What is your favorite part about being a barista and serving your customers?
I am remarkably blessed to be able to serve our locals. Not only is it great to serve them excellent coffee but getting to know your neighbors and being a part of helping brighten up their day is simply invaluable.
My favorite part of this job is when someone walks in rather sullen, down, or just indifferent and walks out smiling and genuinely happy.
Just awesome.
How about you?
My favorite part of this job is when someone walks in rather sullen, down, or just indifferent and walks out smiling and genuinely happy.
Just awesome.
How about you?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Dinah on
-
My favorite part is being the first person that my customers see in the morning. Each day is a new opportunity to start someone's day off right. :)
-
Permalink Reply by John P on
-
My favorite part is introducing them to something they've never had before (espresso that doesn't need sugar... a proper capp... farm specific SO coffee) and know they "get" it by the expression on their face.
What else I love is when people, usually out of towners, come out of their way to find me. It's an honor to serve those customers.
-
Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on
-
Watching a customer's "in a rush" disappear as curiosity about their coffee takes priority (especially if they don't notice). I'm so blessed by our customer's desire to actually *know* their coffee. Blessed is an understatement... I'm spoiled.
Example from yesterday morning, two guys walk in wearing business attire looking pissed that coffee didn't magically appear in their hands upon walking through the door... you know what I mean I'm sure.
"Hey, what can I get for you?"
"We need two to-go. Venti. Black."
(first of all, I really dislike this type of response... but have gotten used to it I suppose)
"Sure what would you like?" (pointing to pour over menu)
**confused look/ "blink blink"**
Got me all going, haha. House blend is on the list first, but they kept reading and then they started asking questions, "Wow... there's a lot of choices... what one do you think is the most exciting?"
To go from my least favorite "To-go. *starbucks size* Black" to "what do you think is most exciting" in like 10 seconds was amazing. And it was the fact (for me at least) that he said specifically 'most exciting.' It wasn't "which is your favorite?" or "I don't know, you choose" or "whatever is strongest/boldest." And then, as if that wasn't great enough, after I responded, "Right now I'm really liking our Sulawesi" he replies with, "Oh... huh... well why do you like it? What does it taste like?"
>>elapsed time 10-15 minutes of back and forth conversation, full of really excited questions by them, by them being the key
Suddenly they remember they have somewhere to be...
"Wow... uh... wow I had no idea... how late are you guys open? I'm going to stop back in on my way home."
Sure enough the guy that was kind of leading the order/conversation stopped back in about 2 hours before close. We were sample roasting when he came in so he got to watch the roasting process. Then we took him through a cupping (because if you are able why not, right!?). Then we asked him if he wanted to try anything else. He referenced the Sulawesi he had from the morning. I asked him if he wanted to try it brewed differently just for a change (he had it pour over and I had it dialed in nicely as a SO at the time). His first ever straight shot of espresso. And he loved it. I could have cried, hahaha. Plus, now he's totally hooked.
...coolest job ever...
-bry
-
-
Bryan,
Awesome.
Bryan Wray said:Watching a customer's "in a rush" disappear as curiosity about their coffee takes priority (especially if they don't notice). I'm so blessed by our customer's desire to actually *know* their coffee. Blessed is an understatement... I'm spoiled.
Example from yesterday morning, two guys walk in wearing business attire looking pissed that coffee didn't magically appear in their hands upon walking through the door... you know what I mean I'm sure.
"Hey, what can I get for you?"
"We need two to-go. Venti. Black."
(first of all, I really dislike this type of response... but have gotten used to it I suppose)
"Sure what would you like?" (pointing to pour over menu)
**confused look/ "blink blink"**
Got me all going, haha. House blend is on the list first, but they kept reading and then they started asking questions, "Wow... there's a lot of choices... what one do you think is the most exciting?"
To go from my least favorite "To-go. *starbucks size* Black" to "what do you think is most exciting" in like 10 seconds was amazing. And it was the fact (for me at least) that he said specifically 'most exciting.' It wasn't "which is your favorite?" or "I don't know, you choose" or "whatever is strongest/boldest." And then, as if that wasn't great enough, after I responded, "Right now I'm really liking our Sulawesi" he replies with, "Oh... huh... well why do you like it? What does it taste like?"
>>elapsed time 10-15 minutes of back and forth conversation, full of really excited questions by them, by them being the key
Suddenly they remember they have somewhere to be...
"Wow... uh... wow I had no idea... how late are you guys open? I'm going to stop back in on my way home."
Sure enough the guy that was kind of leading the order/conversation stopped back in about 2 hours before close. We were sample roasting when he came in so he got to watch the roasting process. Then we took him through a cupping (because if you are able why not, right!?). Then we asked him if he wanted to try anything else. He referenced the Sulawesi he had from the morning. I asked him if he wanted to try it brewed differently just for a change (he had it pour over and I had it dialed in nicely as a SO at the time). His first ever straight shot of espresso. And he loved it. I could have cried, hahaha. Plus, now he's totally hooked.
...coolest job ever...
-bry
-
Permalink Reply by Adam Wilson on
-
Bryan's story pretty much sums up why I love my job. I also love connecting my friends and customers with the countries and regions that grow coffee.
For example:
Customer: "Do you guys have any new coffees around?"
Me: "Yeah, we actually just got an excellent Sulawesi that has great jalapeño notes in the aftertaste!"
Customer: "Wait, what's Sulawesi?"
Me: "An island in Indonesia."
Seriously. I think 75% of people who I've talked to about that coffee didn't even know Sulawesi was a place, much less know where it is or anything about it. I think most Americans are desperately ignorant of the rest of the world. We have a great opportunity to help change that.
-
-
Yeah, our customers always think Sulawesi is in Africa, and more specifically, a region in Ethiopia... it's always funny to tease them (the ones you can tease, at least).
Jalapenos, huh!? Man I want some, I'd love to be able to pull that on a coffee! What's the processing method and do you know what mill it came from?
-bry
-
Permalink Reply by zack burnett on
-
Bryan, that is a really cool exchange that anyone who really appreciates coffee is stoked on having.
Adam, you hit the nail on the head as far as being able to teach about geography and different cultures.
We are all very lucky to work with such an interesting and complex product that brings joy to so many people or maybe just brightens their day a little.
-
-
Bry,
I need to do some more playing with the Sulawesi, at this point I've only brewed it using a Chemex. We bought the batch from Café Imports, but for some reason their info page on the beans is completely blank, so I don't know what region/mill it comes from.
-
Permalink Reply by Phillip Prass on
-
I think my favorite part of serving my customers as a barista is being able to strike up conversations with different types of people and leaving the conversation with one or both of us smiling.
I love talk over the espresso machine, I've talked about politics, social lives, travel (I work at an airport shop), and general speak. I get to meet people from all over the world, and I find it rather enriching.
As a barista, I don't feel like an asset in a uniform, I feel like a social person who just happens to serve coffee.
-
Permalink Reply by Jordan Buettner on
-
I really like being able to introduce my coffee house guests into something new. The other day, a woman ordered our standard dark roast coffee blend, but we currently had another dark coffee with more complex flavor. She wasn't sure about straying from her usual, but I told her I'd brew her a cup and if she didn't like it, I'd replace it with her usual; however, if she did like it I wanted a high five.
I brewed her the coffee, and while she was about to walk out, she came back up to the coffee bar, and raised her hand to give me that high five. =D
Barista Exchange Partners
Barista Exchange Friends
Keep Barista Exchange Free
Are you enjoying Barista Exchange? Is it helping you promote your business and helping you network in this great industry? Donate today to keep it free to all members. Supporters can join the "Supporters Group" with a donation. Thanks!
© 2024 Created by Matt Milletto.
Powered by
