Barista Venting

[Luke_G]

Re: Barista Venting

Guilty as charged Scoota gal! i am dislexic and possibly even have an attention disorder.

Sorry if i come across as a bit of a winer, my intentions are good and i dont want to rub anyone the wrong way around here because some day i would like to meet some you guys.

ANYWAY! back to work i go

[scoota_gal]

Re: Barista Venting

Guilty as charged Scoota gal! i am dislexic and possibly even have an attention disorder.

I must admit, I was wondering if you might have been a bit dyslexic but I wouldnt hold that against you!

Youre not coming across as a whiner...rather, a very passionate professional who wants to see the industry improve its standards...nothing wrong with that.

[melicious]

Re: Barista Venting

Barista vent du jour:
Me: So youre covering our breaks?
New Girl: Yes
Me: Can you make coffee
New Girl: : Yes.
She was...wrong.
at least theres room for improvement.

[cuppacoffee]

Re: Barista Venting


Man comes in and I wish him a godd morning to which he replies, "a regular cappuccino with 2 sugars".

So I made his coffee with all the love I could muster and as I handed it to him said, "You know, we like to say good morning or good afternoon to all of our customers and really appreciate it when they do likewise"

To which he said, "youre welcome"! ;D

[flynnaus]

Re: Barista Venting

Perhaps he wasnt sure how to deal with someone wearing duckegg blue nailpolish, Den ;D

(and it wasnt Sue, Dens wife)

[cuppacoffee]

Re: Barista Venting

duckegg blue nailpolish

Actually Steve, the colour is called, "green with envy" - made by Rimmel.

I know, I know....Im a worry! ;D

[flynnaus]

Re: Barista Venting

the colour is called, "green with envy"

ROFL. I stand corrected.

As you mentioned, your customers appreciate your quirky nature. As a quirky type myself, I applaud it

[Crisp_image]

Re: Barista Venting

Stepping out on a limb here. I have a TAFE certificate telling me I am a barista. So it would seem I have a qualification.
Do I consider myself a Barista? Not on your life!
Do I make good coffee at home? My wife thinks so and so do my friends (wife also informs me when it is not so good).
Which brings me to my point. Does it matter if you have a qualification as long as the coffee is good!
What I think is if the "barista" has a passion for their coffee and care for every step and can produce great coffee then that is what is required to satisfy me. Or should I be asking to see the training records of the barista in the local coffee shop?
Regards
Crisp Image

[Thundergod]

Re: Barista Venting

Im with you Crisp.
The coffee proves they are a barista not the piece of paper (Ive got one too).

[ozscott]

Re: Barista Venting

I know of someone who teaches a TAFE Barista course....I think that being taught by being behind a machine for hours and hours and hours and using the advice oin this forum combined with comparing shots on the training machine with shots from good coffee houses is so far ahead of just a TAFE course it is not even funny.

I have taught myself entirely from kind advice from people on this site, watching videos, studying barristas at places I like the coff from and spending hours in front of several machines now and in particular for the last few years at a commercial 2 group.  I dont have any bits of paper, but I can hold up my end at a commercial machine....but could I learn more from others, including really good working barristas or comp barristas, of course...never stop learning.

I think comps have their place, but I agree with Scoota that there are likely to be many hard working (and underpaid) barristas in this country that wouldnt be shy at AT ALL at the business end of a machine in the company of the famed group of barristas who win comps...not everyone likes comps or desires that path.

Cheers

[Robstar]

Re: Barista Venting

There is more to being a Barista than just brewing coffee into a cup and adding milk in a desirable fashion. If thats all I was doing, I wouldnt call myself a Barista.

However, embracing every aspect and factor of the job itself, would entitle you to calling yourself a Barista proudly. Knowing the science, culture, history, style, ethics, technique and having the experience behind you when brewing coffee into the cup.

I may one day, when I feel more confident, get into competition for the sake of exceeding my own expectations and broadening my own horizons in a way that I cant being confined to my own machine and bubble.

As for TAFE pumping out qualified Baristas; absolutely no way can they condense the entire field into such a small period of time. Yet I believe it, like many other training courses out there, it is a push in the right direction for many if not everyone, who truly care passionately about the coffee & hospitality industry.

Although I didnt need TAFE to realise this, all I needed was a lot of bad cups of coffee and a question to start my career. "Why do so many people enjoy coffee if it tastes terrible? Can it be better and how".

If you want to hear a rant from me though, its how restaurant owners, demean coffee as just a commodity and dont view it in the same light as their extensive wine menu. They would take a bullet before letting the standards of their wines and a la carte cuisine drop. Yet they can brush off coffee and the thousands of money invested into their machines as if its just a quick dollar. If more owners and managers saw the opportunities, profit and effect, good coffee in their cafe would have on customers overall, then that would definitely be a great thing.

But no. Instead I drop into places with REMARKABLE food and incredible wine! Especially the knowledge of the food + wine invested into their staff; but, order an espresso and latte, and youll get the worst piece of crap coffee that Synesso behind the bar pumped out, in your entire life.

[melicious]

Re: Barista Venting

If you want to hear a rant from me though, its how restaurant owners, demean coffee as just a commodity and dont view it in the same light as their extensive wine menu. They would take a bullet before letting the standards of their wines and a la carte cuisine drop. Yet they can brush off coffee and the thousands of money invested into their machines as if its just a quick dollar. If more owners and managers saw the opportunities, profit and effect, good coffee in their cafe would have on customers overall, then that would definitely be a great thing.

Quoted for truth - great point!

[darinpix]

Re: Barista Venting

Man comes in and I wish him a godd morning to which he replies, "a regular cappuccino with 2 sugars".  

So I made his coffee with all the love I could muster and as I handed it to him said, "You know, we like to say good morning or good afternoon to all of our customers and really appreciate it when they do likewise"

To which he said, "youre welcome"!  

Happens all the time - not the regulars, as they know that we know what they want. My favourite response is stolen, but effective - just reply - to their non existent greeting, "Good thanks - what would you like?"

[Senator]

Re: Barista Venting

I (sort of) remember from a training course years ago that dealt with telephone technique and that often people will not hear / register the first 5 or so words when a call is activated, no reason I guess to beieve that this does not at least in part apply to face to face contact also.

Often people will think you have said something and will respond almost automatically (how often have you said "good morning" to someone and they respond "fine thanks", when infact you didnt ask them how they were at all).

Perhaps. some of the examples listed here are just an automated response rather than a deliberate rudeness bad attitude.

Ofcourse, if we can reprogram peoples automated responses to actually be polite and / or listen to whats been spoken, then all the better.

I always find it somewhat satisfying "being OTT nice" to someone whom is confrontational and / or having a bad mood day. What are they going to say "employee X was so rude, he / she told me to enjoy the rest of my afternoon / evening?" Ofcourse, sometimes its done un a fecisous (spelling?) way but I figure lifes to short to let people bother you

Sen

[scoota_gal]

Re: Barista Venting

Often people will think you have said something and will respond almost automatically

That was me yesterday in the fog of the dust storm... ;D

Regular customer who was ordering a sandwich calls out to me...

Something that sounds like skinny cap

Me...goes and makes requested skinny cap, wondering a little as to why the customer wants skinny when they normally have fat and as a flat white...

Customer comes down to the coffee machine and starts laughing.

Shed asked me for a tea...

;D