Barista Venting

[melicious]

Re: Barista Venting

When you know better than the boss who is instructing you to make crap coffee, would be my rant of the day.

Also places with a complete unergonomic design. No fatigue mats (my back already hurts), no sinks, small fridge at the bar and the storage area down two flights of stairs and then a short walk across an underground car park to a coolroom. A coffee machine connected straight to a main with no filtration system in place, a blend aimed primarily for milk based drinks yet 70% of all the orders are espresso.

I could go on, but seriously, at the end of the day.. architects should not build coffee shops, baristas should.

Oh man tell me about it - my work place refurb is all done and this is all you hear:
architects shouldnt design cafes, baristi should
" " " " kitchens, chefs should
" " " " bars, barstaff should.

Seems like theres a market for decent user-friendly design in workplaces but no-one wants to do it. :/ Every section has issues that a common sense look over from the people who work in the space would have canned straight up.

[Luke_G]

Re: Barista Venting

I feel your pain Robstar

I only have a fridge that holds 8 x 2ltr bottles of milk and that dissapears quickly when busy. I ALSO dont have a sink near by and have to walk through the kitchen to rinse jugs and clean my hands. Lucky for me i never have to feel the wrath of a chef scorn because i am the manager

Still....i could do with a couple of small things to make my job a little easier.

[Sketchy]

Re: Barista Venting

had a funny one today.
cust. how many shots in a regular
me. 2
cust. can i have 2 & a 1/2. i like it really strong
me ????????

seriously would an extra 1/2 shot make a difference in a 12oz cup.

normally an extra shot in a 12oz would be a double due to the size of the cup.

LE

[jayjay]

Re: Barista Venting

i had a regular customer come in the other day and ask for his coffee as he threw the coins on the bench on his side then proceeded to look busy searching through his wallet for something obviously very important while being on his mobile phone.
i left the coins where they were thrown, and left his change on my side of the counter where he couldnt reach it, while I made his coffee.  
..Funny how he decided to pick his coins up and hand them to me after a little while of waiting for his change.. im so naughty but i hate that attitude. politeness costs so little and goes so far and rudeness steals so much
i WILL change the world I will... one cup of coffee at a time I tells ya
:P
;D

[TC]

Re: Barista Venting

obviously very important while being on his mobile phone

If youre on your phone, you dont get served- simple as that...

If they have no manners, clearly someone needs to learn em some. I am 100% over rude people. Hate it when people take calls in cafes, restaurants and shops. I have even seen it happen at funerals.

People who do this should learn to behave appropriately and go outside. We dont care how important they think they are.... >

And BTW- take the shades off too...They make you look stoopid, not cool :

[scoota_gal]

Re: Barista Venting

Im with you guys on the phone at the counter thing. Had a customer do it to us yesterday, not once but twice.  >

Just wait till he comes in again...

[melicious]

Re: Barista Venting

I was warned about a lady and her husband yesterday and was just feeling pretty pleased with myself that Id served him, without fuss, two nice looking coffees and had him go on his way without him trying to scam extra mints/biscuits or complaining straight out the box.

5mins later hes back saying that I didnt give him change from $50, but only $5s worth.

I was suss as. 1stly 2 coffees you wouldnt get change from a fiver, Id be asking for more! 2ndly I had a bit of a recollection of flicking a couple of twenties in making his change because the notes have been troublesome of late. 3rdly they are known as scammers and I am not the regular girl on at that time, so probably look like a newbie and a good target.

Explained to him I couldnt just give out the $40 he said he was missing from my till, I would have to get the duty manager. DM comes, counts my till in the cafe then and there and declares it balanced. Says hell check the figures, goes to the safe and reviews camera footage.

Came back and asks the guy flat out "are you sure you were short? because its all checking out on this side of things"

and then the guy blames his wife! "Oh it wasnt me that said that, it was my wife, I gave her the change and she said Id not been given enough!"

So he didnt get the windfall he was hoping for and in the meantime Im trying to keep serving without any way of taking money. For about 20mins. > Thankfully most of the morning crowd were already gone.


Oh and a previously made point, but it still stands - when I say "hi, how are you?" the correct response is not "i want whatever" and then flicking your cards and money at me. Your coffee will not be made with any love.

[haiironezumi]

Re: Barista Venting

Where to start?

Although I am out of the game now, I have worked in 4 different cafes over time.

Have had to deal with the same ergonomics issues everyone else gets.

At one Melbourne franchise (I was new to town, I didnt know it was a franchise!) the owner would not let me adjust the grinder. Apparently the sales rep came in to do that once a month.

At one in Surry Hills, Sydney where I was the barista cum manager, there was a homeless guy who lived nearby. He would regularly use the wall of the apartment complex as his bathroom. Note, I am *not* talking about a urinal here.

On one very unfortunate occasion, he decided he needed to wipe using his hand, then proceeded to walk the 100 meters to my cafe and wipe his hand on one of my outdoor tables.

Another time at the same cafe an older (~60-70) Eastern European regular yelled at my staff for being too slow on the machine while I was on a bathroom break, then threatened to throw his long black on her. I went outside, took the coffee away and gave his money back, telling him to get out, banned for life. He decided to stay at my table and read the paper while smoking (he also brought his ciggie into the cafe when picking up his drink, another reason for the ban). I gave him 15 minutes then told him to go again, he gave me an angry look, then stood up and took a swing at me. I blocked it and some other regulars who "knew" him (as in had seen and chatted briefly to him) grabbed him and walked him away.

Theres just a few of my cafe tales.

[hazchem]

Re: Barista Venting

And BTW- take the shades off too...They make you look stoopid, not cool

this applies to you too bariSTAR that served me recently.

[melicious]

Re: Barista Venting

And BTW- take the shades off too...They make you look stoopid, not cool

this applies to you too bariSTAR that served me recently.

8-)

haha tool alert! why would you be wearing shades at work? Was it an outdoor kiosk??

[jayjay]

Re: Barista Venting

this applies to you too bariSTAR that served me recently.

was he humming "I wear my sunglasses at night" as he heated his milk??? hee hee

[hazchem]

Re: Barista Venting

haha tool alert! why would you be wearing shades at work? Was it an outdoor kiosk??

not an outdoor kiosk, didnt have a vicious hangover as far as I could tell, wasnt glarey or working in direct sunlight inside - all reasons Ill accept for wearing sunnies inside ...

was he humming "I wear my sunglasses at night" as he heated his milk???

i wish! he was distracted enough by one of his takeaway customers to be honest.

coffee wasnt very good either!

[Dennis]

Re: Barista Venting

Me: Do you drive with your car door open?

Customer: No

Me: Oh, so do you have an automatic door on your car?

Customer: No, why?

Me: Well, so far, youve left both the front door and the fridge door wide open.

[bjeck14]

Re: Barista Venting

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[roughhouserosee]

Re: Barista Venting

Where to start?

Although I am out of the game now, I have worked in 4 different cafes over time.

Have had to deal with the same ergonomics issues everyone else gets.

At one Melbourne franchise (I was new to town, I didnt know it was a franchise!) the owner would not let me adjust the grinder.  Apparently the sales rep came in to do that once a month.

God damn I worked at a place that did this too. I dont even think the sales rep changes it at the current place Im at! Oh, and we fill the grinder full of beans before leaving for the night mmmmm mmmm the coffee sure is fresh the next morning :


Oh and an open letter to my customers: I know the biscuit jars are on the counter, please dont reach in and grab them yourself, I have tongs and probably cleaner hands than you do anyway. And you, the old lady, stop reaching into the marshmallow jar. Youll get them if you order a hot chocolate. Whats that? You ordered a flat white? Im sorry. Maybe if you bothered to ask but for now? Get your hands out the jar.