Don't bite the hand that caffeinates you...

Coffee shops can get pretty busy in the morning. Sometimes this requires a barista to become sassy and suave in order to effectively get people in and out in a quick, and efficient fashion. Working at the espresso bar during a morning rush can be dangerous territory, but I have learned a few tricks to help keep things running. Also, there are a few things that you can do to help Lady Latte and the other baristas out when waiting for your drink.

I used to work in a coffee shop that serviced an entire skyscraper full of business executives, or "suits" as I like to call them. A "suit" is a person who works the classic 8-5 shift and who will do anything to get a break away from the desk that they spend most of their day chained to. A suit is a type of person who will wait in line for 20 minutes just for a cup of coffee, because it is probably more fun than the monotonous routine of their job. A suit usually comes down at the same time every weekday. A suit will sometimes conduct a majority of their business in our coffee shop. A suit can also be one of the most impatient breeds I've ever encountered, and boy are they hard to tame...

Our line would be out the door every weekday from 7-10 am. When you have this many suits in a concentrated time period, the coffee shop can manifest itself into a chaotic stampede of impatient and half asleep animals, ready to attack. When a suit has waited in line for 20 minutes, they are extra ornery. [Note: I don't blame some one for being upset at waiting so long for a cup of joe, but seriously, it's not my fault that Tammie Target decided to round up the whole floor before venturing down for some coffee.] Therefore, working at the espresso bar can be hazardous, especially when handing off drinks. Placing a drink on the hand off station is the equivalent to holding a piece of meat up to a pack of wild dogs. The suits begin to salivate and jump in anticipation at the mere sight of a cup.

Calling out the drink order over the sounds of weekend plans, business meeting agendas and office gossip, is a daunting task, and sometimes only the strongest and most adept baristas can survive. Upon calling out the drink, several suits will usually step forward to claim the prey. The suits don't listen to what the barista calls out, they move because instinct has told them that it is their turn to drink, even if the cup size I hand out isn't the same as what they ordered.
For instance, I would call out "medium white chocolate mocha."
A suit would grab the drink and block all others from approaching. "Tall latte?" it asks.
I respond a little louder, "Medium white chocolate mocha."
Again, "tall latte?"
"Medium white chocolate mocha."
The suits now cocks its head looks confused, "tall latte?"
"No...MEDIUM. WHITE. CHOCOLATE. MOCHA!"
Another suit finally turns away from its coworker and emerges from the pack to claim its white chocolate mocha. Success! (Kind of...)

In other instances a suit may not be trained enough to remember what they ordered in the amount of time it takes to pay and then pick up their drink and they might just grab any cup that sits on the bar for a minimal amount of time. When this happens, a suit who has been waiting awhile and has noticed that people who ordered after it are long gone, will say that they never got their drink. Many times you will ask them what they ordered, and you will remember making and handing off that drink. The funny thing is, that when some one takes a wrong drink, you only know because it is missed by the person who ordered it. Rarely, does someone come back and admit to taking the wrong drink. Or, even better, someone will come back and demand that their drink was made wrong, when the marking on the cup isn't even the drink they ordered. When this happens, it is best to apologize and offer to remake the drink, rather than question the suit's integrity, especially in front of other suits.

So, here's how you can survive the morning frenzy:
1) Try to remember what you ordered.
2) If you need to order a drink for a friend or coworker, write it down if it helps you remember.
3) If there is a cup sitting unclaimed on the hand of station, just ask the barista what it is. They should be happy to recall it rather than have to make another because someone took the wrong thing.
4) Pay attention to the barista when they call out drinks. Many times I have had to scream the drink name in order to get someone to snap out of a conversation.
5) If you have been waiting awhile for your drink, and others behind you have left, tell your barista. Chances are someone took your drink, or we could have forgotten to mark the cup. A good barista will make your drink a priority when the mistake is realized.
6) Try to be patient and polite with the barista if a mistake does occur. We are human, and we deserve to be treated as such, even when we make a mistake.

In turn, I promise to speak loudly and clearly and make sure everyone gets their coffee in a timely fashion.

I'm glad we had this talk.