Home Sweet Home
I'm often inspired by my workplace.
Conversations with customers can enlighten me about subjects ranging from vegetarianism to weather patterns. My staff members at Caffe Rosso all push me to be a better barista and worker. And cafes are universally agreed-upon to be the best places to think and read — especially in -30 — so I do a significant amount of both in this spot, and others around the city.
But one thing I've noticed over the years of working in the coffee industry is that some customers just don't know how to interact with their baristas. I often contrast it with the waiter-customer relationship: Mostly everyone knows the drill when it comes to ordering, complaining, tipping and being courteous in a restaurant, but cafes seem to be different worlds for some. This blog post (as every other one I write) isn't written to patronize you as the customer, but to help strengthen our relationship and further our collective coffee experience.
So with that being said, here's some pointers:
1. Understand that the system works like this: (1) Order at the till (2) Walk to the counter, or sit down and wait for your drink (3) Chat with your barista, or with your friend, or to yourself. This may seem brutally obvious to some, but I've had dozens of people try to order a sandwich while I'm steaming milk on the espresso machine, or wait for their latte by the pastry case. It's seems illogical, but I get it. A lot goes on in a cafe, and sometimes your mind is elsewhere. But if you follow the three handy steps listed above, you get your drink faster, and you'll be less frustrated!
2. Don't be embarrassed if you don't know what an item on the menu is. There's a lot of weird Italian lingo in the coffee industry (perhaps because the first wave of coffee emerged from there), but that doesn't mean that we all speak Italian, or have the faintest clue of what certain names actually translate as. But if you don't know what a macchiato is (which wouldn't be surprising, as certain chains based out of Seattle have confused the term, but that's another story), or are confused about what an americano misto is, that's alright. We've all been there at some point. Ask us what it is, and you won't end up with a drink you didn't expect to have.
3. Acknowledge that a good product takes time to make. There's no offense intended by this, but if you want a latte made in 10 seconds, go to somewhere like Tim Hortons. We, and other fine third-wave shops around the city, take a lot of pride in pulling our espresso properly, steaming our milk to the right temperature and pouring art into the cup. Each of those steps takes time. And if there's a line-up in front of you, realize that we have to get through those drinks before we gets to yours. There's plenty of magazines and newspapers around the cafe to read, and we play some pretty good tunes, so sit back and relax for a couple of minutes. Or, come chat with us!
4. Tell us if you're displeased with a product. This takes a lot of humility on both ends; it's sometimes awkward to tell your barista that they screwed up, and it's even more awkward for the barista who poorly represented the business. But, as the barista who first trained me once said, the mark of a good barista (or worker of any kind) is how they make up for their mistakes. So let us do that for you. Those in the coffee industry have a bad habit of showing that something sucks (or just isn't amazing) by leaving it half-full on the counter. That's a huge disappointment for the person that made it. If something doesn't satisfy the customer, whether they're a professional or a regular customer, we'd love it if you told us. Engage in the conversation about how to make the product you receive better. Coffee's still a young industry, and we're all still learning.
5. Recognize that we're human. This matters on a number of levels. Firstly, because we're human (and not machines), we sometimes screw up. That's alright. If you can bear with us, we'll make it better for you somehow. Secondly, we can only make so many dozen drinks before we have to take a 10 second break to drink some water or use the washroom. We're not slacking. Rather, by taking a couple of seconds to breathe, we're de-stressing and making the whole system more efficient. Finally, interact with us on a human level. Although lots of urban theorists argue that the city turns us into cogs (look at Georg Simmel's work as an example), I have enough faith in humanity that we can make our interaction at the bar more than a business transaction. I'm not going to go all hyper-emotional on you. Let's just try to connect as humans.
There's plenty more that I could add, but I doubt that many will read this far. Hopefully this will continue to further the discussion about coffee, customer service and cafes. If you have any questions, recommendations or comments, feel free to post them at the bottom. I'll be more than happy to chat.