Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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“All I can taste is cold brew” (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by AuntieRia1128
First of all I can not stand it when people get Any cold foam drink and then ask for a straw, but today the complete and utter cluelessness astounded me.
Girl comes inside after receiving her pumpkin cream cold brew through DT (I was on window and remember her mom insisting that they needed straws and me thinking, *what a waste of foam*) and walks up to my coworker at POS-
Girl “excuse me, all I can taste is cold brew, there is No pumpkin flavor at all.”
I glance over and see that it’s the same girl and that her straw is in the cold brew, but she hasn’t stirred it and the cold brew and foam are clearly still separated, because it was a really nice foam! I quietly mutter over the headset to my coworker *maybe if she wasn’t drinking it with a straw*…
Coworker (Being the gracious wonderful kind human that she is, and of course “making the moment right” Offers to remake it, obviously that’s what all of us would’ve done because that’s what Howard would expect…
However, when she hands it back to her, my coworker kindly “suggests” that maybe she sip it rather than use a straw, because then she would indeed get the full “pumpkin“ experience…
🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Girl comes inside after receiving her pumpkin cream cold brew through DT (I was on window and remember her mom insisting that they needed straws and me thinking, *what a waste of foam*) and walks up to my coworker at POS-
Girl “excuse me, all I can taste is cold brew, there is No pumpkin flavor at all.”
I glance over and see that it’s the same girl and that her straw is in the cold brew, but she hasn’t stirred it and the cold brew and foam are clearly still separated, because it was a really nice foam! I quietly mutter over the headset to my coworker *maybe if she wasn’t drinking it with a straw*…
Coworker (Being the gracious wonderful kind human that she is, and of course “making the moment right” Offers to remake it, obviously that’s what all of us would’ve done because that’s what Howard would expect…
However, when she hands it back to her, my coworker kindly “suggests” that maybe she sip it rather than use a straw, because then she would indeed get the full “pumpkin“ experience…
🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Responsible_Snow7109 67 points 10m ago
Lol happened at my store too like about 2 years ago during the height of the pandemic. This woman comes in and orders a grande salted caramel cream cold brew and she asks for a straw. She tries it and says to my shift supervisor that its not sweet enough and that its bitter. He said "oh its because the experience is meant to be sipped with the lid that has the wider opening so u get the foam and cold brew with each sip"
Edit: misspell fixed
Edit: misspell fixed
Necessary_Low939 53 points 10m ago
Starbucks customers are dumb thats why
elainafromthemoon 35 points 10m ago
to quote that one commercial permanently etched on my brain; “~look, look with your special eyes~”
jupiter_bug 15 points 10m ago
MY BRAND
groovydoll 4 points 10m ago
this was some prime marketing, also this made me laugh haha
No_Yogurt_4602 30 points 10m ago
Wild how much food waste it takes to coddle adults into drinking their coffee
Euphoric_Collar565 5 points 10m ago
Lol a real epidemic. Never even thought about that. I’m sure Starbucks has some sort of Karen insurance. Fucking hell
MoistSupreme_ 18 points 10m ago
THIS.
I once had an older woman order a hot caramel macchiato in the drive through. She sips and goes “oh, I can’t drink this *bleh*”. Being kind of jaded, I just immediately offer a remake.
She takes a sip of the new drink and makes the same reaction. She proceeds to rant to me about how I don’t even know how to make a macchiato (I’m on window so I didn’t make it?). But then she hits me with the haymaker.
“Do you know what the only thing that I taste when I sipped this is?”
In a moment of perhaps a bit of agitation and confusion, I reply “Uh. Espresso and caramel?”
Her eyes light up as if I just read her mind, which gradually fades as I explain to her that because that’s what on top, she probably didn’t take a big enough of a sip to taste and milk. She makes an embarrassed face and just drives off at that point.
It was surreal. Had she never ordered one before and expected a latte with a different name? Was she maybe just really tired and got confused? I don’t judge her or anything if either is the case, but boy do I still get confused when I think about this.
I once had an older woman order a hot caramel macchiato in the drive through. She sips and goes “oh, I can’t drink this *bleh*”. Being kind of jaded, I just immediately offer a remake.
She takes a sip of the new drink and makes the same reaction. She proceeds to rant to me about how I don’t even know how to make a macchiato (I’m on window so I didn’t make it?). But then she hits me with the haymaker.
“Do you know what the only thing that I taste when I sipped this is?”
In a moment of perhaps a bit of agitation and confusion, I reply “Uh. Espresso and caramel?”
Her eyes light up as if I just read her mind, which gradually fades as I explain to her that because that’s what on top, she probably didn’t take a big enough of a sip to taste and milk. She makes an embarrassed face and just drives off at that point.
It was surreal. Had she never ordered one before and expected a latte with a different name? Was she maybe just really tired and got confused? I don’t judge her or anything if either is the case, but boy do I still get confused when I think about this.
JustATrailsFan 13 points 10m ago
Greetings,
A lot of people do not realize why, in their original forms, there is an important difference between the experience of drink a vanilla sweet cream cold brew the pumpkin/chocolate variants. You get the "full experience" right away when drinking the vanilla cold brew because the sweet cream is unblended, allowing it to permeate the drink much more easily and naturally. The other cold brew variants require blending, so the foam ends up sitting on top, so it will be an unbalanced experience whether you use a straw or not (unless you stir it first). Not unlike a macchiato, I suppose.
I seriously wonder if any customer has visually realized the permeation difference between the cold brew drinks.
Cheers,
co is
A lot of people do not realize why, in their original forms, there is an important difference between the experience of drink a vanilla sweet cream cold brew the pumpkin/chocolate variants. You get the "full experience" right away when drinking the vanilla cold brew because the sweet cream is unblended, allowing it to permeate the drink much more easily and naturally. The other cold brew variants require blending, so the foam ends up sitting on top, so it will be an unbalanced experience whether you use a straw or not (unless you stir it first). Not unlike a macchiato, I suppose.
I seriously wonder if any customer has visually realized the permeation difference between the cold brew drinks.
Cheers,
co is
cinnamonmarigold 9 points 10m ago
Reminds me someone who wanted a crazy, layered drink. Something like kiwi refresher with 10 pumps raspberry and classic on the bottom with passion tea on top. I asked them if they wanted the passion tea sweet too. They said no. Because they were following a recipe from TikTok. Drank without a straw. Complained it was too bitter and couldn’t taste any sugar and accused me of not adding any 😂
smoolbeean 8 points 10m ago
i wouldnt have remade it i wouldve explained that the pumpkin is just in the foam and i would have offered to remake it if they asked if they could have it remade mixed or something. i feel like it was unnecessary to just go straight to remaking a drink that was perfectly fine
AuntieRia1128 [OP] 1 points 10m ago
I completely agree, but it was peak and my coworker probably just figured to go right to what she was asking for to get her out the door… she did explain that she would probably enjoy the experience better without a straw when she handed her the new drink, but the girl took a straw again anyway.
krym32zamoon 6 points 10m ago
I would not have remade a perfectly good drink, wasting time and product when you could have just first pointed out the reasons why the drink wasn't what she expected.
AuntieRia1128 [OP] 1 points 10m ago
I completely agree, but it was peak and my coworker probably just figured to go right to what she was asking for to get her out the door… she did explain that she would probably enjoy the experience better without a straw when she handed her the new drink, but the girl took a straw again anyway.
overripenectarine 2 points 10m ago
I like using a straw bc it helps me control what I’m drinking w specific sips
tevansalim 1 points 10m ago
why did they even remake it just tell her to sip the first one she got lol
AuntieRia1128 [OP] 1 points 10m ago
I completely agree, but it was peak and my coworker probably just figured to go right to what she was asking for to get her out the door… she did explain that she would probably enjoy the experience better without a straw when she handed her the new drink, but the girl took a straw again anyway. Chances are she would have still wanted a remake even if it was explained first… you know “the customer is always….” 🤦🏽♀️
[deleted] -9 points 10m ago
[deleted]
hphmaltacc 29 points 10m ago
I am one of those people with super sensitive teeth, and when you drink lots of things with a straw you know that you have to maneuver the straw or mix the drink for beverages with multiple components. That's how straws work. It's not judging a possible sensitivity, it's judging that this person doesn't understand straws.
Metsfan07 8 points 10m ago
Or we can stop making excuses for being that are dumb
peepeepoopaccount 7 points 10m ago
I don’t think they’re mad they drink with an straw, just this person clearly doesn’t understand how straws work lol
JustATrailsFan 2 points 10m ago
Greetings,
An important point to note here is that to get the foam flavor from the first sip, all it requires is some stirring, regardless of whether you use a straw or not (whatever teeth sensitivities you have).
Cheers,
co is
An important point to note here is that to get the foam flavor from the first sip, all it requires is some stirring, regardless of whether you use a straw or not (whatever teeth sensitivities you have).
Cheers,
co is
borrowedurmumsvcard 2 points 10m ago
then they shouldn’t be getting cold foam drinks and complaining that they can’t taste the cold foam
albinopigsfromspace -3 points 10m ago
I like to mix the foam in with a straw
PunishedTitan 1 points 10m ago
Why not just ask for light vanilla sweet cream. It’s so much time wasted to provide an experience to be wasted
albinopigsfromspace 2 points 10m ago
Usually for the flavored foams and its a completely different texture. im a barista, I usually just make it myself but giving an explanation for why people might do this.
PunishedTitan 2 points 10m ago
I mean I have been for nearly 7 years now, but it is such a mind grueling task just to see someone take a straw to it
albinopigsfromspace 2 points 10m ago
I dont fully stir it i just kinda push some downward into the drink without fully incorporating it. I guess mix probably isnt the right word. I also prefer cafe con panna with the whip at the bottom. Maybe im just weird
[deleted] -11 points 10m ago
[deleted]
Loose_Bumblebee 7 points 10m ago
how is that ableist…? just curious
lauroboro57 -1 points 10m ago
Dyspagia among other muscular issues that interfere with drinking and swallowing
Toughboyedit 5 points 10m ago
That has nothing to do with the fact the pumpkin aspect is on top of the cold brew and drinking with a straw sips from the bottom
Artistic-Bit-7584 3 points 10m ago
You can request a different type of lid (ie. I want a salted caramel cold foam cold brew with a regular lid) plenty of my customers do.
shes-got-issues 1 points 10m ago
You’re a lab scientist, not a barista, so I don’t think you fully understand what the issue is. OP isn’t trashing anyone for using a straw. OP is wondering why the customer didn’t sip through the lid _or properly mix (with a straw) the cold brew with the foam so that the customer could taste all the flavors at once._
Sorry if this sounds condescending, but trust me, you don’t know the full picture :)
**EDIT: as for OP’s “_what a waste of foam_” — it’s a waste of foam because the whole point of the foam is that you can drink the thick foam and the liquidy drink at the same time and get that experience of the two different textures and flavors. If you’d prefer to have the foam and drink mixed together, you may as well order the drink with sweet cream instead of sweet cream cold foam (same flavor, different texture). From a barista point of view, making foam is a bit of a pain, so it’s a little disappointing when customers don’t drink the foam “properly” because it means we wasted time blending the sweet cream into foam.**
Sorry if this sounds condescending, but trust me, you don’t know the full picture :)
**EDIT: as for OP’s “_what a waste of foam_” — it’s a waste of foam because the whole point of the foam is that you can drink the thick foam and the liquidy drink at the same time and get that experience of the two different textures and flavors. If you’d prefer to have the foam and drink mixed together, you may as well order the drink with sweet cream instead of sweet cream cold foam (same flavor, different texture). From a barista point of view, making foam is a bit of a pain, so it’s a little disappointing when customers don’t drink the foam “properly” because it means we wasted time blending the sweet cream into foam.**
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