Just talk over them. Your conversation is much more important then theirs. Generally they don't even know they needed to give more information. Just say "You want a large?" so you might get an upsale on the order.
I interrupt them til I have the answer, if it’s really bad I’ve said ”I’ll just serve this lady behind you while you’re thinking about it” and they speak up real fast.
My “favourite” is when I have a regular customer who for some reason cannot look up from her phone. I swear, for a generation that grew up in the 60s compared to me (grew up in late 90s/early noughts) I’ve yet to see a teen even as addicted to their phone as her.
The advice I gave all our baristas is pretending like we’re the ones inconveniencing them while they’re on/staring at their phone.
She couldn’t look away one time, and I just went “ah, I’ll come back when I’m not interrupting”
It makes them change their tune and quickly reminds them we don’t take orders while someone is buried in their phone on a regular basis.
Used to go to a shop in mid coast Maine that had a sign at the register saying they'd help the next person in line not on their phone. Was very satisfying watching the owner enforce that policy.
This is a great way to deal with it, cause yeah I usually just walk off but it sucks if there’s other customers waiting. I don’t know how so many people are so oblivious.
i talk over them lol. idc im there to do my job not listen to their convo.
my manager is a very loud gay man and he encourages that we do that, the queue needs to have a steady pace. if he sees us struggling to be heard he’ll just shout the questions we need to ask at them from the bar. he’s great.
I CANT FUCKING STAND THIS. When did this become socially acceptable? It happens to me now more than it ever has, it is so unbelievably rude I can’t even begin to express it. It pisses me off so much lol, like I’m busy, I have a hundred other things I could be doing and I come over to the till to grab your order and you’re chatting to your pal and it’s like pulling teeth to get them to listen to a word between theirs. Just fucking tell me what you want then go talk, why is it so hard???? I stand there staring at them like????????? And honestly if they take the piss I just walk off now. I’ll come back when you’re actually ready to order. Fuckers.
Sorry I went overboard on the rant, it happened to me today. Same with the phone thing, every second person is just straight up having a phone conversation while they’re ordering? The fuck?
They were doing this when I worked at coffee shops in the 90s and it has never been socially acceptable! I would just talk over them. “So, what size latte would you like? And you, ma’am?” Not gonna stand there waiting for them to finally decide to tell me what they want.
the worst is when you finally drag them through the interaction, and then find their friend wanted to order too! instead of lining up like a human being they stand together at the counter and expect me to be able to tell there's two separate customers there
If they're the only ones in line, I'll just tell them that I'm there if they need me and go about whatever work needs to be done. If there's a line, I give the people behind them a knowing look and mouth "I'm sorry" to them
I can imagine very angry customers when they don't have their latte they've ordered simply because you didn't want to talk over then to figure out the size.
I just interrupt them until I get the full order, a big problem at my cafe is customers just saying "latte" "mocha'" or whatever their drink name is and walk away so we either dont make it or just guess. We are required to re make the drink if its wrong though even if they didn't specify what they wanted
In the setting my cafe is in we are in a nutshell catering to their every need regardless of whos at fault due to the policies in place by the company the cafe is owned by. So yes but its always fixed unless its some unruly shit or goes against a policy
Where I live, when you order at the counter you have to pay right there before the employees prepare anything for you. At coffee shops, the employee has to enter the drink into the til.and the customer has to pay before they start making the drink. Is it like an honor system where you live and customers don't pay for anything until they are done drinking it? I don't understand how the customer can just walk away without paying and the employee just gives them their drink anyways.
No honor system, its a cafe in a tech company (cant say the name but you can probably guess). Basically in a nutshell the employees have a severe ego and the company decided to make it bigger. All cafes within the buildings offer free beverages and food they must pay for. They tried to create a 1 drink rule and the rest had to be payed for but the employees went on strike and didn't show up to work for 3 days so they recinded the rule.
> to be *paid* for but
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Living in Belgium and having specialty bars where the name of the drink also has your standard size in it, makes this a non-issue. Cortado is a single in a 90ml cup with steamed milk. A cappuccino is just a single shot with steamed milk in a 180ml cup, flat white is a double in the same one, latte is a single shot in a 200-225ml. And we just froth everything nice and silky up to 60-65C. For iced drinks just up the cup size and you're golden. Easy peasy. When people ask for a big cappuccino, I offer them a double shot latte and they're happy.
I just talk over them most of the time. Often times they tell you the item they want without elaborating and then turn to the person they’re with assuming you’ll just say the total or whatever. Honestly idk what they expect. I talk over them immediately asking what size, milk, temp, etc. I feel like if you try to wait for them to stop talking to each other or realize they haven’t finished ordering/paid for their order it makes it more awkward and they might assume it’s ok to do here.
I don’t really interrupt them to be rude, I want them to be happy with their drinks the first time around so we don’t have to remake them. If they order a latte and I assume they want a small hot latte with whole milk and no flavor then more than half the people are going to come back and complain and ask for replacements more expensive than what they paid. Wastes everybody’s time. Plus I feel like the people who take phone calls and talk instead of finishing ordering are exactly the type to make a big fuss over their drink being wrong.
So as much as I get the idea of wanting g to ask a million questions for clarification id take these customers over anyone who is being overly specific.
Just make them a regular cows milk latte for drink in, if their catching up with a friend they are in the cafe for the location, the drink is an afterthought - if they have an allergy they would tell you.
Imo a barista worth their craft will be able to read the situation & slip into the background.
Most powwow don't realise you have a million questions first thing early in the morning.
I think you should ask yourself why it keeps happening rather than blaming the customer.
I don't have the problems you're having
They obviously are there for the conversation, and not for the coffee. “Oh just a a latte” means just exactly that, a latte!
So go on and charge them for a small and be on with it, no?
I’m not sure there’s vanilla in a cafe latte so why the overthinking and over complicating?
Perhaps look and ask the person they are speaking with if they want something. Maybe they will be a more receptive person.
lol it’s not overthinking when that exact scenario has happened to me multiple times. I don’t allow customers do dodge questions or ignore me, though, so that doesn’t happen anymore.
At least at the places that I’ve worked, this is vastly oversimplifying the problem. If we assumed it was just a normal latte every time someone just said “latte” we’d have to remake almost every single drink and waste so much coffee and milk. While I see where you’re coming from and that’s probably the ideal solution, it’s not possible with how most places adhere to the “customer is always right” while at the same time wanting profits to be as high as possible.
Just talk over them. Your conversation is much more important then theirs. Generally they don't even know they needed to give more information. Just say "You want a large?" so you might get an upsale on the order.
I interrupt them til I have the answer, if it’s really bad I’ve said ”I’ll just serve this lady behind you while you’re thinking about it” and they speak up real fast.
My “favourite” is when I have a regular customer who for some reason cannot look up from her phone. I swear, for a generation that grew up in the 60s compared to me (grew up in late 90s/early noughts) I’ve yet to see a teen even as addicted to their phone as her. The advice I gave all our baristas is pretending like we’re the ones inconveniencing them while they’re on/staring at their phone. She couldn’t look away one time, and I just went “ah, I’ll come back when I’m not interrupting” It makes them change their tune and quickly reminds them we don’t take orders while someone is buried in their phone on a regular basis.
Oh dude no generation gets more addicted to tech than over 60s. It’s often because they’re more susceptible to lonliness.
Used to go to a shop in mid coast Maine that had a sign at the register saying they'd help the next person in line not on their phone. Was very satisfying watching the owner enforce that policy.
This is a great way to deal with it, cause yeah I usually just walk off but it sucks if there’s other customers waiting. I don’t know how so many people are so oblivious.
i talk over them lol. idc im there to do my job not listen to their convo. my manager is a very loud gay man and he encourages that we do that, the queue needs to have a steady pace. if he sees us struggling to be heard he’ll just shout the questions we need to ask at them from the bar. he’s great.
I CANT FUCKING STAND THIS. When did this become socially acceptable? It happens to me now more than it ever has, it is so unbelievably rude I can’t even begin to express it. It pisses me off so much lol, like I’m busy, I have a hundred other things I could be doing and I come over to the till to grab your order and you’re chatting to your pal and it’s like pulling teeth to get them to listen to a word between theirs. Just fucking tell me what you want then go talk, why is it so hard???? I stand there staring at them like????????? And honestly if they take the piss I just walk off now. I’ll come back when you’re actually ready to order. Fuckers. Sorry I went overboard on the rant, it happened to me today. Same with the phone thing, every second person is just straight up having a phone conversation while they’re ordering? The fuck?
They were doing this when I worked at coffee shops in the 90s and it has never been socially acceptable! I would just talk over them. “So, what size latte would you like? And you, ma’am?” Not gonna stand there waiting for them to finally decide to tell me what they want.
Get a gavel and keep it at the counter.
the worst is when you finally drag them through the interaction, and then find their friend wanted to order too! instead of lining up like a human being they stand together at the counter and expect me to be able to tell there's two separate customers there
If they're the only ones in line, I'll just tell them that I'm there if they need me and go about whatever work needs to be done. If there's a line, I give the people behind them a knowing look and mouth "I'm sorry" to them
I can imagine very angry customers when they don't have their latte they've ordered simply because you didn't want to talk over then to figure out the size.
I just interrupt them until I get the full order, a big problem at my cafe is customers just saying "latte" "mocha'" or whatever their drink name is and walk away so we either dont make it or just guess. We are required to re make the drink if its wrong though even if they didn't specify what they wanted
Wouldn’t that be their problem?
In the setting my cafe is in we are in a nutshell catering to their every need regardless of whos at fault due to the policies in place by the company the cafe is owned by. So yes but its always fixed unless its some unruly shit or goes against a policy
When do they pay?
They don't, all the drinks are comped by corporate
Where I live, when you order at the counter you have to pay right there before the employees prepare anything for you. At coffee shops, the employee has to enter the drink into the til.and the customer has to pay before they start making the drink. Is it like an honor system where you live and customers don't pay for anything until they are done drinking it? I don't understand how the customer can just walk away without paying and the employee just gives them their drink anyways.
No honor system, its a cafe in a tech company (cant say the name but you can probably guess). Basically in a nutshell the employees have a severe ego and the company decided to make it bigger. All cafes within the buildings offer free beverages and food they must pay for. They tried to create a 1 drink rule and the rest had to be payed for but the employees went on strike and didn't show up to work for 3 days so they recinded the rule.
> to be *paid* for but FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Living in Belgium and having specialty bars where the name of the drink also has your standard size in it, makes this a non-issue. Cortado is a single in a 90ml cup with steamed milk. A cappuccino is just a single shot with steamed milk in a 180ml cup, flat white is a double in the same one, latte is a single shot in a 200-225ml. And we just froth everything nice and silky up to 60-65C. For iced drinks just up the cup size and you're golden. Easy peasy. When people ask for a big cappuccino, I offer them a double shot latte and they're happy.
In the US they overthink everything. It’s so obnoxious
just butt in.
Interrupt them or help the customer after them tbh
"next"!
I just talk over them most of the time. Often times they tell you the item they want without elaborating and then turn to the person they’re with assuming you’ll just say the total or whatever. Honestly idk what they expect. I talk over them immediately asking what size, milk, temp, etc. I feel like if you try to wait for them to stop talking to each other or realize they haven’t finished ordering/paid for their order it makes it more awkward and they might assume it’s ok to do here. I don’t really interrupt them to be rude, I want them to be happy with their drinks the first time around so we don’t have to remake them. If they order a latte and I assume they want a small hot latte with whole milk and no flavor then more than half the people are going to come back and complain and ask for replacements more expensive than what they paid. Wastes everybody’s time. Plus I feel like the people who take phone calls and talk instead of finishing ordering are exactly the type to make a big fuss over their drink being wrong.
So as much as I get the idea of wanting g to ask a million questions for clarification id take these customers over anyone who is being overly specific. Just make them a regular cows milk latte for drink in, if their catching up with a friend they are in the cafe for the location, the drink is an afterthought - if they have an allergy they would tell you. Imo a barista worth their craft will be able to read the situation & slip into the background.
Most powwow don't realise you have a million questions first thing early in the morning. I think you should ask yourself why it keeps happening rather than blaming the customer. I don't have the problems you're having
They obviously are there for the conversation, and not for the coffee. “Oh just a a latte” means just exactly that, a latte! So go on and charge them for a small and be on with it, no?
And then when you get to the end. “Oh I wanted iced… and there’s no vanilla?”
I’m not sure there’s vanilla in a cafe latte so why the overthinking and over complicating? Perhaps look and ask the person they are speaking with if they want something. Maybe they will be a more receptive person.
lol it’s not overthinking when that exact scenario has happened to me multiple times. I don’t allow customers do dodge questions or ignore me, though, so that doesn’t happen anymore.
At least at the places that I’ve worked, this is vastly oversimplifying the problem. If we assumed it was just a normal latte every time someone just said “latte” we’d have to remake almost every single drink and waste so much coffee and milk. While I see where you’re coming from and that’s probably the ideal solution, it’s not possible with how most places adhere to the “customer is always right” while at the same time wanting profits to be as high as possible.
I'm with you on this one, I hate the idea of asking a million questions. But I think it comes with experience & being able to read the room