/r/TalesFromYourBarista

Photograph via snooOG

Baristas more bitter than your shitty Tassimo espresso. Just a subreddit to share your stories about working as baristas or in cafés, whether they be good or bad!

Baristas more bitter than your shitty Tassimo espresso. Just a subreddit to share your stories about working as baristas or in cafés, whether they be good or bad!

RULES

1. PLAY NICE: Did you drink decaf instead of your regular Americano this morning? Don't be a dick. No bullying, no racism, no insulting. Be respectful to others. Seriously just don't be a dick.

2. TEXT ONLY POSTS: This is a story based subreddit much like many other TalesFrom___ subreddits. No link posts. No memes. No pictures of latte art or espresso machines, please see /r/barista or /r/latteart

3. NO SELF-PROMOTION: Please no advertising or promoting your cafe, your website, your blog, your magical coffee beans.

4. DO NOT POST PERSONAL INFORMATION: Whether you recognize the cafe a poster works at, recognize your coworker's post, or posting personal information about a customer. Don't.

5. FOLLOW GOOD REDDIQUETTE: this is self explanatory. If you do not know what Reddiquette is please click here before posting.

/r/TalesFromYourBarista

9,297 Subscribers

61

BARISTA RANT

This snarky woman came in today. She said placed an order, (online? on the phone? who knows?) but no problem. I ask what her name was, apparently her name was “i’m ordering right now” UM ok….Can already tell she’s going to be a rude customer. As i wrap up her order, I wanted to make sure I packaged everything correctly. So i asked, “Will that be for here or to go?” and this rude b!tćħ raises her voice “I SAID IT WAS TO GO”

Girl like when did you say that. I feel like people always expect us to read their minds like USE YOUR WORDS. Grown a$$ woman can’t even use her words.

It’s 5 hours later and i can’t stop thinking about how people like that go about their days and lives. I feel bad for anyone in their lives and they make me lose faith in humanity. Just one of many enjoyable customers.

14 Comments
2024/08/17
22:49 UTC

63

Can we talk about crushes on customers?

Please tell me I'm not alone. There's the eternal cliché of someone mistaking customer service for flirting, but what happens when the shoe is on the other foot??

I'll tell you about my current #1 crushtomer. He comes in super early before it gets crazy. Sometimes we have great conversations, sometimes silly ones. Sometimes he sits quietly at the bar while I work and it feels like my only moment of peace that day. He's 12 years older than me and in my opinion extremely cute. I've got it bad, I tell ya. It's to the point that I start blushing when he walks in the door.

I'd love to hear about your crushtomers and know that I'm not the only one making a fool of themselves on the regular like this!

Edit: words mixed up

28 Comments
2024/06/04
00:02 UTC

9

Longest/weirdest but good drink

What the titles says. What's the weirdest, or longest ticket producing drink you or you coworkers enjoy. Customer drinks not included.


I'll start. I call this the green hills.

It's a 24oz drink usually.

Double matcha, (like, an entire table spoon of unsweetened matcha powder.) Cinnamon tea. (I work at bigbby, so it Fraser band hot spicy cinnamon which is a cinnamon and orange peel black tea) Oat milk (only a little) Marshmallow syrup White chocolate syrup, +best with macadamia Extra flavor, (totals to 8 pumps) And then cold foam, with cinnamon powder.

This is iced usually.

And sometimes I make This beast with a double or tripple shot of espresso.

I call it green hill because it makes you ZOOM like sonic. And it's green.

Our matcha is like 300 mg of matcha per serving .cuz my store uses Fraser for our matcha as well and I use 2-3 servings for This thing. Plus the cinnamon tea is like 100+. And there's two satchets of that.

This thing is more caffeinated that the Panera charged lemonade that caused a lawsuit.

1k-1.3k mg of caffeine for those curious.

2 Comments
2024/05/19
02:33 UTC

48

Fellow bariatas, what are your best weird customer stories?

Hi, im eddy. Im working as a bariata at a small italian cafe for two years. My boss is a control freak that likes to lick the customers a$$es to the point that the he lets the people run the cafe. ive got plenty of stories but lets focus on the regulars..

We have crazy old uncle Ben, hes a weird person overall with some anger issues. He always come with his very cute 9 y.o. son that comes everyday giving everyone high fives and hugs with the biggest smile in the world. Everyday he comes at least 3 times, in the morning he asks for a strong latte machiatto, in the afternnon he orders 2 hot chocolates for his son and him and in the evening he orders tea. But the boss lets him make his the in the bar, at the first time he came to make his tea i was shocked and told him to go away from the bar. He screamed at me and demanded my boss to inform me that he makes the tea by his rules. Of course the boss took his side and told me to let him do it because "ben doesnt tollerate other peoples tea".

Next we have maria. In the menuwe have the standard breakfast deal, it comes with eggs, a salad, bread, a small plate of spreads for the bread, a glass of fresh orange juice and a cup of coffee. Maria is a werido (weve established that, the regulars are weridoes) she spread that deal over a whole week. on monday she comes for the coffe, tuesday for the eggs, on wednesday she eats the salad, thursday is bread day and on friday she slurps the spreads plate and takes the orange juice to go.

And the cherry on top. Every morning comes the neiborhood parliment. Theyre a group of eight 50-something y.o. guys that sit at the cafe and talk about politics. And they have their usual. They come at at 5:30 a.m., before us and just wait for us to give them a coffee. Every one of them has a different kind of drink, in a different kind of cup. They move chairs around the sitting area, sometimes they do that when people are sitting. Every time that a new waitress comes they make her a test by switching tables mid coffee with the explanation that theyre paying customers and they need to be treated well.

Now's your turn fellas!

30 Comments
2024/05/03
23:17 UTC

10

Asshole bosses expected same performance.

I have two asshole bosses that get totally shocked when my other managers say I do a good job at work, but then they get me and I’m under their pressure and perform poorly.. last Sunday was just me and a manager and basically I was able to get warning too cuz this boss said “Fuq the times” asshat manager#2 (get their name cuz they buddy with asshat#1) so put me under a lot of pressure and is now pissed at me.. you’d think maybe it’s you when everyone starts to say one thing but you experience another. Already had issues and talks with these managers but they don’t want to learn so………………

2 Comments
2023/10/30
03:37 UTC

68

Baristas, what coffee orders make you roll your eyes?

Former barista myself here! I'm writing an article for a food publication about the most annoying / aggravating / silliest requests you've gotten for coffee orders. I'd love to quote a few of you in the article if you're game.

80 Comments
2023/10/16
11:50 UTC

15

Not National Company

I work at a small coffee shop that serves traditional Italian espresso- based drinks. How should I respond to a customer wanting a caramel macchiatto?

Also, are *National Company * drinks really all just lattes?

14 Comments
2023/09/01
15:41 UTC

24

Tipping your baker?

A little background— I’m the baker for a small shop in prime tourist location with lots of local customers in addition to tourists. Since I have started there, three months, sales have jumped by 30% all in baked goods. Customers come in daily to see what I’ve come up with for the day. I make all the standard cinnamon rolls, muffins, cookies etc, also the daily specialty items. But I have been given free rein to add whatever I want. I have added Tarts, Profiteroles, Split Cupcakes, Trifles….. never know until I see what I’m making until I see what I have on hand, or what is left over from cake orders. I’m not trying to exaggerate my role. But when your boss is always thanking you, baristas are sharing glowing comments from customers, and the case is always empty the next morning, you start to get the idea you’re doing something right. I love what I do and the people I work with.

My partner has been in the restaurant business for 40yrs. They see tips as gratuity for the whole team that made the meal and experience, cooks, waitstaff, busers, dishwashers. When managing a restaurant he made several servers wash dishes after they weren’t tipping out or properly scrapping and stacking. Just to give them understanding and appreciation. He also said servers are way easier to replace than dishwashers.

Now onto the actual question. My partner and I were talking and he was shocked I don’t get tips , except for the very rare occasions someone tips on a custom cake. He seems to feel I should be getting a cut of the tips because people are tipping on their baked items on top of coffee. To him it isn’t about money, he sees it as respect and appreciation. Honestly, I never really thought about or cared about tips. But he got me to thinking, made me curious. Do you tip your in house baker? Has it ever even crossed your mind?

14 Comments
2023/08/15
14:24 UTC

43

“Does that taste correct now ma’am?” “No.”

I work at Starbucks.

Yesterday there was this lady and she had ordered a few drinks. I was on bar. She was maybe in the drive thru for 10 minutes and this was during our rush (not peak). Well someone placed her drink sticker off the printer and put it in the STEAMER(?) for some reason. Well anyways they told me what they were waiting on and I rushed to make it.

Well after it’s handed out she comes back and says “I just came through the drive thru and was sitting there for 20 minutes for one drink and it doesn’t taste right. Like I said she said has ordered more than one and she was only there for 10 mins maybe. But I don’t remember if the shots had the star or not. (For those who don’t know, the star on the machine will signify if the shots were pulled correctly and if it isn’t there the shots have died and/or won’t taste correct)

But regardless I say “okay I’ll go ahead and remake that for you, but there is one drink ahead of you being made right now” and she goes “mmm no you should make mine FIRST” and I simply go “well ma’am the drink is already in the process of being made and-“ right as I say that the shots finish pulling “-and the drink is done now actually. I’ll go ahead and start on your drink.”

Shit you not she stands there WATCHING me make her drink. To put it fully into perspective it was just a grande iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso. No modifications or anything so pretty simple. I make the drink per recipe and the shots were even pulled properly with the cute little star ⭐️

So she says “are you sure that’s what I ordered?” And I’m like “yes it’s just a grande iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso.” I hand it to her and she asks why it took so long the first time. So I explain and say I tell her someone moved the drink sticker so I didn’t know it was supposed to be made yada yada blah blah blah. So she takes a sip and I ask her if it takes any better or correct and she just looks at me funny and goes “no 😒😠” and storms off and I go “I’m sorry have a good day.”

Boy. All of my coworkers were ranting about her for a while after that. It was a tough day (also double star day 😁🤪🫠🙃so you can imagine the other Karen’s)

4 Comments
2023/07/31
02:19 UTC

26

I was approached by an Ukrainian family

Imagine my surprise when I’ve heard a language that seemed to be Eastern European, in my Coffee Store this morning.

The family had 2 small children full of energy, while the parents looked worried, almost sad. When their turn came, they wanted to know if we were selling drinks without caffeine.. so I suggested the orange juice.

Parents decided to go for a cappuccino while the kids got an orange juice both. I though that was strange (and honestly believed it was a financial reason), so I decided to give them an extra juice saying that it’s common for my place to give free drinks to childs.

I hope I made their day better.

3 Comments
2023/06/02
15:30 UTC

10

My best friend is bragging about his workplace and I can finally understand why

He sent me a picture of his new SB location this morning and it’s one of the most beautiful Coffee Stores I’ve ever seen in my life

More than this, his salary is also bigger than mine and people leave generous tips. Don’t get me wrong, I love my workplace and I am grateful, but also admire his place

I started a 30-days challange to make each day better for my clients. This will make my place 2 times better and people will love drinking a cup of coffee

3 Comments
2023/05/30
06:33 UTC

10

Staff seems to appreciate my efforts

After my first week at the new local Starbucks, I surprisingly got a gift from my colleagues. It seems like they noticed me working harder (I wanted to leave a good first impression), so they decided to give me an extra Free day this week.

Only 7 days working her and already feeling loved and appreciated.

0 Comments
2023/05/24
12:47 UTC

24

The boy came back TODAY

It’s 10am and just started my Monday morning shift for about 2h now..

Imagine my surprise, while I was still sleepy and saw the coffee store’s door opening and the same 7yo from yesterday running towards me. He had a big smile on his face and said a sweet “goood morning, miss”.

Behind him was his sister, who I later found out was studying at the same college as me. I remember seeing her few times..

This time, the sister payed for his little brother’s same order as yesterday and tipped me 10$.

It mad my week! Btw, they just left 5 minutes ago..

0 Comments
2023/05/22
07:19 UTC

28

Made a small Kid smile Today

A toddler entered the coffee shop in the morning, holding tight a 5$ bill. He was alone and looked a bit scared and shy.

There was no line at that time so he approached the showcase and picked a chocolate croissant and ordered a Fresh Orange juice.

Total was 6.30$. The boy (who was around 7yo) looked at his money with a disappointed face.. It looked like he was about to turn around and exit the shop, but I told him:

“Today your order is Free. Keep the money for candies and enjoy?”

He immediately smiled, picked his order and run out of the store. I hope I could make his day better and I’m sure he will return over the next week!

1 Comment
2023/05/21
13:24 UTC

8

Did your store increase the coffee prices?

My local Starbucks store increased the coffee prices 3 times over the last 4 months and many clients complain about it (as well as me).

For instance, Iced Venti Espresso is now 5.9$.. it feels like it will soon get to 6$.

2 Comments
2023/05/20
15:40 UTC

2

My new Workplace

I’ve signed the contract for my new Barista job at a local coffee store down the street I live on

The first day was great and I’ve seen a lot of smiley faces around me - some people even recognized me from my past job

Salary is almost the same and my manager says it will grow with my experience.. but that’s not a problem for me

Oh, I forgot to tell you… I work in a Strabucks

0 Comments
2023/05/19
17:21 UTC

3

He treatened Me

Perhaps some people don’t know my full story, but I started to have issues with my manager.

Long story short, yesterday I quit my job without saying a single word to my boss and left the place..

This morning I got a call.

Something like “you will regret your whole life for disrespecting me in front of my staff” and then he hang out.

Do you think he’s a real threat or he’s just frustrated? Tbh, I am so tired of this situation that I don’t even have energy for this. I just want to move on and continue my dream job somewhere else.

2 Comments
2023/05/17
09:08 UTC

19

Today I quit my job

Today I arrived at my workplace with a happy face, knowing that this is going to be my last day at work

My manager kept being rude and abusive, but I didn’t mind his behaviour.. I know I will have the last laugh in the end

I received my payment yesterday (last salary) and the only reason I came to work this morning is to take a final goodbye to my colleagues. I will keep you guys updated🙏🏼

1 Comment
2023/05/16
05:59 UTC

12

People make a job good or bad

Considering my workplace situation and really sleeping on it, I just realized sth important.

I believe all barista jobs are basically the same and the energy is always positive. After all, how can someone NOT enjoy delivering energy and good vibes to people? I am literally giving the the fuel for a productive day🥰

However..

I also think how someone “feels” at work has EVERYTHING to do with the people he/she is working with… if the staff and colleagues are rude, it’s almost impossible to continue working there.. on the other hand, good people will make the job feel like a 2h shift

2 Comments
2023/05/14
09:41 UTC

0

Update on my Friend’s EX (my manager)

Today he was super rude with me and started acting crazy (he is usually calm and doesn’t start fights).

He picked up on me for no reason and I believe my days at this workplace will soon get to an end..

The only solution I see is if him and my friend get back together.. that’s when I will have the possibility to explain him all the situation🙏🏼

0 Comments
2023/05/13
10:16 UTC

7

I need to quit my job bc of my Friend..

2 years ago my best friend met a guy in a local club and they remained together since the .. of course, I got to know the guy and he seemed perfect (he ended up helping me and hiring me at his workplace - a coffee shop)

He is my manager and I work with him for 5 months. Everything went great and my friend always told me how much she loved the guy and that she was going to marry him

Until 3 days ago..

When she confessed to me that her bf (my manager) scrolled her phone and discovered she was cheating… She didn’t even tell me.. Never.

I was probably as shocked and angry as her bf so I decided not to talk to her ever again..

But my boss thinks I knew all the time and didn’t tell him. Now, his attitude is completely different and he treats me without respect. I will quit my job next week, after I get my salary… even though it is not my fault..

2 Comments
2023/05/12
17:11 UTC

27

Never ending my shift alone on a Friday night ever again..

Last Friday I was finishing my shift and I assured my colleague he can go home earlier - I will clean up the place and lock the coffee shop.

That was the worse decision in my life - as I was preparing to close the shop, a weird old man entered the store and started flirting with me…

The only solution I could think of was to fake call my dad and pretend saying sth like “yes, it’s alright if you pick me up in 5 minutes” and the stranger panicked and left the place shortly after.

Nobody was going to pick me up so I remained super scared and looked over my shoulder non stop on my way home..

3 Comments
2023/05/11
14:04 UTC

5

Sweet gesture

Today a guy who frequently visits our coffee shop bought me a coffee.

Yes, I know, why would you buy a coffee to a barista?? That was my first thought too. But then he said to me "I know you can drink all the coffee in the world, but I want you to drink mine from now".

I'm so curious to see if he's gonna keep his promise. Also, he's pretty cute soo... who knows lol

4 Comments
2023/05/02
18:37 UTC

17

Caramel Macchiato with a twist

We have this customer who comes in every day and orders the same thing - a caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso.

But one day, he came in and asked for something new. He wanted a caramel macchiato, but with a shot of peppermint syrup instead of espresso. I was hesitant, but I made it for him anyway.

To my surprise, it was actually really good! Now, every time he comes in, he orders the "peppermint macchiato" and it's become a new hit among our regulars.

2 Comments
2023/05/01
21:53 UTC

24

Real life Duracel

So, I had this customer who would come in every single morning at 7am sharp.

He would order a large coffee with 8 shots of espresso, and chug it down within seconds. He would then slam the cup on the counter and say "Have a nice day, see you tommorow".

I don't know what he does for a living, but for sure this man is doing his job 200%.

1 Comment
2023/04/30
19:33 UTC

11

Messed up today

I just served my diabetic owner with a coffee FULL of sugar. I'm feeling so guilty, I was too afraid to tell him, and now I don't know what to do.

Do you think he noticed that it was sugar? Can he die from this?

3 Comments
2023/04/29
21:47 UTC

20

Magic coffee

My friend is also a barista. One day, a little boy walked into the coffee shop with his father and asked if they had any "magic coffee" that could grant wishes. My friend made the boy a special drink called "Magical Mocha" with cinnamon and cocoa powder, and the boy's face lit up with joy. From that day on, the little boy came back every week for his special drink.

1 Comment
2023/04/29
02:29 UTC

11

How I got my new best co-worker

I am a barista named Olivia and one day I noticed a regular customer, John, looking down. I found out he had lost his job and offered him a part-time job at the coffee shop.. (after speaking with my local manager)

John was grateful and instantly accepted the offer. Soon he became a valuable member of the team and now we are working together 3 days a week, helping each other.

0 Comments
2023/04/28
07:24 UTC

17

Quite the trip

So this was a handful of years ago. Being a barista was too easy for me. Every day was auto-pilot so I would admittedly take different drugs on the job here and there to pass the time. I took a tab and a half of acid and it really started to kick in about an hour before I was ready to close. I would stop serving customers at midnight which is exactly when a strange man roughly my age walked in... Literally on the dot. I was tripping pretty hard at this point. I was about to ask him what he wanted when I realized coffee is not what he was there for. He asked me to call 911 and told me he was on his 'last limb of sanity' and needed desperate help. So that's what I did, I called the police and the dispatcher asked me what his name was. Mind you I was relatively depressed considering it was a rough point in my life. I proceeded to ask him his name which happened to be my name. I don't have a common name. He then pulled a hammer from his pocket to express to me the severity of the situation. Yes, a hammer. One of my regulars was ex-military, sitting to my left as he did every night. I gave him a look that expressed "help". He ran over, pulled out a gun and made the man stay on the ground until the cops came. Once they arrived the police asked me for my ID, put him in handcuffs and thanked me for dealing with the situation properly. To this day I find it strange considering I feel it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't tripping balls. I don't know though. Just a weird story I wanted to get off my chest. I wasn't wearing a name tag either. Trippy to say the least.

0 Comments
2023/03/18
11:18 UTC

21

The Wheel Is Still Spinning But The Hamster Left A Long Time Ago

I've been a long time lurker and I'm a retail veteran. Been doing it for 10+ years, mostly in coffee shops and I've had a lot of crazy encounters I might write up. This one is short and happened just last week, and frankly is still baffling me.

Some background, I work in a coffee kiosk on a train platform. As such, its tiny. Three people can be behind the counter but there's not much room to move and any more would be a stretch. There is also a shutter which covers everything so I have to raise it in order to stock up sandwiches and complete my morning routine before opening (Sorry for taking so long to explain, its relevant to the story. I just had to get the exposition out of the way.)

Anyway, I'm on the open on Saturday. The time is 7:05 and I open officially at 7:30am and I'm in front of the counter stocking up sandwiches, cold drinks etc when some rail commuters come wandering up to the kiosk. They step up to counter to order while I'm grabbing some more cold drinks from a cupboard. They begin speaking as I appear from around the corner.

C: Has it been busy for you?

Me: No, I only got here five minutes ago since I open at half 7.

C: Oh, can I order some drinks then?

Me: Unfortunately I'm not open at the minute. I don't open till half 7.

C: How long is that going to be then?

Me: Like I said, I open at 7:30, so you can order then.

After blinking twice and staring at me with a vacant expression, they wordlessly turn around and walk away. I was just stunned by how I explained three times I wasn't open and they still didn't get the memo. The kicker, as he walked away I heard him say, "I don't know why he won't serve me.".....because I'm not open yet!

7 Comments
2023/03/17
22:54 UTC

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