don't be afraid to ask questions! don't feel bad if you make a mistake or have trouble remembering everything at first, we've all been there and even baristas who've been there for years will mess up drinks from time to time! you'll be great!

Seriously. Ask so many questions. It’s the one thing I tell all new partners.

i just recently hit the 1 year mark of being a partner. i knew nothing about coffee, had no faith in myself, and sucked for a long time. people will tell you it clicks around the 3 month mark, and they’re absolutely right. you’ll be making a drink and realize you didn’t have to think about it, and then it becomes muscle memory instead of thinking “ok pour to first line.. 2 shots in a grande… etc”. i am now (humbly) one of the best bar partners at my store. it gets better & easier and i love my job!

Don't be afraid to make yourself a cheat sheet index card to keep in your apron until you memorize the syrup/espresso/etc ratios. (Be sure to water-test the pen ink you use since it's very likely your apron will get wet and smudge your notecard).

If you start feeling overwhelmed, don't be afraid to ask for a helping hand or a second to breath. No one expects you to get a hang of it 100% right off the bat and no one will fault you for it, it's better to take a break than to let other baristas waste time making a drink that was punched in wrong. Slow and accurate is better than fast and full of mistakes.

Don't feel obligated to put up with customers who swear at/belittle you. Being a punching bag is not in your job description. You are all within your right to stop serving that customer and ask for a supervisor's/manager's assistance if a customer is harassing you.

During downtime, it's a good idea to look over the button layout on the ordering screen and try to memorize where key common items are for quick access (caramel macchiatos, refreshers, etc).


If you work in a small store- DO NOT STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WALKWAYS ESPECIALLY DURING PEAK. Be mindful that people are going to be walking back and forth, \*\*stand on one side or the other and be aware of your surroundings if you're just chatting/idling.\*\* I don't care too much if people are chatting or being ""lazy"" but I get so annoyed with people stand in the middle of the walkway with both hands on their hips, elbows jutting out and absent mindedly in my way when I'm trying to quickly get something to bar or running food for ovens.

When it comes to recipes, EVERYONE forgets them. There's so many things to remember that they all mix into one jumble of numbers and quantities. Don't be afraid to ask or look up what goes in a drink. I have partners who have worked at my store for yeeaaarrrs and we still bounce recipes between each other or look them up. Eventually you'll get the hang of it. Soon tenured partners will be asking you what goes in something lol

It’s a great place to work, be honest with yourself and others about how you are feeling and let them know when you have questions or if you get overwhelmed.

Lots of really great advice here, so I'll just add - don't forget to put the lid on your blender. Oof, that was embarrassing. My trainer felt terrible she didn't catch it, and assured me over and over that she did the same when she started, but it didn't help 😂 Hindsight, it was such a non-issue. Like I just laugh about it now, and if I saw someone else do it I'd probably do the exact same as my trainer.

The Latte is the blueprint for almost every hot drink.

Mocha/WM is just a latte with M/WM Pumps, Americano is a latte with hot water instead of steamed milk, Cappuccino is just a latte with more foam (steam milk longer), etc. Just ask questions and remember 1 1 2 2 :)

the starbucks app and the POS are good resources if you forget drink recipes. they tell you the amount of shots, pumps of syrup, toppings, etc. it helped me learn the recipes a lot quicker

Take notes, try your best, practice, fail, try again, take it seriously but also remind yourself that it’s just coffee and it’s not the end of the world if you make a mistake as long as you’re actually putting forth an actual effort.

I came to Starbucks with over a decade in the service industry, and my first month-ish I thought to myself, "there's no way I can remember all this." So if you catch yourself thinking along those lines, just know that that's normal, and you'll absolutely get it.

Along with the other comments, absolutely ask questions. Even if you know you've asked a question before, ask it again.

Good luck and have fun! A lot of the parts of the job are fun.

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