I somewhat-recently started a barista job after a little while away from the industry, and I’ve noticed a baffling trend of customers asking for no ice or “very light ice” in their lattes and still expecting their cup to be full to the top. The cafes I’ve worked at in the past have been in the same general area, with similar vibe and customer base. But I’ve never experienced this before!

Now when someone orders no ice I explain that the drink will be shorter than the cup. It feels insulting to their intelligence to do this, but clearly it’s necessary because almost every time the customer gets confused & disappointed (or literally scoffs at me!) then says they’ll just take it normal. They act as if I’m trying to scam them just by explaining the concept of volume and liquid displacement??

My guess is they think this is some life hack to getting double the drink for free. I understand trying this with a refresher/iced tea etc, though it’s still silly to assume it’ll work. What I don’t get is doing this for a latte… that’s either a ridiculous milk:coffee ratio or 4 shots of espresso! Pricing aside, I would never make either for someone who didn’t specifically ask for it! (No judgement, they’re just obviously nonstandard drinks)

Has anyone else noticed this trend appearing in the last few years? Are any of y’all’s cafes actually doing this? And if not, how do you handle customers who expect you to?

Context: I work at a small, family owned, coffee shop. Literally in the middle of a neighborhood. We have a lot of freedom when it comes to things like our music, how we speak, and what we wear. We have never had an issue with new customers and all of our regulars know us all (about 17 employees) by name.

Today, one of my coworkers went around the block to grab some food, which she often does. On her way back she was chased across the street by a man. Usually there are a ton of people around and we have a lot of street performers that never bother us. (She is okay, the man never came in.)

On her way in she ran past about three of our regulars who all came in right after asking if she was okay. Of course, she starts explaining the situation to both us and them. Unfortunately there was a woman and her group at the counter at the time. They were finished ordering and just waiting on their drinks so my coworker was explaining the situation and the woman said “shhhh” and motioned with her hand to be quiet.

This is NOT a quiet coffee shop, often we are joking and laughing in the back. We usually play rock music and similarly loud things. My coworker went to the back and CRIED because of how overwhelmed she was.

Then one of my other coworkers asked the woman, very politely, not to hush the employees. The woman then said that coffee shops should be “quiet and peaceful” and that my coworker had “ruined the vibe.” I really just found this upsetting because it was very clear that my coworker was in distress and I think the woman was rude. I had no idea what to do in the situation because this has never happened before in my 6 years working as a barista. How should this have been handled?

okay so
yesterday i was playing Ska in the cafe. literally just Ska. we have a large cafe and it is usually pretty loud and this was very inoffensive music.
this waspy ass woman walks up with the most condescending smile and goes “just a music option offer, most people don’t want to hear music like that in a coffee shop. they’re supposed to be comfortable 😀” and i looked at her with the most “fuck off” expression and said “ok.”
then she smiled and walked away.
my coworker looked at me and then just said “okay so… fuck off. we have played way worse music in this cafe before. it’s literally ska.”

granteed we are only gonna be playing the most annoying ska this woman has ever heard (we never play ska)

Tbh this is also partly a rant.

Mine is asking for a drip or americano with steamed whatever milk instead of normal half and half.

There’s a university home football game today, thus there was crazy and chaotic long line of people wanting coffee. I’m a barista in a hotel so it is just me tackling this line. A family walks up and orders 3 americanos and some cold drinks. With their americanos, they wanted each to have a different steamed milk (coconut, whole and half and half). So there I am, steaming the smallest amount of each that I can, but no matter what I’m still wasting a good amount of the milk, all for just an inch of cream.

Annnnd of course they tipped me $1.50 for 5 drinks 🙃

But hey I made bank in tips.

I run a mobile coffee cart business in Sydney. This was this morning's setup: La Marzocco Linea Mini on a marble-top cart, outdoors in full shade (thankfully).
The hardest part of outdoor service isn't the coffee, it's keeping temp and workflow steady when you're 20 deep with parents who need caffeine now. Happy to answer questions about running espresso off-site, and keen for feedback on the pour at the end.

https://youtube.com/shorts/vCH96ho2mms?si=l0sXF2QSg86-yPo1

I work at an independent local shop and recently the owner has started saying that she wants us to track “waste”. What this means is that we have to write down every mistake that we make even if it wasn’t our fault… for example, yesterday I was making a drink for somebody and I had already dispensed the syrup and added the espresso into the cup before the lady saw something else she wanted and asked me if she could change your order. I said certainly, but that meant that I had to dump out what I had already started, and then document on a notepad beside the bar about what happened.

I feel like this is a little bit crazy and excessive but what do I know? I’ve only been a barista for two months now… thoughts?

Hi!
I’m an 18 year old beginner barista, still learning.
I have worked at better, more established coffee shops however since I am a beginner I wasn’t picked for the job after my trials at the other shops.
I did get a job at one shop that is quite new, but the owners do not have previous experience in running a coffee shop so they aren’t quite knowledgable on tools etc. At my past work places, i seemed to do better on pouring coffees. my latte art is terrible but i am trying to learn and i feel like the espresso pours at this shop make it harder. I have attached an image of a (very poor, it was my first) latte that i personally think is smoother and easier to work with, and a second from my current workplace where the coffee is more bubbly and unappealing. for context, the other places I worked at used either a distributor tool and a self levelling tamper, or a wdt, distributor and a self levelling tamper. my current workplace uses only a tamper tool which is also poorly fitted. can anyone tell me if this is just user error and my pours are the problem or if i should recommend some tools to the owner? and if so, a wdt or a weighted circular thing distributor tool or both?
Thank you!

SOLVED: So I went back and they said that 1. they don't use metal nuts to sift matcha just a spoon (and this one is a bit uhh rusty anyway so ig that's good), and 2. they DID have a guy doing maintenance yesterday who DID lose a nut piece, and he put other things on this shelf above the counter and I guess I'm the unlucky person who 'found' it. (I didn't drink the drink much before I did thankfully, I noticed a 'thunk'ing noise and investigated.) Got a refund and a free drink.

(There might be a very tiny 'T' and some other shape stamped on one side of the nut pictured.)

I'm planning to go to the cafe where I got the matcha latte tomorrow to let them know, but my anxiety/mild OCD about contamination is going in the meantime and google hasn't been helpful in answers. Not sure if this is the place to ask about technical specs on espresso machines/milk steamers, but if it is can I ask if anyone can recognize this nut part and what the likelihood is of one dropping into a cup? It's either from that or some other kitchen implement like a mixer, or randomly also something contaminating the milk/matcha product itself. Could they have done maintenance, and someone forgot to put away a nut part on the machine, and it dropped in somehow?

Maybe there are no answers but the great mystery of the universe (which I wish would've just let me had a normal nice drink for once instead), but maybe one of you with experience can assure me that this may be a irregular occurrence that sometimes happens?

(I'm not planning to make a big stink of complaining or even ask for compensation from the cafe in question or whatever, I'm just wondering and maybe also a bit worried for the state of their espresso machine/mixers/whisks.)

Hey I was hoping to learn more about a few questions below!

1. Is there a difference between pulling a double shot and adding hot water (long black, right?) versus someone who makes a cup of black coffee from like a filter and drip?

2. I’ve heard that at cafes a “single shot” is really a double? Is this true? What is a real single shot versus a double shot? Is it in the ratio? 16g beans to 32g espresso is a double? 16g to 16g is a single..?

3. When making an 8oz, 12oz, 16oz drink how much espresso would go into each given more milk being used etc?

To clarify, I mean steaming too much milk, using half of it, and then topping that same jug up with cold milk and steaming again. The cafe I work at currently is doing this to save money on milk wastage. Personally I think it’s disgusting and refuse to do it. It’s mostly the newer employees that our new owner hired as i’ve been there a long time and now it’s become standard. They’ve tried to make me do the same and have instructed me that it’s fine to steam it 2-3 times before it affects the flavour lol. Is this normal?? I can’t make myself do it i think it’s foul. There’s also a lot of other hygiene and food safety issues as well that no one cares about. Trying to find a new job because it’s disgusting here but just wondering is this something i should expect everywhere?? (In Melbourne btw)

Disclaimer: I am neurodivergent and needed to use AI to help me structure this post for better readability. I hope it doesn’t come off as robotic.

Hi friends! I could use some advice from fellow coffee shop managers and owners.

I’ve been in the coffee industry for over 10 years, from café work and roasting/production to FOH and BOH management, and even owning and operating my own shop for a year. I pride myself on being an empathetic, accommodating boss who leads by example, but I’m struggling with something that’s new to me in my current role.

I relocated about a year ago for my husband’s job and found the cutest little shop. My plan was to take a break from management and just be a barista for a while, but a few months in, I accepted a promotion to FOH manager. I love our team, and overall, I’ve really enjoyed the experience of working with a younger crew in a smaller town. That said, finding staff with open availability has been a challenge, especially with so many balancing school and other commitments.

The biggest issue lately has been frequent call-outs and a lack of coverage. I’m regularly being called in on my days off or working doubles to fill gaps, sometimes 2–3 times a week. It often feels like we have multiple people getting sick at once, and we’re struggling to find anyone available to cover. We’re trying to hire, but most applicants have very limited availability.

I want to give people the benefit of the doubt and be understanding when life happens. At the same time, I’m reaching a pretty serious level of burnout. I had a miscarriage at work last month, and since then, the constant need to pick up extra shifts has felt increasingly unsustainable. On top of that, I’m making significantly less than I did in previous positions, so the personal cost of constantly stepping in is getting harder to justify.

I’ve been transparent with the team about how this affects my personal life, but nothing has really changed. I also struggle with the idea of requiring doctor’s notes when we don’t offer health insurance or particularly high wages. Ultimately, many of our policies and systems aren’t mine to change, and I don’t want to become a rigid or unsympathetic manager just to keep things running.

So, how do you handle this? How do you balance compassion for your staff with protecting your own time and preventing burnout? Are there systems or boundaries that have helped you manage frequent call-outs without putting the entire burden on the manager?

I’d really appreciate any advice, perspective, or commiseration. I love this industry, but I’m realizing that being the person who always steps up can only work for so long.

a new barista here but i’m really just a glorified cashier

i can’t seem to get the drink making right, the milk steaming, the pacing and what sucks is because of this my co-workers never let me on bar and therefore i never practice

any tips on how to get better at drinks???

for example why is my milk so bubbly?? why doesn’t almond milk foam??? idk

These are in no specific chronological order of experience, just a collage of examples. Thanks !!

Edit: I meant don't "be" mean!! sorry

Asking since I'd like a dishwasher, but my space is a bit power-constrained, so I'm looking at the chemical ones (vs the hightemp ones).

If you do, curious about your thoughts. Any issues with lingering taste/etc of the glassware?

Thank you!

Wasn’t sure what flair to put, so went with industry discussion.

The co-op I work at (as a barista) is changing from Republic of Tea to Equal Exchange for our single serve teas.

Our current countertop displays are perfect for RoT but the EE keeps slipping through and falling out.

I’ve looked online and it doesn’t seem like EE makes their own display - was wondering if any other shops out there have any recommendations? The displays are for customer access, and we avoid plastics wherever we are able. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Happy to provide additional info if necessary.

Thank you!

Hello all,

I am planning to open a mini cafe and I am new to this coffee space.

I have tasted lots of coffee variety but I am not an expert, I just want a basic machine in my cafe as it will primarily be a dessert cafe.

My budget is under 1.5 lakh, please advise.

Also I am seeing automatic machines by Bosch and philips worth 75k🤔, are they good?

Or should I go for manual brewing or semi automatic

I've been at my store for almost two months now and I still haven't been trained on bar - hot or cold. I come in, I get stuck on drive through for 4 hours, get my lunch, come back, and get stuck on front and warming for another 4 hours.

I just sit there watching the more experienced baristas get slammed by drink orders because half of our baristas are new in the last few months and didn't get trained.

Even the stuff I can do (drive through, front, and warming) I didn't get to do the modules for, I just got thrown on the floor on my first full shift and had to figure it out.

When is it going to get better? I feel so useless and unhelpful: (

gates are down, I'm opening the awnings, guy walks by but I thought he'd keep walking. he is at the entrance and asks "is it open?" I say "yeah technically" because it was opening time, I just wasn't finished "opening" I understand that's partially my faullttt, there's a lot of shit to do for opening at this place, 30min is not enough. so I go back in once I'm done with the awnings. mind you he had plenty of time to look at the menu and figure out what he wanted. did he have an order ready? OF COURSE NOT~

asks for a iced caramel macchiato, I tell him that we do traditional macchiatos and show him the cup. I suggest a latte instead. says nah let me get 2 white chocolate lattes. proceeds to asks me "what do you think a teenager would like? hahahah" how tf would I know what YOUR teenager likes?? I truly did not give hum sass, I just said "hahah well that could mean anything!" and I go back to making his lattes. when I finish, I ask if he wanted anything else. gets an iced caramel latte for said teenager, I suppose. by the time I finish making his drink, I turn around to give it to him and his entire attitude has changed. just quiet, almost sad. probably because I didn't entertain his bs this early in the morning?? I kept my customer service face and voice on tho. same ol THANK YOU HAVE A NICE DAY :)

since then it's been nonstop for the next 6hrs, and this is a small small shop so I was by myself. we do crazily customizable drinks, we heat up food, make food, I have to bake things when low. it was kinda chaotic. pair that with 85% DUMB QUESTIONS today.... holy shit. but this rant is about that guy. he left a review, 4 stars, complained that the "coffee" was too milky... IT WAS A ~*LATTE*~

I turned in my two week notice and when I was asked why I explained that the shop isn’t well managed and I feel like it’s very unprofessional. Ten minutes later I got a phone call from the owner ready to argue that it’s not supposed to be professional because it’s a small business. She constantly brings up that she’s a teacher and stuff too, I told her employees shouldn’t be told that as some sort of an excuse for poor management. She acts like a martyr because she’s a teacher and small business owner, on the phone she literally called her and her husband “honest hard working people” as a defense to me explaining that it’s just my opinion and why I don’t want to work there anymore. The whole phone call was basically a rant about how my personality is the issue and how I don’t understand the effort she puts into the business. She proved my point by how she took everything very personally aimed at her and her family, when truthfully I just don’t want to work somewhere that I feel like is managed in an unprofessional way, even if it’s a small business ran by a family I’m a PAID EMPLOYEE, and I think that includes addressing me with some level of professionalism. I ended the call by saying to forget about my two week notice, after the way she tried to argue with me I’m not going in tomorrow morning.

There’s a lot more I could include but I’m gonna cut my rant short to address the photo. A part of her poor management was constantly texting about how staff wasn’t cleaning well enough, but she failed to address that a severe ant infestation is in the room where open ingredients are kept. I was told by her daughter that she had knowingly served people stuff with ants in it because they can’t afford to pour out full containers. She has cameras on employees at all times and I was texted about pouring stuff out, when I told her there were ants in it she ignored me and still never addressed it at all.

The main point of all of this is that I addressed her professionally and she proved she doesn’t have a shred of a chance at professionalism. I genuinely believe that she’s very incompetent and should’ve shut her store down a long time ago, I’ll be reporting her to the local health department for this and other issues.

I’ll probably lurk on this subreddit, and maybe become a barista again, but I mainly just want to say BE PROFESSIONAL. Especially if you are young, and especially if you work for a small coffee shop. Don’t compromise your integrity and don’t hesitate to quit if you’re bothered by stuff. I felt kind of stupid for my main reasons for quitting when I picked up my phone, but as soon as I got off the phone and watched the schedules be updated one by one, I felt a weight lifted off of me. that’s all, thank you to all the wonderful people that I see on here 💖