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Permalink Reply by stephanie crocker on December 26, 2008 at 12:15pm

I agree that it's a little bit like "you don't know where this cup has been", but I think the environmental savings in paper waste is worth the extra trouble of having to wash your hands after handling "outside" coffee accessories. I always ask them, "does your cup need to be rinsed?" before making the coffee.

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Permalink Reply by John P on December 26, 2008 at 12:51pm

Just make it a habit to rinse it out.
If it's really bad, convince them to give you a few minutes... a little Cafiza, Purocaff, etc., some hot water, and a quick scrub and rinse. Much happier you, and a much happier them.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on December 26, 2008 at 1:52pm

Yeah, we too fill 1/4 of the way with water from the water spigot on the brewer and swish it around a bit before filling - to preheat and rinse. I've only had to clean one, just took it back to the triple well sink to clean it. Not my favorite thing, but no big deal.

To speak to the other part of the original post, yes there is a health concern any time we handle a cup that has been used by a customer, whether it is their funky travel mug, someone else's pristine one, or our in house ceramic. Wash your hands after handling any of the above to avoid transmitting germs (cold, intestinal bug, etc.). I think this is even a health department requirement.

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Permalink Reply by Mitch on January 1, 2009 at 9:26am

It's always a good practice to rinse a cup or mug with hot water before filling it with delicious coffee-tasties:
Not only to prevent the spread of germs from direct contact between the cup and the extraction device (like you mentioned, there's no knowing just where that cup has been...), but also to keep from SHOCKING the coffee by dropping it into a cold container.
It's just a little extra step that will make the customer appreciate your business and gladly return for more!

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Permalink Reply by Kelly David H. on January 1, 2009 at 11:14am

I have always taken it upon myself to clean the mugs really really good before I fill it. I feel like I'm being an example to those people but I don't expect them to follow suit.

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Permalink Reply by Terika on January 1, 2009 at 11:31am

At the coffee shoppe I work at, we typically refrain from washing the customer's travel mug for them, but we will do a hot water rinse so that it will retain more heat from the coffee rather than cool it down.

I do not know if this is a health code policy or something that we just do, but the employees are not allowed to handle the lids. The customer must remove the lid for us and then replace it again at the end. This tends to reduce the grossness that we have to come in contact with. :)

I agree that it is a shame that a good cup of coffee that we worked hard on is doomed to be tainted by remnants of previous cups of coffee...

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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on January 1, 2009 at 8:32pm

Yes been handed some pretty gross travel cups. Part of differentiating my shop from the drivel out there is not only the coffee but the service. If a customer's travel cup needs cleaning it gets cleaned, period. Any barista who is unwilling to wash a customers cup would be receiving their final paycheck. And whether handed a clean or dirty travel cup they get the same 25 cent discount over in paper ToGo. Want to survive in today's economic turmoil, be better and do more.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Davey on January 2, 2009 at 2:01pm

I had one customer refuse to let me rinse or wash their cup. I refused to make coffee in it and offered her the drink in a mug for here and said she could pour it in herself is she wanted to drink out of it. Probably not the best customer service but seriously...think I saw mold. As for washing them I don't mind as long as it is not crusted on. Will give it a try and if it meets satisfactory bachelor standards then fine. If it's still rank then I will give them the discount anyway but serve it either in a for here if they are willing to stay or pour into it or a to-go and just eat the cost one time. Usually they are happy and next time hopefully their cup is clean.

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Permalink Reply by comforteagle1965 on January 4, 2009 at 9:40pm

Marion County and Polk County in Oregon say you can not produce a drink in a container that a customer brings in. We create the drink in a cup and have to pour it into their cup. I actually think that the counties would prefer that we just hand the drink to them and they have to pour because of sanitation concerns.

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Permalink Reply by M on January 9, 2009 at 1:56pm

i sometimes offer to scrub it out for them if it's super nast.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Shipley on January 15, 2009 at 4:50pm

If the mug needs washed it is done in the three compartment sink, after it's sanitized we preheat the mug before making the drink. All mugs are pre-heated with water out of the tea spout the waters hot enough to at least sanitize the mug, even if it's still grimey.

I have gotten yelled at for grabbing a mug and dumping the customers shots of whiskey down the drain.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on January 15, 2009 at 4:51pm

Jason Shipley said:

If the mug needs washed it is done in the three compartment sink, after it's sanitized we preheat the mug before making the drink. All mugs are pre-heated with water out of the tea spout the waters hot enough to at least sanitize the mug, even if it's still grimey.

I have gotten yelled at for grabbing a mug and dumping the customers shots of whiskey down the drain.

Just yelled at?

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