amount of pressure they put on you at DTO/DTW is insane. I worked at Starbucks for five years, and in my very last week there with that much experience I still had a panic attack from overwhelm.

It's not you. They expect you to go too fast.

dont be afraid to ask people to repeat themselves! sometimes theyre quiet, sometimes you're finding a button, sometimes they word-vomit out a six-mod order and you can't keep up. if they go, "hi, can i get a shaken espresso with 2 pumps white mocha and 4 pumps toffee nut, with vsccf and extra caramel drizzle, and can you also-" tell them to slow down. "so, hold on, you want an iced shaken espresso, what size?" you have the control in that exchange, dont be afraid to have them slow down, ask your coworkers for help over the headset if you need to if you cant find a button or something. as long as you remain polite, most customers are alright with repeating/clarifying orders. good luck!

my first time on drive thru consisted of getting yelled at and having a mental breakdown, but you’ll get used to it. this is the first job i’ve worked where there’s been a drive thru so it was EXTREMELY stressful

i usually turn the headset up all the way! im also very apologetic if i didnt hear them and will just say “i’m so sorry could you please repeat that for me?” or blame it on the speakers and say we can’t hear them very well. they usually never seem to mind! also letting them know you’re still training more often than not will make them a lot more understanding

Starbucks drive-thru standards are higher than other drive-thrus and so the stress is higher too. It’s not bad, it’s just different. So don’t beat yourself up over being in a difficult position on a crazy day! Look for the little things you remember with each shift and see each as a success and sign that you’re growing in this company. ❤️ You got this!!

I honestly came from a desk job at a well-known, billion dollar company to come and be a barista/shift supervisor because the benefits at Starbucks are better than with my previous employer. I feel like an idiot most times because I know so little about Starbucks and all the blasted drinks (I’ve been there 5 or 6 weeks). But the store managers I’ve worked with, and especially the one I’m working with now, all love how I’m asking so many questions because it shows that I want to know the answers and I care about being at this company.

It’s hard! We’ve all been there. But it is worth it. And we’re here for you!❤️🤗

Okay take a deep breath. i struggled with dto at first too but don’t stress it’ll make it worse. Ask the customers to repeat orders(in a nice way of course) and just try to take it at your own pace. even if there is a big rush

I used to have anxiety attacks at DTO, now it's my fav position and where my store loves me to be. Don't be afraid to just speak slowly, ask them to repeat themselves if you need to (I ask them multiple times sometimes and say there's traffic or a technical issue). If you need a breath, just ask them to wait a sec while you double check the store still has whatever they're asking for.

I always make sure to ask if they want anything to eat first, to give whoever is on ovens (or me sometimes if I have to get my own food) time to get things started. I am constantly telling customers to hold on for me to check in the back if we have something. Stalling at the order box helps bring the window times down too, which my store is unfortunately obsessed with.

And if you don't know what they're ordering, just ask! I definitely had to ask the first time someone ordered a red eye or a dirty chai.

Just know you're always going to have people be rude or impatient. And just know that you're doing a good job regardless of those people.

It's all about communication with your team and customers when you're doing solo DTO. Eventually, you'll be able to multitask taking an order and handing stuff out the window but never be afraid to just say "I'll be right with you." And then taking care of a customer at the window.

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