the funny things people say...
So I was working at the coffee shop, you know making various beverages and sort of recollecting several conversations I have had with customers over the years and I remembered one particular that needed expounding. I don't want to "over write" this so I will share one event in the hopes of inspiring you all to share yours.
On a particularly touristy day a new face popped into the cafe but this guy was unusually chatty. We're not known to be pretentious barista's who are too cool to morph into character so I engaged with him. When he finally read through the menu out loud he got to the "truffle Mocha" we make with a special ganache and celebrated that request to me almost in song...here's the weird part and maybe where my pride was a little hurt. He came back up to the bar to bestow a compliment, "Wow, this is the best mocha I have ever had! Must be a great machine." Confused, and again just a little hurt I smiled with a "thankyou?" I think back to that and there really is no right way to turn that compliment around. Do I say, "yeah and one good barista too". Does the machine deserve all the credit?
When you go into a great restaurant and the dish is prepared to perfection to you ask for the chef and say, "Wow, great food, you must have one great oven!" or when you mum makes a great pie do you compliment the apples?
I have to say I have never read a restaurant review that credits the equipment for making such innovative dishes.
please share yours,
Sarah
On a particularly touristy day a new face popped into the cafe but this guy was unusually chatty. We're not known to be pretentious barista's who are too cool to morph into character so I engaged with him. When he finally read through the menu out loud he got to the "truffle Mocha" we make with a special ganache and celebrated that request to me almost in song...here's the weird part and maybe where my pride was a little hurt. He came back up to the bar to bestow a compliment, "Wow, this is the best mocha I have ever had! Must be a great machine." Confused, and again just a little hurt I smiled with a "thankyou?" I think back to that and there really is no right way to turn that compliment around. Do I say, "yeah and one good barista too". Does the machine deserve all the credit?
When you go into a great restaurant and the dish is prepared to perfection to you ask for the chef and say, "Wow, great food, you must have one great oven!" or when you mum makes a great pie do you compliment the apples?
I have to say I have never read a restaurant review that credits the equipment for making such innovative dishes.
please share yours,
Sarah
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by emily jackson on
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some examples that we use in training when we "play customer", ( my favorite part of training a new hire)........
1) customer: can i get an american coffee?
barista: um an americano?
c: no just an american coffee.
b: well we're in america so all of it's american.... i dont know what you mean....
turns out the customer was confused because we brew all our single origin coffees in french press and he thought it would be "foreign and weird" as he put it rather than "american and normal"( his words).
2) customer: can i get one of them there framboozles?
barista: you must be referring to a "frappucino"? yes?
customer: no a FRAMBOOZLE!!!!!!
barista: im sorry we dont serve those or ANY blended drinks here.
customer: i'll just have to take my bizness else where then.
3) we have a regular customer who comes in every morning 10 minutes after opening and orders a latte. and says "i'll have a latte" to the barista taking her order, however, what she really means is she'll have a 12 oz. skim, no foam mocha with half the syrup and cinnamon sprinkled on top of the espresso and chocolate before adding the milk. she's been told everday for the past month, (at least) to order correctly if she wants her correct drink. we are not mind readers. on top of that annoyance, she asks to borrow money constantly and i sincerely believe that this morning she stole $5 out of our tip jar while i was cleaning out milk pitchers and my co-worker was busy cleaning out french presses. she has also claimed to have spill her mocha outside on a number of occasions, upon which she has a new drink made for her at no charge by whichever barista is made to believe her. her new nickname has changed from "oops i spilled my mocha." to "oops i stole your tips" lady. we dont have any proof of her stealing, etc. to ban her. who asks broke baristas to borrow cash? yeah i know the tip jar looks really full of cash but that's the difference between making rent or not for some baristas.
4) customer: can i get an iced macchiato?
barista: no!
customer: why not?
barista: because that's impossible (prompt explanation of what a real macchiato is)
5)customer: can i get a large decaf skim cappucino?
barista: yeah sure ( proceeds to make drink)
barista: here's your capp....
customer: you made this decaf right?
barista :yeah.
customer: because i really need a jumpstart today.
some of the most disgusting drink orders ever recieved:
16 oz decaf raspberry herbal iced tea with double amount peppermint syrup and an inch at the top for soy milk
16 oz iced skim latte with 5 splendas and two pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup (ordered by "madam splenda")
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Dooley on
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I love how you have "dialogue the script"
emily jackson said:some examples that we use in training when we "play customer", ( my favorite part of training a new hire)........
1) customer: can i get an american coffee?
barista: um an americano?
c: no just an american coffee.
b: well we're in america so all of it's american.... i dont know what you mean....
turns out the customer was confused because we brew all our single origin coffees in french press and he thought it would be "foreign and weird" as he put it rather than "american and normal"( his words).
2) customer: can i get one of them there framboozles?
barista: you must be referring to a "frappucino"? yes?
customer: no a FRAMBOOZLE!!!!!!
barista: im sorry we dont serve those or ANY blended drinks here.
customer: i'll just have to take my bizness else where then.
3) we have a regular customer who comes in every morning 10 minutes after opening and orders a latte. and says "i'll have a latte" to the barista taking her order, however, what she really means is she'll have a 12 oz. skim, no foam mocha with half the syrup and cinnamon sprinkled on top of the espresso and chocolate before adding the milk. she's been told everday for the past month, (at least) to order correctly if she wants her correct drink. we are not mind readers. on top of that annoyance, she asks to borrow money constantly and i sincerely believe that this morning she stole $5 out of our tip jar while i was cleaning out milk pitchers and my co-worker was busy cleaning out french presses. she has also claimed to have spill her mocha outside on a number of occasions, upon which she has a new drink made for her at no charge by whichever barista is made to believe her. her new nickname has changed from "oops i spilled my mocha." to "oops i stole your tips" lady. we dont have any proof of her stealing, etc. to ban her. who asks broke baristas to borrow cash? yeah i know the tip jar looks really full of cash but that's the difference between making rent or not for some baristas.
4) customer: can i get an iced macchiato?
barista: no!
customer: why not?
barista: because that's impossible (prompt explanation of what a real macchiato is)
5)customer: can i get a large decaf skim cappucino?
barista: yeah sure ( proceeds to make drink)
barista: here's your capp....
customer: you made this decaf right?
barista :yeah.
customer: because i really need a jumpstart today.
some of the most disgusting drink orders ever recieved:
16 oz decaf raspberry herbal iced tea with double amount peppermint syrup and an inch at the top for soy milk
16 oz iced skim latte with 5 splendas and two pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup (ordered by "madam splenda")
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Permalink Reply by Jorge A. Cazares on
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I once had a customer bring in a friend that was "extremely picky" and who "knew what she wanted" and was "hard to impress". After she was done bragging about her friend's amazing coffee palate her friend proceeded to tell me how much she loved coffee and how i'd better do a good job on her drink. i told her that she was in good hands cuz at the time i'd been a barista for about 6 years and cuz im and extremely picky coffee drinker and i make every drink as if i was making it for myself. She responded by telling me that she didnt expect much from me and that she already knew she wasn't going to like the drink. i started to get excited cuz i love a good challenge and i really wanted to prove her wrong and kick her ass with an amazing drink. she then dropped the bomb on me, she told me why she was such a "coffee snob" and how she had honed her amazing palate.... and i quote... "I drink french vanilla cappuccino's from the gas stations all the time". i literally laughed a little, shook my head, turned around and made her "the best drink she's ever had" without saying another word.... i lost all hope in humanity that day....
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Permalink Reply by Michael Heward on
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I had the same type of question from an older lady watching a double inset heart to which I quickly replied, "No ma'am, when a drink is made with this much love, some is bound to float to the top!"
Nathan Lyle Black said:A woman came in a few days ago and watched me pour a double rosetta on top of her latte. After I set the drink down on the counter, she exclaimed, "Oh that's wonderful! Did you do that yourself?"
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Permalink Reply by Ashley N Ruby on
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I always seem to get the usual "caramel macchiato" and "french vanilla cappuccino" customers on a daily basis. We use the learning method as well, and for the most part they seem greatful to have learned something new about coffee.
On somewhat the same topic...at my shop we have this sweet older couple that comes in almost every day. They typically have some breakfast, followed by several hours of playing Dungeons and Dragons (against one another on their laptops) using our free wi-fi. The usual internet campers but at least they buy more stuff throughout the duration of their stay. Because our premier parking is limited, we try to ask customers who are staying longer than 30 minutes to park around back. When prompted to move their vehicle, he proceded to hand my boss his keys and say "Thank you". We were all a little stunned and giggled about it for hours. When they were ready to leave that evening, the man approached me to say "We are ready for our car now. This new valet service is great!" Haha It's an ongoing joke amongst the staff, and he still doesn't park his car in the back without being asked.
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