you’re being “the other starbucks” if you don’t charge them for a latte. my first day I was trained to not let them get away with this and to charge as a latte.

it’s a latte. just tell them you’re required to ring them in for a latte to account for inventory and if they’re mad, apologize for the frustration and say it’s policy.

Try your best to inform the customer that it is a latte in a way that explains to them the difference. Some customers may not understand what exactly a latte is and would appreciate this information. Unfortunately, there are many that do know the difference that will try to cheat the system. My store has a woman who comes every single day who orders a doppio espresso with “extra steamed sweet cream” all of the way to the top of a venti cup. When we tried to explain to her that it is a latte made with sweet cream, she got extremely upset and corporate got involved. Now, she gets it for free every day 🙄 be gently and understanding, but inform your manager if they are persistent to avoid any direct backlash.

latte latte latte. you cost yourselves labor by ringing it in incorrectly, as a doppio/triple, which is just going to make the effects of your hours shortages worse since your sales will drop. The customer knows what they’re doing is incorrect, and they’re preying on your fear of being scolded.

Tell them that you can only give them as much milk as can come complimentary otherwise you’ll have to charge them for a latte, and if they bitch, just smile real big, pack that shit up with ice and put a splash of milk and decaf shots in there.

Charge for a latte and explain that you can only give 4oz of milk for free. So if they don’t want to pay latte price, you are unable to fill it to the top

when they ask for shit like that i load it with ice so it’s not nearly as much milk as a latte

Nah I’ll measure the milk in front of them up to 4 ounces and tell them if they want more they can pay for a latte.

we need a different button from "add dairy" or an add-on that says "extra dairy -fill drink" type so it'll charge accordingly.

Idgaf, idk why it bothers me I know it shouldn’t but you’re getting charged a latte.

If they wanted filled up all the way then they have to buy a latte. When they are doing the just doppio and syrup they are ONLY paying for the ESPRESSO and SYRUP, not the amount of milk. If they buy the latte they are paying for the milk and are aloud the designated fluid oz

I give them a half empty cup and if they complain I tell them to order a latte

Use the milk from the left side of the POS aka the charged side. For non-upcharged milks, there is an "add dairy button." Idk. I agree but my manager told us to pack it up with ice and leave room and use our better judgement. So IRDFK

Our SM also told us this, to tell them that if they want all that milk they’ll have to be charged as a latte. We have a regular who orders a hot tea in a larger cup with steamed milk filling the space and extra cold milk ots, like, every day. First day we told her about the policy, she bitched us all out, called us liars, sat at the window for 12 minutes while we remade the drink twice, one of which she poured out between the car and window, then came inside and kept bitching while it was remade again.

She’s still a regular and my SM just stopped enforcing it with anyone. Apparently upper management is *very serious about their policies* until exactly one elder child pees their pants about it.

But really, if they want to bitch about it, I’ll actually be happy to get the SM if he’s there. It’s in the handbook that you cannot be required to do anything that you feel unsafe doing, and maybe, depending on the situation, now that customer’s tone/language/actions makes me feel unsafe, so if *they* want to kiss their ass for zero reason, they can leave me out of it.

Make the moment right, and the LATTE model, and all that, of course, 100%. But personally I think *we* should be deciding where the line is for us and when it’s been crossed. Maybe the “other Starbucks” will do it or my manager will, and that does suck for us, but don’t come back tomorrow expecting *me* to bend over for your cup of milk.

At the great risk of being downvoted into oblivion here, but unfortunately the “doppio with milk to the top” orders are allowed under the make the moment right policy, we had a terrible customer ages ago at my first store that would buy a tall frap and then add ingredients to make it a venti, and she would get pissssssed and scream and call corporate, long story short, the official stance on this is to never correct the customers order and to input it as they order it. I will say the way I got over it bothering me is just repeating the mantra that it isn’t coming out of my paycheck and if the company wants to coddle it’s customer base then I guess that’s what it is? 😂

yeah we don’t do this at our store. i hit em with the “i can give you 3/4 inches of milk but if you want any more than that then i have to charge you for a latte”. usually 3/4” of milk and ice to the top fills the cup up anyways so they wont notice

I measure the milk to the bottom line usually it’s about a 1/2in ish

I just started but they told me if someone orders that they only get like an inch of milk

Some customers genuinely want shots of espresso with 1/2” of milk and sugar, and charging them for a latte isn’t fair for them. But the people who complain the cup is only half full and want milk all the way to the top should be charged for a latte.

What the customer is doing, is trying to take advantage of naive baristas. It’s low key stealing. What I do, is I give them as much milk as I can for free (which is 4oz, or an espresso shot glass) and then extra ice to bring it to the top. If they complain tell them what a latte is and remind them how much a latte costs. That’s the bottom line. I think my biggest pet peeve is when one of those regulars who knows the policy comes in and will try their luck with different baristas trying to get the drink for cheap. Fuck them custies.

So if someone at our store does this we just don't fill the cup up all the way and if they argue we tell them they didn't order a latte

When people try to order those at my store we tell the we don’t fill up the espressos to the top. So if that ok we let them order it or we charge them for a latte. And if people think they are sneaky and mobile order it then we don’t fill it up all the way.

I tell them if "youd like i could ring you up for the difference for a latte instead if you REALLY want me to fill it to the top" they always say no and leave

Let them know we are only allowed to give 4oz of milk for free. Then we charge for a latte.

Charge for a latte or cram it full of ice so you only get 4oz of milk. Light ice milk to the top is 100% a latte.

Anything over 4 oz of milk is a charge inform them that next time it needs to be properly rung up for inventory reasons and send them on their way

Fill to top with ice and swirl. Add more ice, tap on counter to settle. Add more ice if possible. Add additional ice. Then yea I will fill it to the top.

I typically just make this drink exactly as ordered so basically I add the tiniest amount of milk possible just at the top over the ice

I give them the amount of milk requested on the sticker, always. I make orders as it reads, if they want a latte they can order a latte

Any milk amount over 4 ounces that's not in a hot or iced coffee/cold brew, or if it's steamed, is going to be charged accordingly. Our store charges for lattes, custom tea lattes, etc. Doing otherwise is effecting your labor numbers.

i just put in a fuck ton of ice

Hmm if your adding ice all the way to the top then at the very least you should be using the add dairy button as they are getting more then 4oz of milk

I’ve been taught that if it’s more than 4 ounces of milk, you have to charge it for a latte. So basically if they order it that way I give them less than 4 ounces of milk and if they want more I told him they have to order a latte.

Just like everyone else in the comments, I make sure to charge for a latte or make the drink with room in the cup accordingly. It’s weird to me bc I didn’t have this problem back in 2018 when I was originally hired. I worked til 2020 and left for a couple years and came back earlier this year and see this all the time. I’ll never forget my sm arguing with a customer about the latte price difference at the window lol.

Also if they mobile order it I make sure to leave room as well. I’ve had some people question it but for the most part they understand how it goes.

See for me personally I don’t really care if a customer essentially gets a latte for cheaper, but since I do follow standard if they order extra milk they still only get like 3/4 a latte or a really icy one. Which is still pretty good tbh and most don’t complain…. But when they are rude I’m just like 😵‍💫 you ordered an expresso not a latte

In college I was guilty of this, a starbucks employee actually told me to order it this way bc it was so much cheaper. That's when the creamer was on the customer bar so we had an iced venti vanilla breve latte for 3 bucks (iced vanilla dry Americano was cheaper than a quad esp). I continued to order like this mostly bc then I was able to tip $2.50+ instead of .50-$1 .

It depends on if u want to spend the bulk of ur day arguing with customers about the amount of milk we give out .... we used to do it to the letter of the rule... now we don't want to deal with the hassle... cause it's just over charged milk