Not quite sure how to charge for this order, but I get it all the time in the summer. The customer then walks over to the fixins bar and adds cream to the cup, or worse, fills the whole thing up with milk from the pitchers...tadahhh!...one iced latte for the price of a double shot!
Any suggestions on how to handle this one? Should I pick other battles and just let this one go?

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Get a stack of those squat-little clear plastic 8oz(?) Solo cups... (like people serve punch in at parties). Just enough volume for a double with ice. No lid for it that I'm aware of though. That's what we started doing today. We just had this happen today for the first time, and I didn't see it coming at all.

This particular customer wanted a quad iced americano, no water, flavor shot. Rang it as a large (usually a triple) plus flavor shot - I gave him the extra single cause it was his first visit. Fortunately I put it in a 12 oz cup, so there was only room for about 2oz half and half by the time all the stuff went in.

We've had a policy to charge for the cup size for things like drip coffee, just to handle the classic "medium in a large cup" request. Sometimes the reactions are a little surprised when we explain, but some people just never think of how expensive half and half is. I hate to risk losing customers, but if they have a problem with being charged for what they are getting, I'm ok with that.
I guess it really depends on how much this happens and how long you can stand or afford not to do anything about it. Charge 3 bucks for any drink in a 12 oz cup and tell them straight up espresso comes in 8oz or smaller only, whatever you would normally serve it in.
The people that just want a bigger cup will look at you funny and wonder why and the people that are basically stealing milk will complain because they know why and cant do it anymore.
I would think you need to evaluate how any reaction to this would make you look to your customers, customer good will and loyalty are hard won doing something that seems harsh can make you look bad even though you are right.
Brady and Charles both bring up good points.
Luckily, its gotten to the point in our cafe, that customer's don't even ask for the biggie cups anymore (we use the 8oz).
On a side note, we still serve the "for here" iced spro in a damn pint glass... I'm on the search for awesome glasses for V2.0
Good point, Charles.

Benza, do you have a Cost Plus/World Market nearby? They have some pretty rockin' barware at reasonable prices.
Indeed, what to do about the Ghetto Latte customers! Hasn't been a major problem (yet) but the exact order hit me by surprise last Saturday. Customer asked for a double shot with ice in 12oz and asked it be topped off with 1% and a splash of 1/2&1/2. I charged for a 12oz latte, didn't charge Breve uplift. Shots go in shot sized cups (preferably my ACF demi's), we don't have wee small plastic but if they want a shot ToGo and be charged for just the double shot it'll go in the 4oz paper we do have. (They'd also get charged the quarter ToGo cup surcharge I implemented a month ago.)
Brady,
I do, and I also have a few friends that are glass blowers that have blown me amazing stuff. The thing is, the Big Kat doesn't like it when I bring in my own cups to serve to people.
Ahh... the local glassblower is definitely your coolest option. I was thinking something that was cool enough to use but not quite cool enough to have stolen regularly.
I think our set-up does not allow for this to happen. First off, we keep the half & half and milk in the fridge behind the bar, this way it stays cold. When a customer orders a double shot over ice I always ask if they will be adding cream or not. Either way, I put it in a cortado glass to stay and if it is to go I put it in an 8oz cup. If they ask for a larger cup I tell them I will have to charge them for a latte.
You could charge for an iced Americano plus any extra shots. Be sure and really pack the ice in. Personally I have just aproached the customer at the condiment bar and explaned to the customer next time they will need to order an iced breve.
When we see this coming we say at the time of order, "great, will you be topping off the cup with 1/2 1/2 as there is a 75cents added charge"?
The Ghetto Latte strikes in yet another year.
I gotta ask a question:
Anybody shake their iced shots?
The Crew, a few months ago, laid it on me. I don't like iced spro, but man, this shit was tasty!
about 4 ice cubes in a martini shaker, dbl spro, and not to bad.
... and yes, I do realize Shakuratos are the same thing (with sugar...), but anybody just do it straight up?

on a midly related front, I just did a 24-hour cold brew with some Idido Misty Valley: I got a new summer treat.

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