This is definitely not every store. Maybe it's *supposed* to be, but a good manager knows better. At my store we're allowed to make our own drinks and get our own food for our breaks, or we ask the person on warming to get it.

Especially with the timing of your half it sounds like you just have a shitty manager and/or bad staffing.

We aren't allowed to show frustration

We aren't allowed to say things like "sorry we're short staffed or behind today

It's dehumanizing for sure

I got lectured at twice yesterday once for telling a customer "I'm sorry for your wait it turns out my headset shut off"

And once because I was stressed out doing both sides of the bar alone and the sticker machine kept jamming and I said "ugh I don't have time for this machine not to be working right now" apparently the "outburst" was "inappropriate"

Call ethics. This shouldn’t be a normal thing. The not being allowed to make your own food or drink thing *IS* technically Starbucks policy, so I don’t know how much help they would be for that. Not every store follows that rule anyway, but you could definitely mention how your breaks aren’t being run correctly and tell them that you aren’t ALLOWED food or water.

My store allow us the make drinks and warm food in our down time or whenever we are not busy, and that's why there's the "don't make" option on the POS

Just so you know 10 minutes breaks are not meal breaks according to policy, they’re rest breaks. If you do take this to PRSC the only thing you’re likely to get resolved would be the timing of your breaks. Everything else falls under corporate policy!

We have a new manager that is trying to enforce this and as a SSV I am drawing a line and saying no. I take care of my partners first.