You're a good person. And you mean well. We know that.
Even so, knowing a few things about how Starbucks works can make the experience better for everyone... including yourself.
Keep one thing in mind... Baristas are good at their job and want to do you right. You can help make it a team effort.
So who is THAT customer?
YOU REALLY AREN'T IMPRESSING ANYONE
Modifications are great, but please try to order your drinks in the way the barista needs to enter it into the POS...
- Size
- Drink name (Latte, Mocha, Caramel Frappuccino, etc)
- (Optional) espresso type (decaf, blonde)
- (Optional) Type of milk
- (Optional) Syrups and Toppings
- Any other special instructions
It will save time and help ensure your drink is entered correctly.
Pro Tip: If you're ordering 2 of the same drink, let the barista know when you're finished asking for all the modifications. That makes it easier to just hit the "Copy Drink" button on the POS
DON'T PAY FOR A SMALL ORDER WITH A $50 or $100 BILL
We'll always try to accommodate you. But if you try to pay with a $50 or $100 bill, the person taking your order is allowed (and in some cases required) to ask you pay with a smaller bill or a credit/debit card.
Here are a few reasons why...
- The barista probably doesn't know if there's enough money in their drawer to give you change. It would take a Shift Supervisor with a key to the drawer to check. And when the store is busy that takes them away from keeping things moving along smoothly.
- Your change would be in small bills. $20s are locked away, and there aren't always $10s in the drawer. That leaves $5s and $1s... if there are enough of them.
Bottom line... don't try to impress a young barista who's barely making enough for gas and is going to college on loans with your big bill. If you can afford to carry it, we all know you have a credit card.
Feel free to give a huff of disgust when you pull your card out if it'll help make you feel whole. We'll add it to the tally.
DON'T BE THAT CAR IN DRIVE-THRU
Have you ever been stuck in the drive-thru line because one car in front of you was taking forever? Here are a few things you can do to make sure that you don't end up being that car...
About large orders...
If you have a very large order, you can order it ahead on the app. You still can pick up your order at the window, but you'll zip right on through (also... please try to order at least 5 minutes before you'll arrive. Otherwise you could find yourself holding up the line while your order is getting made.
Talk to the mic
It's sometimes hard for the barista to hear your order clearly. So please, only the person placing the order should be talking. And, while i'm on the subject, the mic that connects to the store is not in your steering wheel. If you look down at your steering wheel while talking, Tesla is more likely to hear your order clearly than we are.
Be ready to pay
Please have your payment ready. This isn't to sound condescending. I can't even tell you how long some people take to fish out coins or log into the app because they were doing other things with their phone.
Changing your order won't win you friends
I can't stress this one enough... please do not change or add to your order at the pick-up window. We'll try to accommodate if it isn't too busy, but it makes several employees interrupt their other preparation to insert your additions into the flow. That affects everyone behind you (including customers in the store).
Work with us
All that said... the person taking your order DOES welcome your questions in Drive-Thru and wants to make sure you get the drink you want. Also, understand that baristas are human and make mistakes. If you receive a wrongly made drink or food item, just let them know and they'll gladly fix it immediately.
"Starbucks needs a procedure for that"
That's one of the funniest complaints baristas get from customers waiting for their stuff. Why funny? Because Starbucks has procedures for EVERYTHING. And chances are pretty good they're being followed even if you chose to come in knowing your kid has a soccer game in 3 minutes.
Fact...drinks typically are made in the order the tickets are printed. You may not see all the mobile orders that are ahead of you. But trust me, baristas want to get you your drink as fast as you want it.
Same thing for food
Food also can get backed up. There is one person at a time doing all the warming (and often bagging non-warmed food as well). And running it to the delivery area that can be all the way across the store. And, like drinks,food orders... cafe, mobile, and drive-thru... are prepared in order by that lone person. So yeah... it can get backed up.
Did i mention shit happens?
Even if everything is done right, it's possible that someone was given (or just grabbed) your order instead of theirs. If your order really does seem to be taking an excessive time, it's fine to ask. We'll do our best to sort it out.
Pro Tip: If you're willing to take a bread or pastry not warmed, you often can get it much quicker.
WTF IS A MINNIE MOUSE FRAPPUCCINO?
A customer once gave me the stink eye when i told her i had no idea what that drink is.
"But it's on the Secret Menu," she scowled.
I guess it came as a surprise to her when i told her that Starbucks baristas do not know every cockamamie drink people spy on some social media site.
Look... it's great if you want something not on the menu. And if we don't know it we'll ask other co-workers. Or better yet, bring a screen shot of the ingredients.
But really... if you don't know what's in it, why the fuck are you even ordering it?
Oh yeah... all this goes double if you do it in drive-thru with cars behind you.
I've noticed a lot of people ordering their Refreshers without inclusions.
While i like the inclusions (and they're the only thing in the drink that contains any fruit molecules), it's cool if you don't.
And if you don't like the mountain of ice they put in your drink giving you less of the ingredients you're paying for, it's also cool to ask for light ice.
The thing i find amusing is that virtually every person ordering them that way uses the exact same phrase made to sound like a single word... LightIceNoBerries.
Another one is a hot Chai Tea Latte. Besides the chai, that's made with water and steamed milk. Yet half of you ordering one use another of those compressed phrases... NoWaterNoFoam. I get that... with what you're paying you want to make sure it's gonna cost Starbucks that extra half-cent. Run with it.
What really cracks me up though is y'all say it with a deliberate nonchalance... like what you're really trying to communicate is that you're in the elite knowledgeable customer club.
Again... your drink your choice. Just don't ever doubt the persuasive power of TickTock Russian bots.
THAT SAID... PLEASE DON'T DO THIS...
Yes... people really do that. Yes... we'll make it. But it's honestly frustrating to a barista who really is trying to make you a good drink. And if the store is busy, this will impact every customer who has to wait for the barista to make guesses about what to put in it.
And for what? You just spent like $20 for what you think is a joke.
Don't ask a barista to hold your phone so their friend on the other end can describe their drink to you.
You really don't know why?
Many baristas live paycheck-to-paycheck struggling to pay for things like housing, transportation, school, and childcare. While earning a fair wage, tips for good service really provide a significant help to them.
There are 3 ways to tip a store's baristas...
- Drop cash in the tip container at the register or drive-thru window
- Add a tip while paying with credit or debit
- Leave a tip using the Starbucks app if that's how you paid
The most important thing you'll want to know about tips is that - regardless of how you give them - they stay within the store and go only to baristas working at that store.
In most cases, baristas are not allowed to directly keep tips. Tips are combined and distributed weekly to hourly employees based on the number of hours they worked at that store that week.
From time to time a customer (mostly in Drive-Thru) will offer to pay for the person behind them. It's a really nice gesture and usually doesn't require that much extra work for the barista at the window. (The key word is 'usually'. It can complicate the process of handing out the right orders to the right cars.)
How about this instead?
If you know who's behind you... like a relative or someone in uniform... then it's a cool gesture and we'll get to see a real smile.
But chances are a random person in line behind you doesn't need the financial help as much as some of the baristas working in the store who you see and talk with regularly. Leaving a few extra tip dollars could cost you less and make a much bigger difference for them.
Still wanna do it?
I've had a few people buy a gift card and leave it with me so i could use it to pay for the next few customers.
THE REAL REASON TO NOT BE A DICK
Don't forget hot drinks come in paper cups... and you'll never see the latte art hiding beneath that opaque plastic lid...
Don't mean to sound condescending or trivial, but if you smile when ordering or getting your drink or cake pop, it will make your barista's day. Not kidding... it can mean a lot.
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TheBarrysta.com is the creation of a former Starbucks barista who still cares about customers having the best experience. |
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