Coffee Snob or Elitist A**hole, big difference!
First let me say I'm a bonafide card carrying Coffee Snob. Heck, I wrote the CSA 12 Steps years ago! You bet I've been chasing fresh roasted, fresh ground, fresh brewed coffee since I first started drinking coffee in 1984 and I'm a purist in my personal brewing and consumption.
That doesn't mean I don't recoginize the difference between an espresso based dessert beverage and a traditional espresso or macchiato or cappuccino. And that doesn't mean it's my place to push my consumption preference on others.
Case in point. A first time customer stopped in a few minutes ago and asked for a 16oz Hazelnut latte easy on the syrup. I simply asked if he'd like it a double or quad shot, went quad. While making his beverage for his trip home from work he mentioned his pastor had told him he had to try us. He mentioned usually going to a shop north of us that's serves Stumptown. I told him I had great respect for Stumptown coffees but I'd go head to head with Duane's coffees anyday. He then said he'd only gone to a Stumptown itself once and would never again, BECAUSE he ordered a Hazelnut latte and the barista belittled him in his tone of voice questioning him "are you sure you want to put a flavor in our coffee?" DAMN, if you're going to carry a syrup don't rag on a customer for ordering it! I told him yeah I'm a coffee snob myself but know the difference between an espresso dessert beverage and traditional espresso beverage. This new customer also noticed and commented when I dumped the first double shot (it ran a couple seconds fast, and hey it would have been "ok" in a sweetened bev' but I wasn't in a compromise mood, good thing!:). I asked him to take a sip before leaving to make sure the Hazelnut level was ok, his comment "perfect, your sign out front is right, I'm a believer". (The sign: The Best Espresso in Clark County, Agree or It's Free)
If someone orders a "dessert" espresso beverage don't belittle them, just pretend it's your "signature beverage" at the WBC and make it the best damned dessert espresso beverage you possibly can. You may not be making it for a "Title", it's more important than that, it's for your personal and business reputation and survival.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nate Smith on
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Mike-
Amen. It's one thing to be a "purist", and quite another to judge a potential lifelong customer by sarcastically questioning their drink order in a manner which your customer pointed out. Whether or not people like to admit this, the bottom line is: the customers are the profit, period. Customer can be educated on specialty coffee without a snooty attitude that quite a few establishments carry.
In my opinion, the other thing that is important to remember, is those people who currently drink a 16-20oz double (syrup-flavored) latte may never stray from that drink, by ordering a traditional cap, or mac, even with frequenting the super quality oriented shops. But what they will get is simply a better product, regardless of what their favorite drink is. That should keep them loyal.
If it's on the menu, serve it politely with the same passion that is put into every other customers drink.
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Permalink Reply by Shellie Adams on
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I agree completely.
Nate Smith said:Mike-
Amen. It's one thing to be a "purist", and quite another to judge a potential lifelong customer by sarcastically questioning their drink order in a manner which your customer pointed out. Whether or not people like to admit this, the bottom line is: the customers are the profit, period. Customer can be educated on specialty coffee without a snooty attitude that quite a few establishments carry.
In my opinion, the other thing that is important to remember, is those people who currently drink a 16-20oz double (syrup-flavored) latte may never stray from that drink, by ordering a traditional cap, or mac, even with frequenting the super quality oriented shops. But what they will get is simply a better product, regardless of what their favorite drink is. That should keep them loyal.
If it's on the menu, serve it politely with the same passion that is put into every other customers drink.
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Permalink Reply by Brady on
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Adam Wilson said:Chris said:If your customer orders a macchiato, you should really ask if they want a caffe macchiato or a latte macchiato before you start his drink.
Most of the time, it's pretty obvious which drink the customer is referring to when they order if all they say is "macchiato." We have half a dozen or so regulars who frequently order macchiatos (Have I ever mentioned how much I love my customers? Because I do.), and only rarely does someone come in asking for a big green style drink. After all, our menu is right next to the register and plainly states the definition of a macchiato, so there's usually not much confusion.
Yeah... but to Chris's point, if we're going to educate people, perhaps we should do it correctly?
See you CAN be BOTH a coffee snob and an asshole as well!
I agree totally with the original post, by the way...
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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on
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I love your sign miKe. If my business was in Clark County you would only raise the bar higher for me. One of us would be giving free coffee once in a while. <]'^)
I would be only having more fun than I am right now. I'd put a sign up here but there are only two other shops in town and most customers end up here anyway if they are in town for the coffee. That said, a sign like yours would be fun.
Joe
-- Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform.
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Permalink Reply by kirk knipmeyer on
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if the customer wants me to put reindeer pee in thier coffee, i will put thier reindeer pee in thier. if the customer wants a coffee, sell them a damn coffee or i will
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Permalink Reply by Greg Hill on
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i will draw a line at certain requests. one of my favorite quotes came from these boards somewhere. i wish i could give proper credit...
"i have too much respect for my espresso to ruin it with your request."
however, if we do have the ability to make something the customer wants, i will happily make it, and it will be delicious. there are so many times in a shift when ill ask the customer (who seems to want something sweetish or fancy-dessertish) if they trust me to make them something delicious. no one has ever been disappointed with my go-to, "ZOMG! youre new favorite barista bananas foster mocha"
kirk knipmeyer said:if the customer wants me to put reindeer pee in thier coffee, i will put thier reindeer pee in thier. if the customer wants a coffee, sell them a damn coffee or i will
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Permalink Reply by Greg Aliff on
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Henry Ford quote - “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
The best way to predict the future is to invent it. If you don't like what your customers order then educate them, but don't be an ass hole about it.
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kirk knipmeyer said:if the customer wants me to put reindeer pee in thier coffee, i will put thier reindeer pee in thier. if the customer wants a coffee, sell them a damn coffee or i will
I think you posted in the wrong discussion. There's another discussion on the topic of "how low will you go" here. This discussion is about the proper way to suggest that the customer might actually prefer, say, vanilla syrup in their coffee instead of reindeer pee.
To your point... you'll probably get that customer for a little while. Then one day that customer will wander into miKe, Joseph, or one of the other poster's shops, where they'll be gently guided to try something that they might actually like. Then you'll never see them again. After all, you're the guy that has been selling them reindeer pee for so long.
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Permalink Reply by Chris on
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miKe mcKoffee aka Mike McGinness said:
There's a difference between simply pulling a decent shot versus combining customer service and then knowing HOW to tweak shot for a particular customer's preference.
I might be splitting hairs, here, but that sounds like great customer service to me. The artistry in the cup is knowing how to do it, Mike, but the willingness to provide that level of customisation is customer service, pure and simple.
I'm not saying that you're *not* bringing your craft to it's pinnacle of your abilities, but that you're doing it in the name of customer service. If you weren't concerned about the customer over the coffee, you'd do it the way that you like best, and suggest that he learn to like it that way.
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Permalink Reply by John P on
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People come to you as an expert, for YOUR coffee, not for their coffee or someone else's coffee. If they are not, then you're doing something wrong.
When the customer's liking is created by the care you put into making X drink, that's when it's all coming together. You don't need to say XXXX and they don't need to ask XXXX. You just create something wonderful that they probably haven't experienced before... and then do it again and again. Throw in nice tidbits of coffee education as you grind and tamp and you're golden.
Yea.
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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on
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Absolutely! I think we're on the same page anyway! I was just saying that there's much more possible than just being a trained monkey able to pull "a decent shot". Indeed, without great customer service doesn't matter how great the coffee is because there will be no customers.
Chris said:miKe mcKoffee aka Mike McGinness said:There's a difference between simply pulling a decent shot versus combining customer service and then knowing HOW to tweak shot for a particular customer's preference.
I might be splitting hairs, here, but that sounds like great customer service to me. The artistry in the cup is knowing how to do it, Mike, but the willingness to provide that level of customisation is customer service, pure and simple.
I'm not saying that you're *not* bringing your craft to it's pinnacle of your abilities, but that you're doing it in the name of customer service. If you weren't concerned about the customer over the coffee, you'd do it the way that you like best, and suggest that he learn to like it that way.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Dominy on
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i don't heart reindeer pee.
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