Thank you starbucks for making me look incompetent
Thank you Starbucks for making your "dry" cappuccinos hot milk with foam sitting on top so that this morning when a lady orders DRY and i give her extra foamy all the way thru instead of sitting on top she tells me "you don't know what dry means. Dry means this much foam" and i said "yes ma'am if you take a drink you'll see its going to be extra foamy all the way through the drink so you get to enjoy the foamy all the way to the bottom" she hands me a nickel and says i don't know what i'm doing.
Thank you starbucks for naming a vanilla latte with caramel on top a Macchiato. Instead of the traditional 2.5 oz hot drink. So now people come to me and order a 20 oz blended macchiato.
Thank you for over sweetening your drinks and getting the term "burnt" to describe drinks that aren't sugared up.
Thank you Starbucks for completely slapping espresso in the face.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brandi Heath on
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At caffe mela we all know why we do what we do and we're all extensively trained in the art of espresso. however...if a customer doesnt want to listen, and most drive through customers dont, theres nothing i can do about it.
its a really tough thing to try to explain to people without making them feel stupid or defensive about true espresso
Matthew Gasaway said:Never underestimate the power of customer education.
If they want a "Carmel Macchiato" then simply explain to them what it really is.
Macchiato means "to mark" in Italian and we are simply marking the espresso with milk to help preserve crema and using the sweetness of steamed milk to alter the flavor slightly. I like to tell them it's for people that like to sip their espresso at a slower pace.
Something along those lines to any customer and you won't seem incompetent. Know why you do the things you do. Not only that, but make sure your staff of barista are with you on it. That way there is no confusing the customer and they won't complain that someone made it and another person won't.
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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on
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Matthew,
As a shop owner I find this to be one of the ultimate challenges. To educate all your staff/baristas to educate the public in the same gracious manner as you describe here. Soooo important. It comes back in spades from your regular customer base and new followers.
Cheers,
Joe
Matthew Gasaway said:Never underestimate the power of customer education.
If they want a "Carmel Macchiato" then simply explain to them what it really is.
Macchiato means "to mark" in Italian and we are simply marking the espresso with milk to help preserve crema and using the sweetness of steamed milk to alter the flavor slightly. I like to tell them it's for people that like to sip their espresso at a slower pace.
Something along those lines to any customer and you won't seem incompetent. Know why you do the things you do. Not only that, but make sure your staff of barista are with you on it. That way there is no confusing the customer and they won't complain that someone made it and another person won't.
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Permalink Reply by John P on
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Be excited to offer what you DO have, and educate in the process. Don't make it more complicated than that.
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Save your precious time to educate for the right opportunitys. We all go through the same dilemma weather your at a drive thru or front counter. They often just want to grab and go. I just back off and wish them a great day if I have a chance to get it in.
Brandi Heath said:At caffe mela we all know why we do what we do and we're all extensively trained in the art of espresso. however...if a customer doesnt want to listen, and most drive through customers dont, theres nothing i can do about it.
its a really tough thing to try to explain to people without making them feel stupid or defensive about true espresso
Matthew Gasaway said:Never underestimate the power of customer education.
If they want a "Carmel Macchiato" then simply explain to them what it really is.
Macchiato means "to mark" in Italian and we are simply marking the espresso with milk to help preserve crema and using the sweetness of steamed milk to alter the flavor slightly. I like to tell them it's for people that like to sip their espresso at a slower pace.
Something along those lines to any customer and you won't seem incompetent. Know why you do the things you do. Not only that, but make sure your staff of barista are with you on it. That way there is no confusing the customer and they won't complain that someone made it and another person won't.
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Nice John,
Less is More. Back to the basics.
Joe
John P said:Be excited to offer what you DO have, and educate in the process. Don't make it more complicated than that.
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So that lady JUST came back through. My first instinct was to just hide. Or pretend to be a different person. But I answered the window anyways and thank jesus she didn't recognize me. I really wanted to make the same dry capp we kick ass at. But today I was sitting and thinking, maybe she just LIKES hot milk with foam on top. And she decided to come to Mela instead of driving a block away and going to Starbucks. So I made her the best damn hot milk with foam on top I could muster and she loved it.
It boils down to the customer is always right, and she's going to come back more often now because she got the drink she knows and loves....even if it did kind of kill my soul
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Brandi,
You have a good soul. No matter what coffee you brew up. Your soul is your soul. We on this list got to know you and your soul and are getting to know you better with each and every post here. I thank Matt Milletto for coming up with this fantastic platform for us to share. Everything from great coffee to the souls who work the front lines like you and me Brandi. I don't know about you but I work way too many hours to have a "life" so to speak. My life and soul is coffee so I'm very happy here in this business. This BX platform is a place to connect with others having the same obstacles to success. Keeping true to our soul is very important here and sometimes very challenging. I don't agree that the customer is always right. The customer may think he or she is right and that is important to them. What is important to me is they are happy and would like to come back and have another drink made by me. If I have the time or opportunity I would love to talk coffee with them and share with them why there drink tastes good and what we can do to make it taste better.
Keep smiling Brandi. It's one of your best traits. I feel better just seeing you smile. I admit by the end of the day I can be smiled out but my heart takes over and smiles for me.
Cheers,
Joseph
-- Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform.
Brandi Heath said:So that lady JUST came back through. My first instinct was to just hide. Or pretend to be a different person. But I answered the window anyways and thank jesus she didn't recognize me. I really wanted to make the same dry capp we kick ass at. But today I was sitting and thinking, maybe she just LIKES hot milk with foam on top. And she decided to come to Mela instead of driving a block away and going to Starbucks. So I made her the best damn hot milk with foam on top I could muster and she loved it.
It boils down to the customer is always right, and she's going to come back more often now because she got the drink she knows and loves....even if it did kind of kill my soul
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Permalink Reply by Matthew Gasaway on
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I wouldn't say the customer is always right.
20oz 6 pump vanilla carmel dry capp
If someone told me that I wouldn't serve it.
But thats where a smile and some customer education comes in.
It comes down to how you present it.
There are some things I'll compromise and somethings I'll stand pretty firm on.
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Nice Point Matthew.
This takes me to the topic that Erin started called,
http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/the-moment-that-made-yo...
When you or I stand at the front counter we are in charge. Unless you count the wild card owner. By that I mean the owner who says "Matthew the customer asked for a 20oz 6 pump vanilla caramel dry capp please make it for them and charge accordingly"
In this situation you have a hard choice. Baring that situation when you get these unreasonable / uneducated requests I'm with you Matthew, it's time for a short course in why I'm not going to make you that drink and why I would not make it for anyone. As a Barista we are the coffee professionals. When we take time to educate and help the customer enjoy the fruits of our labor most of them will be back. Those that don't that's ok too. There is a shop somewhere that will make that drink. Just not mine.
Joe
Matthew Gasaway said:I wouldn't say the customer is always right.
20oz 6 pump vanilla carmel dry capp
If someone told me that I wouldn't serve it.
But thats where a smile and some customer education comes in.
It comes down to how you present it.
There are some things I'll compromise and somethings I'll stand pretty firm on.
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Permalink Reply by Shadow on
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I'd never say the customer is always right either. I will make pretty much any drink ordered, but explain what the traditional version of it should be and see where that goes. I have converted quite a few people just by suggesting how I make a drink compared to the way they're used to having it served at other places.
I can honestly say the suggestion I hear most often is "can I get an extra shot added to that" because most of our first timers are used to getting just a single in their drink at so many local places. Then I tell them a double shot is standard in ALL of our drinks and they're all smiles after that.
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Permalink Reply by Andy Atkinson on
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- Matthew the customer asked for a 20oz 6 pump vanilla caramel dry capp please make it for them and charge accordingly. - How many times do you have to be told, we are in the people business. This whole coffee thing is just a byproduct of our true goal of bending over and dropping our pants for $3.65. You should also begin serving hot dogs, cause that's what they asked for.
PS Sorry Joseph for hijacking your line, it was to good to pass up.
Matthew Gasaway said:I wouldn't say the customer is always right.
20oz 6 pump vanilla carmel dry capp
If someone told me that I wouldn't serve it.
But thats where a smile and some customer education comes in.
It comes down to how you present it.
There are some things I'll compromise and somethings I'll stand pretty firm on.
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Any,
Nice Shot. I wish I could do it to myself. So to speak. I said what I said because I know how many Baristas out there suffer with a boss from hell that does not have a clue as to what is being discussed here. I empathize. I have had my share of those bosses. I hope one day to be the boss I always wish I had.
What I forgot to mention is as a shop owner and one who hires, I will be requiring the reading of these threads on BX. In fact membership to BX is not an option here at my store. Oh God what am I saying am I starting to sound like a BX Nazi? ;^)
Many don't have the money up front for Matt's ABC school but this site is here for all of us to learn from.
Brandi, thanks for this topic before it gets too morphed out there.
Cheers,
Joseph
Andy Atkinson said:- Matthew the customer asked for a 20oz 6 pump vanilla caramel dry capp please make it for them and charge accordingly. - How many times do you have to be told, we are in the people business. This whole coffee thing is just a byproduct of our true goal of bending over and dropping our pants for $3.65. You should also begin serving hot dogs, cause that's what they asked for.
PS Sorry Joseph for hijacking your line, it was to good to pass up.
Matthew Gasaway said:I wouldn't say the customer is always right.
20oz 6 pump vanilla carmel dry capp
If someone told me that I wouldn't serve it.
But thats where a smile and some customer education comes in.
It comes down to how you present it.
There are some things I'll compromise and somethings I'll stand pretty firm on.
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