Stepping in while a bar partner is sequencing is annoying imo. If the partner is making two drinks at a time, they're doing what they should be doing.

You can always ask. At my store, I will say to my bar partner, "hey \_\_\_\_\_, is it okay if I finish this white mocha for you?" if I see them buried over on cold bev or something.

Otherwise, stepping in for a partner that is sequencing properly and following routine just feels unnecessary and pushy.

Make Starbucks create better production lines if drive times are a problem. Starbucks released products that now result in a drink requiring 2+ stations to complete. That's on them.

Let's note here how people don't bat an eye when Starbucks asks us to work 30% harder without 30% more pay, but if people asked for more pay for more work, they get ridiculed and called "entitled". I don't play that game.

tl;dr If the partner is already working hard, working on two drinks at a time, and sequencing don't rush them even more. That is all they are required to do.

It all depends on the barista. I HATE it when people finish drinks for me if they aren't on bar. Don't touch my bar without my permission unless you/the shift tell me you're on bar to help me. Otherwise, you mess up my flow, you get in my way, and you screw up my sequencing.

That being said, some people don't mind. Some people actually like it. Your best bet is to ASK of you can finish it or if they want your help. Sorry if this comes off as aggressive, it's just a conversation that I regularly have at my store

Don’t do it. Pisses me off and interrupts my flow

Definitely just ask. I personally hate it, if you ask first I’ll be okay with you finishing the drink. If you ask and I say yes, I know that the drink will no longer be there when I go to finish it while the frap is blending. However, if you just take it w/o asking me I’m going to be pissed because it throws me off my groove trying to figure out what happened to my stuff & takes me forever to get back into it. Also just goes without saying but if you do decide to just fusing the drink, at least look at the sticker. It’s already annoying enough you finished it without asking, but it’s 3x as annoying when you have the nerve to look at me all guilty like “sorrryuy i didn’t read the sticker plz don’t hate me but this was supposed to be oat milk & i used 2% 🥺👉👈”

i always give a shout and ask before i do it. almost 100% of the time they say yes

Don't do it unless you've had the conversation. I hate having my drinks finished but if someone asks me and I'm busy I'll be grateful. Likewise I have some partners I know I can help and others who don't like it so I'll respect what works best for them. I think it's just about knowing what works best for you team. I think the intent is good but like some others have posted, it can really throw off flow/sequencing.

Depends on the barista and situation, but I ALWAYS ask no matter what. I like it when people ask me if I need help because there are absolutely times where I do, and times where I don’t, and it’s irritating when I’m setting up for sequencing one drink and somebody comes and takes the sticker of a drink i was in the process of making or just takes the cup etc.

This is my ultimate pet peeve. The worst. I won't have any other tickets, and I'm under 50 second drive times, and my shift on dto still finishes my drinks. Annoying asf. The big take away is if you are going to do this COMMUNICATE WITH THE BAR PARTNER. I've made my next drink while my dto already made it without telling me and me noticing because I was in the zone and they didn't say anything. Don't be this partner please.

always ask before stepping in on someone elses bar! typically ill be like "hey do you want me to make/finish x drink" if theyre busy somewhere else, and if i have time i like to grab them the cold foam

I think it is completely situational, each barista feels differently about it and it’s something you kinda have to learn how people feel. My best friend and I work together and if we are on bar together we will even swap drinks based on who is closer to what needs to be done etc. but I don’t do that with other people because if you aren’t expecting it it can confuse and break pace for the bar partner

i think that depends on the person. at my store we were always severely understaffed (3-4 people during morning peak) and only 2-3 people per shift had enough knowledge to efficiently do bar, so i wouldn’t ever get upset if someone finished a drink for me, because we all kinda did enough work for two people in order to keep the store afloat.

I only do it if they are working multiple bars — like if they put in a frap on cold then step away to finish a latte on hot bar. And always communicate that i’m doing so. “Hey I’m going to finish this mccf for you, ok?” I never ever jump on a bar someone is already on and get in their way unless they have shots dying or something similarly time sensitive.

For sure people dont like their flow being interrupted and I used to be super particular about it my first few years too so I try keep in mind of if my “help” is *actually* helpful but on the other hand, you have to remember we are all on the same side and just trying to get drinks out quickly and efficiently. As long as you arent getting in the way (i have had baristas in the past literally standing shoulder to shoulder with me trying to work on a cup that is literally in my hand and that’s infuriating?), we’re all just trying to give customers a good experience.

And again, communication is the key here! If you think they need help, just ask them first :)

It depends on the sitch. Generally, I always ask if somebody wants me to finish a drink that’s been abandoned. That way, if they’ve got it, I won’t step on their toes and piss them off and if not, I can take care of it

This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I’m doing just fine, don’t just walk up to my bar and finish a drink. If it’s something like a cold brew or frappuccino and you’re like “hey, I can finish this for you” great! Love that. Just freaking communicate first

We've got one partner who is newer who will come from the window to come over and finish a latte while I'm pouring a frap. Sometimes she'll queue the next shots into the shot glass while she's there. But by the time I get back to bar they're dead shots and I have to pull them again anyway. It annoys me to no end when she does this. At my old store there was a priority on customer connections so window was expected to chat with the customer while waiting, but not at this store. Cold bar is right behind DT so I'm less annoyed when she finishes a cold bev for me but I just want to tell her to please not touch my bar

I always ask- but with my old team we were on a good enough level to just make each other’s cold foam or pull shots when we were busy. But! That was only after we’d worked together for months and established a good flow/were checking in the whole time. Basically, don’t do it without checking in. When it happens by surprise it throws off my whole rhythm and I struggle for a minute to get back into it.

Personally I wouldn't have had an issue with you doing that. Making frappes is annoying and if there are no other tickets, you're not interrupting sequencing in a meaningful way. Like sure, I'm not able to do the steps I had planned, but it's not "messing up my flow" because there no other drinks in line. If you don't have any other customer-focused tasks, you're respecting the customer's time by getting their drink out. And in this scenario, you'd have helped me clear my bar, which is nice bc then I can clean, help customers, restock, etc

In general though, no, I don't like when people finish a drink for me. Because usually they put it at the hand off while my back is turned making some other drink, and when I turn back around to finish it it's like it's disappeared into thin air. The confusion wastes my time and energy. Not to mention, it makes me paranoid that the drink isn't actually made correctly, because how do I know you know that I did or didn't put syrup or sugar into it already? Or what if I made a mistake but haven't had a chance to correct it? And now more ingredients are wasted and it's gonna take time to fix it, or maybe the customer picks up a drink made wrong and complains or is unhappy. Like. Too much potential for something to go wrong.


An easy fix is just quickly asking - "hey, can I finish this for you?" or "hey I know that customer's been waiting a couple minutes, I can finish this drink for you if you want. Does it already have the syrups/sugars in it?"

the only time I ever get mad about people touching my bar is when they don’t clean up after themselves. Like if you have no intention on cleaning the steam wand with you’re finishing the beverage or you don’t rinse the pitcher when you’re done DO NOT touch my bar. The most annoying thing is when I have to come back and clean up after you.

omg i was so confused i thought you meant they were drinking smth and u grabbed it and took a swig 😭

I think the best way to help while avoiding any drama is to just ask if you can finish the drink. That way they can tell you if they like haven’t added something yet or whatever too. I also have a lot of partners that ask me what my cooperative preferences are when joining me on bar haha.

Please ask! I don't mind but ask me! Make me aware of what you're doing so I'm not hunting for a drink I set down to finish later! And if you pull my stickers without making the drinks i will start crying on bar.

I personally find it annoying, not rude cuz I know they’re trying to be helpful lol.

I had to tell a fellow shift that if I start a drink
I can finish it lol if you’re ever worried it doesn’t hurt to ask!

I’m fine with it as long as I get a heads up, unless it’s a special regular’s drink that I wanna make myself for sentimental reasons. I know everyone has their own preferences tho so I ask before I take a drink to finish if I don’t know. Some people want it entirely hands off, some will be like “yes absolutely don’t even need to ask.”

I’ve now realized the majority of people hate it but back when I was a partner, I did it all the time because I thought I was helping. I was a 3 year long partner and I was very fast on bar, so finishing a drink would usually take me less then 5 seconds. I’m thinking back to all the people that probably took it the wrong way…

I think really just ask. I get the whole sequencing perspective but if they’re going to cold bar it’s really not that bad to finish their hot bar beverages. Especially for frappuccinos which are annoying to sequence with hot beverages. But some partners find it frustrating to have their sequence disrupted even when you mean well.

As an SSV I do what I gotta do but I won’t help on bar if it’s not worth my time..meaning if they don’t need support I won’t support but if i am walking by and it’s a simple drink like a latte I’ll finish it so they won’t have to worry about rushing before the shots die