If you’re using two bars, you’re not in proper sequence to standard. That being said if it’s peak you should absolutely have a whole extra partner manning cafe bar while you handle drive bar

If the partner is newer at the bar, I will recommend they only use one machine to keep them organized. If the partner is experienced on bar, I leave that to their discretion. Personally, I use one for hot drinks and the other for iced. So I'm making at least 2 drinks at once, but it's very systematic.

I’m not sure if it’s actually a written rule, but I think making sure one person isn’t spread between two machines is to fit ✨standard✨

imo it’s micromanaging, not everyone needs to follow a rule just because some people wouldn’t be able to handle it. I had an old sm tell me to stop using both machines, but if I’m solo bar you’re gonna have to pry the other machine from my cold dead hands

If i’m soloing and doing drive + cafe i’ll use both bars. In my case it makes things easier because I can multitask and keep both bars moving and sequence on both w/o shots dying or drinks being forgotten.

For newer people, or people that can’t focus equally on both I’d say they should stick to sequencing on one machine, it’s totally up to manager discretion and you should always ask and be in standard, that being said, I have no idea if using 2 bars at once is allowed in the books lol.

There’s no perfect way to do anything, and my managers have never told me not to use both bars, we gotta go at a pace that works for us and keeps lines a-moving, especially with labor cuts.

Stay safe and sane out there baristas, godspeed.

I see other partners using 2 machines and It’s pretty rare that its faster than properly sequencing one machine and it probably just makes it more chaotic. That being said your manager is trippin for being stern instead of understanding but mine is like that too

One machine is standard. If Starbucks doesn't expect you to go faster than 2 drinks at a time why are you? You don't get commission.

do you only have one person barring during peak? my store has 2 machines and one is drive bar and the other is cafe/mobile bar. each one has a planted partner during peak

lmfaoo thats some bullshit - either you get yelled at by the manager for using both espresso machines, or you get yelled at by the customers AND your manager for bar getting super backed up and delayed during rush🙄

fuck that - i’m using both machines in that situation. if it’s not affecting the quality of the drinks i’m making, it shouldn’t matter.

In this situation, take your time and just make drinks in proper sequence, which is apparently your SM preference and priority. They won’t staff you? You don’t make any more per hour running around and making drinks as fast as you can!

Ignore the line around the store, in the cafe, and at the mobile handoff plane. Take your time, enjoy your day, and direct complaints to your SM who could staff you, but chooses not to because they are trying to make their quarterly bonus.

My manager has said the same thing. I’m assuming it’s a weird rule that almost nobody follows. But the fact that two managers are saying the same bizarre thing, I imagine it’s an actual Starbucks standard. It’s dumb though.

I also don’t like how she tells me it’s “faster” to use one bar. Yes you read that right. Like ummm I get the sequencing things and you don’t wanna fall out of sequence…. But faster? I can literally have two drinks being made at the same time lol.

Idk, but when I solo bar, only ever use one steam wand but usually have another going just for Americanos/extra shots

Okay, but when someone orders 8 shots of espresso, I'm using the other machine and no one can stop me.

You can sequence with two machines. This was part of the original sequence training in café stores or stores where two machines are side by side. Borrowed partners trained where the machines are not side by side where not aware. Not saying the training wasn't there but there would be no reason to learn

Yea it’s a rule

My manager told me the same thing today!

We just got new bars so we used to do two bars if a customer ordered decaf or blond but now with new bars we use one

I have been told to only use the second machine when I'm on bar 1 for pulling shots. No steaming milk.


So I will use the other machine in my sequencing to pull shots for plain espresso shots, Americanos, and iced latte type drinks.

yeah it’s all fine until you have a 8 shot americano in drive through

Personally during peak if I was solo barring I’d use both machines. It’s against standard for sequencing but more me having 4-6 drinks in sequence helped me get things out faster. I am very thorough and don’t forget about drinks but that’s not smth I would assume every barista is equipped for especially if you’re not seasoned or not particularly good at multi tasking. Using two bars becomes difficult if there are two bar partners or somebody flexing on, because it can be confusing as to which drinks came out first. But irrc you can use both bars for shots but only one for steaming if going by the sbux rules. This is coming from someone who left the company a little over a year tho so if there’s been changes since then I could be wrong. Sorry u have such difficult labour cuts rn.

I wished I had two machines **sits in jealousy**

I only ever use a second machine to pull excess shots. Nothing else or else i get lost and it slows me down. venti iced americanos / shaken espressos however….

i mean during peak, it is one partner to an espresso bar if there’s two of them, ig if they were trying to decrease the amount of drinks that they had from their bar they could just ask the other partner to take some of their drinks

standard is one partner on one bar, two drinks being made at the same time- leapfrogging the major stopping points of the ole better beverage routine.

i cannot tell you the amount of times i've had to step in and finish long forgotten drinks that are tanking our drivetimes (which puts me under scrutiny, mind you), nor the times my bar partner is deep in the weeds (but not asking for help) but i can't properly help them because the second bar is ... you guessed it, in use, probably with a forgotten drink. i can't help you properly if your stations are fucked. you need to keep them clean, keep them clear, and keep them ready.

the only time i would say anyone other than an octopus or a true bar hero needs the second bar is if drive bar is dead or they're able to keep in sequence well enough that they can pull shots from it for stuff like shaken espressos, venti americanos, or frappuccinos with shots. even then for the latter, i'd only recommend it if they were able to not abandon the drink.

time is relative. one may feel like they're going supersonic, working on two bars at the same time, because their brain is trying to process all the multitasking- but all the red cars and angry crusties at the window tell a different tale.

I don’t know if it’s an official explicit rule, but it’s a good practice. We should be sequencing on one bar. If you’re using two and you and your other bar partner aren’t experienced and communicative it can get way too confusing and will lead to things being out of sequence, forgotten, and just made wrong. I remember when my new store opened a couple years ago we had a ton of new partners and drive and cafe bar partners would pull shots on each other’s bars when the other was at like cold bar or something and then they’d end up switching bars but still making their deployed drinks and it was a hot mess constantly.

TLDR: I don’t think it’s an official rule but it’s good practice to stick to one bar

I don’t use two bars a lot but maybe every once in a while if I need to get an order out and don’t wanna wait for the first bar

*we have two machines btw.

It’s a standard, plus working on 2 bars is such wasted motion. You’ll tire yourself out a lot faster. I’d rather half step between hot and cold bar then run up and down the floor to get drinks made. It doesn’t make you any faster and it causes more stress.

I’m in the evening. So we have only 3 people. One on register+coffee, one at second register + warming(occasionally they would help if no warming) and then one soloing it. Rip

Technically your supposed to choose a machine to properly sequence. That’s assuming your getting drinks you are able to sequence and not some random drink that want 12 shots of espresso. It also makes it easier for a support to hop on bar quickly to help bust out drinks. (This is if it’s cafe/mobile only). My store is a drive thru so our right machine is drive left is cafe mobile. But drive takes priority so if someone wants the 12 shot drink you can ask to help pull 6 shots on each machine and to skip to Frappuccinos or refreshers in your line of stickers while they pull. It’s not standard but it’s the only way to survive lol

imo it's up to the partner. using two machines let's me personally better my sequencing and let's me get people out faster. when I'm soloing bar, I always use both machines. just makes it easier for me.

dunno why they're being a dick abt it :(

My SM tried to enforce this with us because it’s Starbucks standard to do hot bar cold bar sequencing instead of drive bar and cafe bar. They think because 50% of drinks are hot and the other 50% are cold that there’s no need for someone to stay at an expression machine and make refreshers at the same time. According to the Starbucks standard, one bar should help and make things go faster. But from my experience it doesn’t really help. I’m surprised your store just started implementing this recently! We started trying this months ago, I quit 2+ months ago I’m not sure if my store is still trying it

Your manager is tripping. Though honestly if you are told to do this, then I guess you are stuck at a single machine's speed for drinks.

the first Starbucks i worked at was a VERY busy 24hour drive thru and cafe store we had 4 machines and we could use any that are free but my new store has 2 and i legit get told off every time i try to double bar even though it’s faster/easier. Not sure if it’s an actual rule though or just supervisors being annoying.

If your solo-barring, you can use both bars for shots but only use one for steaming milk, you are pretty much guaranteed not fast enough to properly sequence that many beverages at once.