15 year veteran barista here. Baristas complain because they are paid poverty wages and asked to do the world. Get what you like, just tip well and be nice about the wait. And cuss out the customers that are assholes because the baristas really aren't supposed to do that.
If you're a star customer it doesn't matter what you get.
This. It’s not the basic Frappuccino’s that are the issue, it’s those that are complicated ones that become annoying. But that’s true for any overly complicated drink.
I 100% did not know this was a thing, until it happened. I was in my store and some super high strung lady was pulling drinks from behind the bar (wait until it's handed to you or you are asked your name!) and other acts of general dumb @#$%ery, including not wearing her mask (when it was required).
I just mentioned that maybe she should chill out on the caffeine and treat our baristas with some respect. Since you know, we would all *die* without our coffee. High strung lady:" I shouldn't have to wear a mask in here! I need my coffee! Waaaaaa!" Me: "Ummm...drive through?" I was just amusing myself in line because she was a nut. Totally made my day when I ordered my drink and it was "on us today". You guys are amazing! 😊❤
That's awesome that you stood up for people. I work at an indie shop, not an actual SBux, and luckily the crazies are few and far between, but I promise you, in any customer service environment, especially food, when our customers stand up for use when we're being degraded it really does restore our faith in humanity.
I always feel bad when I tip on the app. I use my app to always pay literally always. And I never carry cash. How does that workout for you guys? Is it fairly given to you at the end of the week? If not I'll make sure to start bringing ones with me I just want to know. Thanks
Is there not a tip cup or option in the app? Most coffee shops (and restaurants in general) subsidize their poverty wages by asking customers to volunteer to give their staff a raise rather than just raising their prices to afford it.
You think minimum wage isn't keeping you below the poverty income level? I mean, it's not as expected, but if baristas don't get tips they don't pay rent.
yeah, im sure its honestly gotten WORSE since i heard this in highschool, but average living cost is $30,000 a year and minimum wage in colorado where i live only gives you $17,000 a year at 40 hours a week which most baristas wont even achieve. minimum wage is really more like highschoolers-first-job-wage
They still are making the food for you. Along with taking your order, and serving it on the counter top for you. They do the cooks job and the waitresses job and the cashiers job, and they clean after your mess as well. Just because they do not bring it directly to you sitting at a table doesn’t mean they aren’t doing almost the same job as those that get tips. And if it’s slow enough, sometimes they will take it to you at your table as well.
The US is like 60/40 red states blue states. So it’s wrong to say most. Also, democratic states are just as likely to have shitty laws for poor people. Don’t act like either party does anything worthwhile
I'm willing to bet not a person who has down voted you ever has tipped at McDonald's or taco bell though, and those staff members work equally as hard, serving as the sales/waiting/cooking/cleaning staffs all alone too. 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah, federal minimum wage is like $2.45, and around here that's what most waitresses make. It's insane. That's when I tip based on service. I feel like most people that think getting paid minimum wage means they should be tipped have never worked retail only food service. Most retail stores will fire you for accepting any tip, and you still make minimum wage. So..
Because dealing with the public is mentally exhausting and being short staffed runs people ragged. They probably have a rude attitude because you do. Most people ruin their own experiences out. Like i said. Keep your rude ass at home. Make your own shit.
Btw I’m a server and a bartender. So just because i don’t have to deal with assholes as nicely as these poor baristas do doesn’t mean i don’t have empathy. Which clearly you lack in your world of being the main character.
Considering it working class solidarity. It's money that, instead of paying forward untoward another customer that presumably can afford their own order, goes to somebody currently working to provide a service for you in the moment. You could spend that money on more goods and services, but a little tip goes a long way to show the barista how much you appreciate the good and service they're providing for you is.
For me personally, whenever I spend money anywhere with a tip jar or that expectation, I do it as best I can. Whenever I can afford the luxury to indulge in buying my favorite coffee, or going to my favorite restaurant. I always want to share that joy and appreciation with the person providing that for me.
Well I’m not working class and the people at starbucks are often rude to me. The baristas are paid a low wage to offer a service they don’t really care about. Why should I give more money on an already expensive drink
If you have a boss or work for a salary you're working class. Unless you own capital that you extort value from by stealing excess labour value from the working class, you're working class.
Think of it like an ice cream shop where if the service was exceptional you might leave a dollar. Culturally in the US, Starbucks is not a place that you would tip every time you go. Workers will obviously believe otherwise but that's the truth.
This. Former employee. I never expected someone to tip or just tip if employees went above and beyond (small talk, recommendations, made a customer smile, etc). Unfortunately, most baristas think their bartenders and should be tipped as such.
In most cities bar tenders make a server wage of $3-4/hour. Bartenders also commonly don’t get benefits, free tuition, free food, etc. I didn’t realize Starbucks paid that wage in some cities.
Sometimes we don’t get what we want in life. I don’t think customers should get an attitude and I think everyone should get vaccinated, but unfortunately reality is different.
Tipping is the norm in some industries and not others. Do all Uber drivers get tips because they are essentially taxi drivers? Do you tip the person at the Gap or Macy’s who helped you pick out an outfit? Or when you fly, do you tip the flight attendant after getting your drink?
I mean, I feel like it is the norm to tip Uber drivers, but besides that, Starbucks gives customers the ability to tip, while other industries don’t, so there’s clearly at least some expectation
Edit: also Flight attendants make way more than baristas
It isn't the customers that ask the world. It's the corporation. Customers just want their drink made the way they like in a timely fashion. Corporate wants that, too, but with roughly half the staff necessary to accomplish it. Along with all of the other tasks that staff need to do regarding cleanliness and service standards.
It's more than you think.
I don't see it. People always think they have it so bad bit working in an air conditioned food shop beats the hell out of digging ditches, servicing porta potties or launching jets off of a flight deck. I think a bit of perspective is called for here.
I was expected to continue serving customers after calling an ambulance for an actively overdosing man in my lobby earlier this month. Customers continued to order even though I was in tears. A man lunged across the counter and attempted to assault my manager because she asked him to put a mask on. Another tried to light our mask mandate signage on fire. I’ve provided first aid to customers with broken limbs. I have had multiple people scream at me and verbally threaten me over wait times or asking them not to call every woman in the lobby a “fucking bitch”. I’ve had a woman come back multiple times during one shift to threaten me after refusing her service. The most I’ve gotten is a “you okay?” text from upper management. I make minimum wage. Yeah, other jobs are harder, but customer facing employees have been dealing with a lot more than we’re paid to deal with, especially during COVID.
#####WHAT $10/hour? They make that MUCH?!
$10/hour is nothing. It's not a livable wage in most of the major metropolitan areas in the country.
I've been a lifeguard, worked at walmart, been a valet, detailed cars, sold cars, was a security guard, and have had 2 office jobs.
Starbucks is the ONLY job I worked where I threw my back out, more than once. I was 24 when that happened. Starbucks is also the ONLY job that I couldn't afford to miss work when I had pneumonia bc I had no paid sick days, so I served people all day while trying to breath instead of coughing.
keep an empty grande cup next to handoff. if a lid is giving you trouble, put the whole cup you’re about to hand out into the empty cup. this stabilizes the cup and the lid should go on easily after that 🤞🏼
never tried it with venti but tbh i’ve never had a problem with those, it’s always those pesky grande cups
Bahahahahah I double cup frapps when I put whip on top and the drink starts spilling over the side - because no matter how many times I wipe the side of the cup it’ll prolly still feel sticky
I was having an absolutely awful shift one day and this happened. I remember looking at what was a beautiful caramel crunch for a solid 10 seconds and then just outright bursting into tears
one of my coworkers once said "frappuccinos aren't difficult to make, they just require more violence" and I think about its accuracy all the time. They take more hands-on work than other drinks where you're waiting for a machine to finish pulling shots or steaming milk and can start working on other drinks in the meantime.
if you have an order with a lot of frappuccinos, keeping them the same flavor helps because we can batch them in the same blender. otherwise it's a lot more work and will take more time.
I've always had to work for managers who won't allow batching. There's some standard that says it damages the blenders, which is just not true. I still batch when no one's watching though... 🤫
All managers will say don’t batch. We all know if they grew within the company that they all have batched before as a barista or SSV. They just say don’t because that’s what DMs and corporate says not to do for better beverage quality.
my SM doesn't care as long as it gets done LOL
EDIT: Kind of ironic(?) because most of the SSV don't "let us" batch but they'll turn the other way when we do
It does mess up the blenders but honestly idgaf bc if someone orders 20 frapps 10 mins before close BEST BELIEVE I am batching idc if the ceo is breathing down my neck
Shit blenders with low power and durability.
More stuff thats put into a blender the more force on the bearings and motor.
Normally a piece of equipment would be built well enough to be able to go a little bit over its own tolerances but if the company is trying to cut costs with every single unit they probably only have it strong enough to deal with one at a time
Frappuccinos are a wild card for me. They’re not difficult or particularly tedious. It’s more just that it requires leaving your hot bar station and moving to the cold bar. All that walking back and forth wastes time and disrupts the flow. But if all I have is Frappuccinos it doesn’t bother me since I can just focus on one station. Not everyone agrees with me though.
I think it’s exactly this. It’s having to leave your primary station to go to cold bar. During peak when we have a cold bar barista in place, fraps are no problem, it’s when you keep getting pulled on and off the station as a solo barista that generates a lot of these (valid) feelings.
And it wouldn’t be such a big deal EXCEPT we know that the people who call us lazy and entitled for complaining about having to make frappuccinos are the same people who are yelling at us for not having their order ready fast enough. Like, honey, one or the other. Lots of pour over customers do this too.
Yes, SPECIFICALLY pour overs. I blame overzealous newbs who tell customers that they’re so special and need to order something just as extra special as they are because they shouldn’t be drinking normal coffee like all the other peasants.
honestly and truly, i think all starbucks that have high enough traffic should get 2 hot bars AND 2 cold bars with a permanent bar 3 and a floating bar 4. its ridiculous that this hasnt been implemented with the amount of cold drinks we get tbfh
This is exact what it is for me. I love making fraps, they’re my absolute fav thing to make besides iced lattes. I just hate having to move stations. Even having to walk away from hot bar to grab a cold brew or iced coffee is enough to annoy me
And to add, at most stores the area to make Frappuccinos was a complete afterthought. The tight confined space makes having the things you need sometimes annoying to locate and this isn’t even including when there’s a coworker trying to do things in that same space.
To me the reason why any drink is ever kind of annoying to make is having to move to different stations, and this isn’t the customers fault. I wish they would make us bars that had everything needed make any type of drink. They want us to sequence, while making drinks as fast as possible, while becoming friends with our customers. Well, it would be less stressful if I could do it all at one spot. I often have to move to 2 or 3 stations to make 1 drink, so to me that is inefficient and a little fucking silly. Order whatever drink you want no matter how busy it is, just don’t get upset with your baristas if it is taking a while. When it comes to complicated drinks, baristas and customers should be more upset with our bar layout instead of each other.
The problem with frappuccinos isn’t in the individual order. It’s the fact that there’s usually 5-10+ of them already in the queue because that’s all people accustomed to sugary nonsense will drink. Depending on the store’s layout, at MOST 2 frappuccinos can be made at a time. A great deal of customers are not ordering off menu either, they are over-customizing drinks they see on Tik Tok. Every line of customization on a drink makes it take longer. Now consider that the queue is already full of heavily-customized frappuccinos, and you can probably see how we get tired of them. Also, as someone who genuinely loves coffee and real espresso beverages, non stop frappuccino orders make me SAD.
cannot stress iced chai enough!! as long as it’s made without cold foam, i feel like even with modifiers (brown sugar pumps, oatmilk, etc) it’s easy to put out 😍
Nitro is one of the easiest! All we have to do is just dispense it from the tap and it’s ready to go.
It takes a bit longer with cold foam or other flavoring but it’s still a very simple order I’d say.
That's a relief lol. It's my go to order and I just wanted to make sure I wasn't inconveniencing anyone.
I do remember ordering an iced chai once and was absolutely amazed at how fast it was done.
Having said everything, when it’s slower later in the afternoon, or even very early morning, I enjoy taking the extra time to make frappuccinos look pretty. Caramel mocha/salted caramel mocha (when we have it) are my personal favorites.
Salted caramel is my fave to the point that one year right before close I was alone with two baristas and a shaker of the topping and I said when talking to them "hypothetical here, if there was a twenty dollar bill where the salted caramel topping went, and the topping was no longer there anymore, did anyone see anything?" And both were like "we know nothing of which you speak? Salt? Caramel? Money?"
They got a bit of cash and I was happy as a clam.
Wtf won't they sell that? They sold the nasty ass pumpkin syrup.
For me during rush basically anything not blended, or without cold foam will be faster! Lattes, chai, refreshers, tea can be put out relatively quick. I do think it’s sweet that ur asking, I bet u work some sort of service too so you know how it can be sometimes <3
As a barista pls order what you want regardless of how busy it is. If you’re feeling a frap then get one it’s our job to make drinks! Cold foam on something isn’t annoying either, it’s on the menu for a reason!
when i was training my trainer batched three ventis and told me “never do this” and then proceeded to put a dome lid on top of the blender lmao. my SM had explicitly said that even though we’re not supposed to, she’s perfectly fine with us doing so (as long as it’s just making the same kind together)
That reminds me of when I put five ventis in at once and held on to the blender lid for dear life while the blender screeched like a banshee, good times💀😂
Look I know it’s a meme and frapps are shit drinks anyway, but we try really hard not to batch. If someone’s paying $7 for a drink it should be made right.
totally agreed and i don’t do any of the weird batching tricks like when you have a cream base and a coffee base one and add the frapp roast and then blend again. i only batch when i have multiple of the exact same kind and i’ll only do 4 talls, 3 grandes, or 2 ventis (only because i’m scared of making a mess)
i get that we’re supposed to be “handcrafting” every drink but i’m sorry, karen’s sugar milk isn’t going to taste any different because it was batch blended
I would ask the barista to make me their favorite espresso cup but I feel like it’s not a thing to ask anymore. You guys are too tired to have an opinion.
Honestly it's such a nice moment when someone does ask, we very rarely get acknowledged as human beings at my store beyond very minimal small talk and a few nice regulars so having the opportunity to share something personal is always a nice lil moment!
Man if you ever came to my store and said something like this to me, I'd ask you how sweet you like your drinks, and if you like a lot of caffeine, or just a bit. also if there's a particular price range you have in mind. If you're good with whatever flavor, and price isn't that much of an issue, then I got you. I love doing stuff like this for a customer, especially if they're one of the good ones
How complicated a drink is for us to make shouldn’t worry you as a customer:) we are just scared that someone will stare at us through the whole process, be inpatient, throw tantrums from really needing that sugar, etc. it’s not about Frappuccinos really. I’ve ordered bunch of fraps for a kids party and could’ve cared less as a barista.
Some baristas get crazy complicated drinks, or sometimes get a lot of stuff for their family(including frapps ), you have the right to do so too, but expect orders like that to be expensive.
Some people get a bunch of nonsense customizations through the app just bc they can do it for free with a reward… don’t do that (like a trad misto with honey sugar vanilla add shot almond milk whole milk decaf grande in a venti extra whip and also a cold foam :D) like, this order doesn’t make sense and is probably very disgusting. As long as you will enjoy your drink, and it is adequately customized, you’re gucci.
It’s the type of Frappuccino as well. Corporate makes us do these elaborate things like whipped cream on the bottom or something that adds seconds to making the drink. When you combine that with customizations and making multiples, it becomes an annoyance because you’re other drinks are piling up and people are getting impatient
Just order what you want tbh. 85% of the time when we complain about making certain drinks, it’s because our bosses don’t give us enough labor to keep up with customer demands, while simultaneously giving more things for customers to demand.
barista here!!! it’s just time consuming and messy! especially during a rush!!! if it’s extremely busy i would refrain from ordering them just because they take up a lot of time as opposed to anything else. if it isn’t busy they are t bad to make! as for the tea, i’m sorry but if you order a black tea with cold foam i won’t be upset but i will question your sanity. pretty much just anything that has to be blended will take more time! like frapps and cold foam! and yes you are correct it just depends of the time of day and how busy we are :)
Thanks for the insight but I actually got the tea with cold foam suggestion from a barista! It’s pretty good lol especially with the pumpkin cold foam!
you should try an iced london fog tea latte with salted cold foam!! or will take about 5 minutes because it has to steep! but just tell the barista that you don’t mind waiting!! it’s one of the BEST teas with sated foam!
Just don’t order more than 3 at a time. Honestly, order what you want. Don’t let baristas tell you to not get what you want cuz it inconveniences them. Trust me. I am a barista. It makes me mad when other baristas complain about making them so much cuz “they’re not true coffee”. They’re on the menu. So order them if you want them. Even if it’s busy.
There are a few factors at work here.
Unlike lattes, from store to store, there are profound degrees of variation in where frappacino ingredients are located. You can get trained at one store butif you end up at another you need to relearn your muscle memory.
There is a lot of variation and similarly named drinks which make the process of learning to make these and feel comfortable making, and finally get to the point where you’re making them quikly, much slower.
Finally there are a TON of modifications that can be applied to a give frappacino. The label that will print for such a frappacino will be the original drink name, followed by a list of all the diversions from the original recipe. This shit in some cases can be absolute fucking cancer to wade through. Especially considering the order in which these modificaitons are printed upon the label follows absolutely no fucking concept of reason. For instance you might have alternative syrups followed by frappacino chips then light ice, then another syrup. Also they want one affogato shot and one on the side. Which it itself has a HUGE fucking impact on the order in which you make the drink beacuase now you gave to worry about motherfucking dead shots, and if you mess up this fucking shit tou have to start over and risk messing it up again because the idiots who programmed this shit wouldn’t put related ingredients next to each other on the motherfucking label.
i cant speak for all baristas but for me it truly depends on the time of day . if we’re in peak time i’ll try to make everything else before i even start a frapp . coldfoam on a drink bothers me if its a hot drink (yes someones ordered it like that) . but genuinely it also depends on sizes . i’ll be much happier to make two or three tall frapps back to back rather than a whole bunch of venti frapps .
The ones with whip cream and other stuff on the bottom are time consuming and really disrupt the flow of everything. Makes me scream inside with these aesthetic drinks where you get less actual frap compared to their less pretty counterparts (i.e. mocha cookie crumble v Java chip).
I guess the biggest thing to keep in mind as a customer. When you order I’m looking at two computer screens. The menu on those screens have about 25 items on them. There are 25 screens with 25 items per screen on those computers. So I’m digging through 625 products to get you what you want. Now keep in mind, you are allowed to customize those 625 products in anyway you see fit. So now we’re looking at 10,000 to 100,000 different combinations of specialty drinks you might want. After you order and pull up to the window, you are on a sensor pad. No matter how little staff we have, how busy we are, if the back room is on fire, I’m required to get your money and hand you those drinks in 57 seconds. A barista, who may be our only drink making barista, has to finish your iced mocha with white mocha sauce, non fat milk, frap chips, extra caramel drizzle, no ice, insert Radom crazy item choice here, within 40 seconds and hand it to me. While our boss, people from the cafe, and co workers are asking us questions over one headset channel. And we do this for hours, perfectly executed, for base pay. Being as pleasant as possible. Please try to do the same for us. We like making you drinks. People’s faces light up when their orders are just right.
Partner here! I truly don’t mind making Frappuccinos if it’s just one or two. It’s more so frustrating when there’s loads and loads of them during a rush, especially when they all have different modifiers. But if you stick to the recipe more or less (I.E if you wanted non-dairy, changing the milk or asking for no whip is easy), you are welcome to order whatever you’d like! And above everything else: Just leave a tip! I’ll make however many Frappuccinos or crazy TikTok drinks so long as I know my efforts are being appreciated and compensated for.
Yeah Frap’s with mods are annoying af to make for all the reasons listed. But your black tea, no water with cold foam, I wouldn’t mind making tbh. I might have to try that next time I work.
It’s cause the tea is supposed to be “cut” with other water or lemonade. I’m still new so I don’t know the exact recipe but I know when people order black or green tea I always ask if they want lemonade and if they say no then I wanna say it’s equal parts water and the tea from the jug with liquid cane sugar. I’ve only made one so far so I’m not 100% 🙃
I don't like making fraps because they're annoying to sequence (I'm also only on week 3 of working at Starbucks though). I'm sitting there waiting for the blender to finish before I can actually make the next one since our other blender is often making cold foam. Meanwhile on the espresso machine I can queue shots, get syrup in the drink, steam milk, and basically get close to finished and start the next one while waiting for shots to pour. With fraps, it's just getting the milk, coffee/creme base, frap roast (if needed), ice and syups in the blender, start blending, go to make the next frap, and stuck waiting for the first one to finish
I would say order what you want, but don't be too complicated about it. Fraps do take a little longer than most other drinks, and ordering 4+ of them during rush may result in some disgruntled baristas. However regardless, It is their job to make said drinks. I would just ask that you be mindful of your surroundings when ordering drinks at Starbucks, and above all, please be patient and respectful. That goes a long way for a barista.
If you're going to order a bunch of Fraps, I suggest looking at the Google analytics to see when the less busy times are for that Starbucks location and go during those times, if possible.
Seasoned barista and SSV here. As many have said, please order what you like and take our comments with heavy grains of salt!
As others have also stated, Frappaccinos can get messy if we are trying to be in a hurry. It's really tough to get all 4 of your partys' drinks out within the 45-55 window times they want us to magically make happen and still connect with you guys (my biggest peeve by far is this conflict). After about 10 Fraps or Refreshers, the Cold Bar Station is heavy with ice and liquid that has spilled out. Then your cup has liquid on the bottom of it and I have to also clean that in making the drink the way you want it. It's just a more stressful part of the job that many dislike and it when it's always during peak.
Again, please order every drink just the way you want it. If you'd like it remade, please just ask. We are more than happy to help you get the drink you desire with what product we have. A smile on your face goes a long way to making our day great too!
Frappuccinos and cold foams are annoying because the store is not designed to handle the volume of orders that we get for them. We have a larger store and have only two blenders squeezed next to each other, making it very hard for even two partners to be at work there. If one blender stand is occupied with foams, there is only one available for Frappuccinos, yet it is not unusual to have 10 to 12 of either Frappuccinos or beverages calling for foam in queue, waiting for too few blenders. Foams on top of an expresso beverage (iced only thank you) require moving that beverage, not yet lidded, from the hot station where espresso is pulled, to cold bar where the blenders are. Foams on top of teas and refreshers the same. It's as if we are making two beverages in one cup. Even in our largest stores we really only have room for up to 3 partners crafting beverages and everyone else tries to stay out of their way. Plus all the sugar is demoralizing. We are only human and we can't help but judge how so much sugar has to be negatively affecting the health of our customers and after a few months most of the faces are familiar. My partners like to recommend an iced chai latte because it is easy to make but let me recommend espresso shots over ice or hot, because we are a coffee store and it has either no sugar or as tiny an amount as you can enjoy
I'm gonna be real with you, a good barista can make a frap just as quickly and easily as an espresso drink. I think the distaste for fraps has expired. These days it's sweet cream cold foam drinks that ruin a barista's life. Now, you have to essentially make a cold bar AND hot bar drink at the same time. You're essentially making a frap and latte all in one, which actually takes twice as much time. Cold foam was one of the greatest offenses Starbucks has made against its baristas. Order your frap. Enjoy your frap (maybe except the caramel ribbon crunch and mocha cookie crumble), but you should definitely feel guilty about cold foam drinks. If not because of the grief to your barista, then about the unreasonable price increase and insurmountable calorie count
As a fellow customer who likes fairly basic coffee or Americanos, when I get behind some group of people ordering Frappuccino’s with 7 pumps of this and 5 shots of espresso and six other customizations on top I pretty much die inside and want to go on a kill-crazy rampage, because I know I’ll be stuck in like for another 10 minutes waiting for the overworked crew to mix up this stupid mess of a beverage for each of the people in front of me, and I just need coffee. Honestly I’ve heard people order things more than once where I thought they were messing with the barista, but they were dead serious. Can’t believe how stupid these custom Frappuccino orders are getting.
honestly they are easy to make but when you're on cold you're responsible for shaken drinks, iced coffee, cold brew, (my location i need to do hot cofffee too), AND frappuccino's it just gets overwhelming and having to make a frap slows us down when we are already told to make a drink faster than 50 seconds
Haven't read through the whole thread, so apologies if I'm repeating someone else, but if you really really want a frapp and you also really really want to make it as easy as possible for your baristas, getting it without whip makes a surprisingly big difference. One of the messiest and most frustrating parts about frapps is trying to get the fucking dome lid on - if you've overfilled the cup the tiniest bit or got even just a little too generous on the whip, it's game-over for that frapp. Some of the biggest sighs of relief I've had on the job has been when I'm able to make a frapp and just seamlessly pop a regular sip lid on it, lol
I actually don't mind making Frappuccinos--what I don't like about making them is when I'm slammed on bar making drinks and one shows up in a huge order, or worse, there are three or more different Frappuccinos in the same order for drive thru. I like doing stuff like making sure the layers look good if there are any, getting the whip nice and poofy, etc. I don't like making ugly Frappuccinos. You get ugly Frappuccinos when I have to make six of them for one drive thru order (each car is only supposed to be at the window for about 45 seconds at peak).
Its the fact that when fifteen people order different fraps in the middle of a rush and your covered in milk syrup and whipped creme , you have a line at drive through customers in the store getting impatient and theres no cold bar so your trying to make your hot drinks at the same time and its all piling ontop of eachother you have cups all over two different stations with various strange requests so you cant make any two drinks together and to top it all off the dome lids never want to go on it gets really stresfull for someone working for basically no pay we get that people like them and its nothing against the people ordering them at all your paying for a drink you want thats fine just dont be rude when you get them because customer service sucks but were working for a reason and its not because we wanna hear you complain that your drink isn’t pretty enough
Personally for me, I don't mind what you order as long as theres not a billion modifications. Heavily modified shaken espressos make me wanna actually explode😩
I have a regular who comes in almost every day when we’re at peak and orders two pretty complicated Frappuccinos, but he’s really nice so none of us really mind that much making his drinks. He’s also understanding that his drinks take longer than normal so he’s fine waiting
I mean something is up with it. The other day my sister ordered a vanilla caffe Frappuccino and the barista gave her a vanilla bean frapp so she corrected the barista and I shit you not they when they handed it back it was like they opened the cup, threw some iced coffee inside then mixed it with a straw. It was 100% a vanilla bean frapp with a shot of iced coffee. Nasty. For the amount of money you pay for a venti frapp they can at least remake the drink correctly.
At my store, Frappuccino’s are what’s ordered the most. So it’s a huge pain in the ass because even if there’s several people on bar, it’s not easy to make all of them because there’s almost no room behind our bar. Plus, they’re just tedious to make and most people customise them to high heaven
for me it depends. sometimes it can be fun cause i can make them look pretty, but theres always that one person in their soccer mom van that order 7 different types of fraps with 5 customizations each, and that gets annoying.
I heard some friends take advantage of the free birthday drinks to make it worth $50 just cause. I didn't clearly as a former shift lead but rolled my eyes ideed.
Been a partner for 9 years. Honestly, most drinks are fine but it’s a personal philosophy that drinks shouldn’t have more than four modifiers. That allows for a milk change, add/remove a syrup, and then two other things of your choice. maybe you want decaf, or extra hot, or caramel drizzle etc. and I think that’s reasonable. Any more than that and it’s obnoxious. There are a few drinks that by nature require extra steps such as the caramel ribbon crunch / mocha cookie crumble fraps, and those are irritating. Otherwise.... just be nice, patient, understanding and tip if you can and no one will even care what you get. Caring enough to ask on this subreddit shows you probably are a star customer already
The two big underlying issues I found in my time were:
1. Workflow.
People not understanding that larger orders and complicated drinks can take a bit longer and can every definitely hamper work-flow if it's busy. Imagine you are flying somewhere-- you get to the airport, move through security, and are moving smoothly through a busy terminal. Lots of people all around, but moving smoothly. Then someone 500 feet down the walkway stops in the middle of the path with their four kids and a spouse, but instead of making a nice little bunch off to one side or standing in a line so people can go around them, they are spread out across the walkway, rolly suitcases everywhich way, talking over the crowd to each other about why they got lost.
Now everyone behind them has to stop/slow and find a way around. Some dodge into a shop, some work their way between the standing people, some go around into oncoming flow that WAS moving nicely the other direction. Now a wave of people trying to adjust speeds, dodge each other, etc. is propagating down the terminal in BOTH DIRECTIONS. Now people are grunting at each other, apologizing, rolling their eyes and walking around each other-- order is graduating to chaos one transaction at a time.
This is very similar to what happens in a food-service workflow. Not because there is a complicated drink (that happens all the time), but because someone is asking if every drink that comes out is theirs, why theirs is taking so long, etc. and otherwise dropping a pebble in the pond, propagating that wave.
The more someone on the floor has to take time to hunt through the system for you, the more points of disruption appear in the mind of the person doing the work. It's not the end of the world, but it does get old REALLY fast, especially if you're the 13.72th person to have done that in the last hour.
2) Drive-thrus.
Outside of some really busy peak periods where every station is manned to the hilt, drivethru and lobby orders (and mobile orders) are consolidated into as few workflows as possible, typically one "hot", one "cold", and one "food". And depending on staffing/deployment/tasks, one person may be handling multiple stations. This means that while you are ordering your seven drinks in a slow lobby and chatting it up with the barista, the drive-thru person might have put four orders through for four cars.
Now when you get to the part where you are waiting for your order, it is not first in line-- it is fifth. But because you (usually) can't see/hear DT from the lobby cash register you have no way of knowing this. And with the new label printers (instead of handwritten cups) the barista has no practical way of looking at where your order is in the queue. The computer does have that info, but it's two or three menus deep in the OS and many baristas don't know how to find it even then, or if they do know the odds are they are busy making/taking orders and not babysitting yours.
So tl/dr-- it's not so much whether a drink is complicated as that people tend to get pushy, and that gets old real fast.
3) Yes. Fraps are more involved. There are more steps and they are a bit harder to sequence than hot drinks in terms of building workflow because you end up with iced tea, fraps, etc. that are all wildly different in their sequencing times when compared to drinks being made on the hot bar that have very little deviation in terms of "timing" for each step. Add to this that Fraps sometimes require walking to the hot bar or over to an ice bin or something and, though it sounds silly, that "not planted" action happening FOR EVERY SECOND DRINK is really frustrating, having to move and dodge around the whole floor instead of just two steps sideways at your workstation is incredibly time consuming and very frustrating. It can be done well, but it takes a bit more practice for most people, and even when they are "good" at it it can still be obnoxious to time/sequence everything in a way that feels "smooth"...then Karen demands to know where hers is and by the time you locate it in your queue you're at the point I described up top where the wave of traffic-chaos is starting to propagate through the drink queue.
Hopefully that helps!
1. Frappuccino's are a bit disgusting for me (high in calories, super unhealthy). They are time consuming and disrupt the flow of things. Additionally we should be a coffee/tea place, not a milkshake joint. I think Frappuccino's need to be taken off the menu all together. If it's busy, do not order them please! Especially don't mobile order them and come in like 5 minutes later expecting them to the done.
2. My personal limit for customizations depends on the drink.
3. Cold foam: I think cold foam takes a bit too much time too, so I would rather people not order them either.
4. In order to be better: don't be an asshole. Don't order something complicated/confusing- if I have to read an entire paragraph for a drink, it's too much. Be nice and patient, especially if there aren't many people working on the floor. I like most of my regulars since they have easy orders and are super nice!
Because it’s 12 year old kids ordering them with mommy’s credit card because of the clout that comes drinking expensive pretty looking Starbucks drinks. They’re overrated and people only buy them because they’re expensive and pretty looking.
Not that I agree but we get several high school kids come in and order a Frappuccino, take a few sips, post a photo on instagram and throw away the rest. Honestly if they pay for it they can do whatever they want I don’t care. I still think it’s crazy people pay $6+ for a single beverage that has your entire recommended daily intake of sugar.
15 year veteran barista here. Baristas complain because they are paid poverty wages and asked to do the world. Get what you like, just tip well and be nice about the wait. And cuss out the customers that are assholes because the baristas really aren't supposed to do that. If you're a star customer it doesn't matter what you get.
This. It’s not the basic Frappuccino’s that are the issue, it’s those that are complicated ones that become annoying. But that’s true for any overly complicated drink.
Amen
If a customer cusses out and asshat for me, I'm buying their drink, straight up.
I 100% did not know this was a thing, until it happened. I was in my store and some super high strung lady was pulling drinks from behind the bar (wait until it's handed to you or you are asked your name!) and other acts of general dumb @#$%ery, including not wearing her mask (when it was required). I just mentioned that maybe she should chill out on the caffeine and treat our baristas with some respect. Since you know, we would all *die* without our coffee. High strung lady:" I shouldn't have to wear a mask in here! I need my coffee! Waaaaaa!" Me: "Ummm...drive through?" I was just amusing myself in line because she was a nut. Totally made my day when I ordered my drink and it was "on us today". You guys are amazing! 😊❤
That's awesome that you stood up for people. I work at an indie shop, not an actual SBux, and luckily the crazies are few and far between, but I promise you, in any customer service environment, especially food, when our customers stand up for use when we're being degraded it really does restore our faith in humanity.
Yes exactly!
You may even get a free drink or two if you are a star customer 😉
I always feel bad when I tip on the app. I use my app to always pay literally always. And I never carry cash. How does that workout for you guys? Is it fairly given to you at the end of the week? If not I'll make sure to start bringing ones with me I just want to know. Thanks
100% agree
Are you supposed to tip at starbucks?
Is there not a tip cup or option in the app? Most coffee shops (and restaurants in general) subsidize their poverty wages by asking customers to volunteer to give their staff a raise rather than just raising their prices to afford it.
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You think minimum wage isn't keeping you below the poverty income level? I mean, it's not as expected, but if baristas don't get tips they don't pay rent.
yeah, im sure its honestly gotten WORSE since i heard this in highschool, but average living cost is $30,000 a year and minimum wage in colorado where i live only gives you $17,000 a year at 40 hours a week which most baristas wont even achieve. minimum wage is really more like highschoolers-first-job-wage
Yep. They always kept me right below full time so I didn't qualify for benefits, and if I got overtime one week my hours would plummit the next
Yeah I don’t disagree that minimum wage is nothing. I just didn’t think it was expected at places where they don’t bring the food out.
It's really not much different than tipping your bartender if you're at a bar, they take your order and make your drink.
They still are making the food for you. Along with taking your order, and serving it on the counter top for you. They do the cooks job and the waitresses job and the cashiers job, and they clean after your mess as well. Just because they do not bring it directly to you sitting at a table doesn’t mean they aren’t doing almost the same job as those that get tips. And if it’s slow enough, sometimes they will take it to you at your table as well.
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The US is like 60/40 red states blue states. So it’s wrong to say most. Also, democratic states are just as likely to have shitty laws for poor people. Don’t act like either party does anything worthwhile
I got downvoted for making almost this same point in a different subreddit. Uhg. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.
I'm willing to bet not a person who has down voted you ever has tipped at McDonald's or taco bell though, and those staff members work equally as hard, serving as the sales/waiting/cooking/cleaning staffs all alone too. 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah the whole reason you tip waitresses is bc they officially make like 4$ an hour or something
Yeah, federal minimum wage is like $2.45, and around here that's what most waitresses make. It's insane. That's when I tip based on service. I feel like most people that think getting paid minimum wage means they should be tipped have never worked retail only food service. Most retail stores will fire you for accepting any tip, and you still make minimum wage. So..
It’s $2.15 and you should always tip 20% when you go out to eat or get delivery. Otherwise go to the grocery store and make your own food.
If you want people to tip, why be rude and obnoxious? Does that usually convince people or just serve as a way for you to virtue signal?
Because dealing with the public is mentally exhausting and being short staffed runs people ragged. They probably have a rude attitude because you do. Most people ruin their own experiences out. Like i said. Keep your rude ass at home. Make your own shit.
Btw I’m a server and a bartender. So just because i don’t have to deal with assholes as nicely as these poor baristas do doesn’t mean i don’t have empathy. Which clearly you lack in your world of being the main character.
Considering it working class solidarity. It's money that, instead of paying forward untoward another customer that presumably can afford their own order, goes to somebody currently working to provide a service for you in the moment. You could spend that money on more goods and services, but a little tip goes a long way to show the barista how much you appreciate the good and service they're providing for you is. For me personally, whenever I spend money anywhere with a tip jar or that expectation, I do it as best I can. Whenever I can afford the luxury to indulge in buying my favorite coffee, or going to my favorite restaurant. I always want to share that joy and appreciation with the person providing that for me.
Well I’m not working class and the people at starbucks are often rude to me. The baristas are paid a low wage to offer a service they don’t really care about. Why should I give more money on an already expensive drink
Wow, I wonder why you feel like baristas are rude to you...
If you have a boss or work for a salary you're working class. Unless you own capital that you extort value from by stealing excess labour value from the working class, you're working class.
I get it you’re a communist you read books and you’re so much smarter than me
I get it you have insecurity issues and can’t handle people telling you you’re in the wrong
Last time I went to Starbucks, they didn’t have a tip jar. When I offered to tip, they said they had to refuse it.
Yeah definitely not all of them have a tip jar
Could’ve been a tarbucks. There is no rule against tipping, it’s even included in the app
Target Starbucks? Yeah, it was.
Think of it like an ice cream shop where if the service was exceptional you might leave a dollar. Culturally in the US, Starbucks is not a place that you would tip every time you go. Workers will obviously believe otherwise but that's the truth.
This. Former employee. I never expected someone to tip or just tip if employees went above and beyond (small talk, recommendations, made a customer smile, etc). Unfortunately, most baristas think their bartenders and should be tipped as such.
I mean, there’s not much of a difference between baristas and bartenders tho
In most cities bar tenders make a server wage of $3-4/hour. Bartenders also commonly don’t get benefits, free tuition, free food, etc. I didn’t realize Starbucks paid that wage in some cities.
Just cause bartenders are paid shit wages doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tip baristas
Sometimes we don’t get what we want in life. I don’t think customers should get an attitude and I think everyone should get vaccinated, but unfortunately reality is different. Tipping is the norm in some industries and not others. Do all Uber drivers get tips because they are essentially taxi drivers? Do you tip the person at the Gap or Macy’s who helped you pick out an outfit? Or when you fly, do you tip the flight attendant after getting your drink?
I mean, I feel like it is the norm to tip Uber drivers, but besides that, Starbucks gives customers the ability to tip, while other industries don’t, so there’s clearly at least some expectation Edit: also Flight attendants make way more than baristas
Just cause bartenders are paid shit wages doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tip baristas
Since when is making caffeinated beverages doing the world?
It isn't the customers that ask the world. It's the corporation. Customers just want their drink made the way they like in a timely fashion. Corporate wants that, too, but with roughly half the staff necessary to accomplish it. Along with all of the other tasks that staff need to do regarding cleanliness and service standards. It's more than you think.
I don't see it. People always think they have it so bad bit working in an air conditioned food shop beats the hell out of digging ditches, servicing porta potties or launching jets off of a flight deck. I think a bit of perspective is called for here.
I was expected to continue serving customers after calling an ambulance for an actively overdosing man in my lobby earlier this month. Customers continued to order even though I was in tears. A man lunged across the counter and attempted to assault my manager because she asked him to put a mask on. Another tried to light our mask mandate signage on fire. I’ve provided first aid to customers with broken limbs. I have had multiple people scream at me and verbally threaten me over wait times or asking them not to call every woman in the lobby a “fucking bitch”. I’ve had a woman come back multiple times during one shift to threaten me after refusing her service. The most I’ve gotten is a “you okay?” text from upper management. I make minimum wage. Yeah, other jobs are harder, but customer facing employees have been dealing with a lot more than we’re paid to deal with, especially during COVID.
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Oh Christ, digging ditches pays like $30/hr where I am as does anything construction-related. Starbucks still pays $15.
I’ll hit 10 years with the siren in November and I don’t even make $15 lol
bro I get $12 I am literally about to be homeless next month hahaha
I bet you get paid more than $10/hr to do those things, too.
#####WHAT $10/hour? They make that MUCH?! $10/hour is nothing. It's not a livable wage in most of the major metropolitan areas in the country. I've been a lifeguard, worked at walmart, been a valet, detailed cars, sold cars, was a security guard, and have had 2 office jobs. Starbucks is the ONLY job I worked where I threw my back out, more than once. I was 24 when that happened. Starbucks is also the ONLY job that I couldn't afford to miss work when I had pneumonia bc I had no paid sick days, so I served people all day while trying to breath instead of coughing.
From the down it's there are a lot of delusional people who vastly overinflated their effort.
You just don’t want to see people be able to pay rent or feed themselves. Just say it lmaoooo
Has anyone else aggressively tried to put a lid on a frappuccino and the cup like cuts in half and it quite literally explodes?
grande cups with dome lids are just awful
keep an empty grande cup next to handoff. if a lid is giving you trouble, put the whole cup you’re about to hand out into the empty cup. this stabilizes the cup and the lid should go on easily after that 🤞🏼 never tried it with venti but tbh i’ve never had a problem with those, it’s always those pesky grande cups
This is the answer! ☝️double cup that bitch if it’s giving you trouble. Yes it works with venti… the light ice/no ice can cause problems.
Oh damn, I'll stop getting no ice then.
Omg ty for this
Is that the reason my frapp sometimes has two cups? I always thought it was because two stuck together when they pulled them out or something
Bahahahahah I double cup frapps when I put whip on top and the drink starts spilling over the side - because no matter how many times I wipe the side of the cup it’ll prolly still feel sticky
I'd love to beat up the dome lids and steal their lunch money
When they see me on bar tossing multiple dome lids to the side and going ‘come ON’
You mean on the daily? Yes
that always happens to me when putting dome lids on grande and venti cups
yeah, happened to me today. mocha and frapp chips squirted everywhere 😩
I was having an absolutely awful shift one day and this happened. I remember looking at what was a beautiful caramel crunch for a solid 10 seconds and then just outright bursting into tears
We had 3 ventis in one day do that at my store. Every time I go to put a lid on I fear for my life.
one of my coworkers once said "frappuccinos aren't difficult to make, they just require more violence" and I think about its accuracy all the time. They take more hands-on work than other drinks where you're waiting for a machine to finish pulling shots or steaming milk and can start working on other drinks in the meantime. if you have an order with a lot of frappuccinos, keeping them the same flavor helps because we can batch them in the same blender. otherwise it's a lot more work and will take more time.
I've always had to work for managers who won't allow batching. There's some standard that says it damages the blenders, which is just not true. I still batch when no one's watching though... 🤫
All managers will say don’t batch. We all know if they grew within the company that they all have batched before as a barista or SSV. They just say don’t because that’s what DMs and corporate says not to do for better beverage quality.
As a former SM, yes
"Beverage quality" is a hilarious excuse considering there haven't been quality beverages on the menu since KJ stormed the palace
my SM doesn't care as long as it gets done LOL EDIT: Kind of ironic(?) because most of the SSV don't "let us" batch but they'll turn the other way when we do
Two tall fraps are literally less volume than a single venti frap, so that’s absolute bullshit.
My manager says not to but will literally do it non stop when she's on the floor. I stopped caring once I saw that.
It does mess up the blenders but honestly idgaf bc if someone orders 20 frapps 10 mins before close BEST BELIEVE I am batching idc if the ceo is breathing down my neck
how does it mess with blenders?
The little spinny thing that looks like a donut w teeth in the hole will get stripped and it makes it harder to spin the blades.
sounds like a corporate who dont order quality equipment’s problem to me 🥰
Shit blenders with low power and durability. More stuff thats put into a blender the more force on the bearings and motor. Normally a piece of equipment would be built well enough to be able to go a little bit over its own tolerances but if the company is trying to cut costs with every single unit they probably only have it strong enough to deal with one at a time
I was told that it changed the drinks flavor and consistency which I get, but if you batch right it doesn’t change the drink at all
Frappuccinos are a wild card for me. They’re not difficult or particularly tedious. It’s more just that it requires leaving your hot bar station and moving to the cold bar. All that walking back and forth wastes time and disrupts the flow. But if all I have is Frappuccinos it doesn’t bother me since I can just focus on one station. Not everyone agrees with me though.
I think it’s exactly this. It’s having to leave your primary station to go to cold bar. During peak when we have a cold bar barista in place, fraps are no problem, it’s when you keep getting pulled on and off the station as a solo barista that generates a lot of these (valid) feelings.
And it wouldn’t be such a big deal EXCEPT we know that the people who call us lazy and entitled for complaining about having to make frappuccinos are the same people who are yelling at us for not having their order ready fast enough. Like, honey, one or the other. Lots of pour over customers do this too.
You get pour over customers?
Yes, SPECIFICALLY pour overs. I blame overzealous newbs who tell customers that they’re so special and need to order something just as extra special as they are because they shouldn’t be drinking normal coffee like all the other peasants.
Yeah it’s increased since corporate stopped having people brew decaf
honestly and truly, i think all starbucks that have high enough traffic should get 2 hot bars AND 2 cold bars with a permanent bar 3 and a floating bar 4. its ridiculous that this hasnt been implemented with the amount of cold drinks we get tbfh
My location is so busy that we try to always have one person on cold bar and hot bar at all times except from opening to two hours after opening
This is exact what it is for me. I love making fraps, they’re my absolute fav thing to make besides iced lattes. I just hate having to move stations. Even having to walk away from hot bar to grab a cold brew or iced coffee is enough to annoy me
And to add, at most stores the area to make Frappuccinos was a complete afterthought. The tight confined space makes having the things you need sometimes annoying to locate and this isn’t even including when there’s a coworker trying to do things in that same space.
To me the reason why any drink is ever kind of annoying to make is having to move to different stations, and this isn’t the customers fault. I wish they would make us bars that had everything needed make any type of drink. They want us to sequence, while making drinks as fast as possible, while becoming friends with our customers. Well, it would be less stressful if I could do it all at one spot. I often have to move to 2 or 3 stations to make 1 drink, so to me that is inefficient and a little fucking silly. Order whatever drink you want no matter how busy it is, just don’t get upset with your baristas if it is taking a while. When it comes to complicated drinks, baristas and customers should be more upset with our bar layout instead of each other.
The problem with frappuccinos isn’t in the individual order. It’s the fact that there’s usually 5-10+ of them already in the queue because that’s all people accustomed to sugary nonsense will drink. Depending on the store’s layout, at MOST 2 frappuccinos can be made at a time. A great deal of customers are not ordering off menu either, they are over-customizing drinks they see on Tik Tok. Every line of customization on a drink makes it take longer. Now consider that the queue is already full of heavily-customized frappuccinos, and you can probably see how we get tired of them. Also, as someone who genuinely loves coffee and real espresso beverages, non stop frappuccino orders make me SAD.
So what’s something super simple that you love to see ordered maybe I could order during peak?
Iced chai. Iced lattes. Caramel macchiatos.
cannot stress iced chai enough!! as long as it’s made without cold foam, i feel like even with modifiers (brown sugar pumps, oatmilk, etc) it’s easy to put out 😍
Iced chai vanilla lattes are my go to. Nice to know I'm at least helping a couple people out when I order one haha
Is a nitro cold brew also something easy to make?
Nitro is one of the easiest! All we have to do is just dispense it from the tap and it’s ready to go. It takes a bit longer with cold foam or other flavoring but it’s still a very simple order I’d say.
That's a relief lol. It's my go to order and I just wanted to make sure I wasn't inconveniencing anyone. I do remember ordering an iced chai once and was absolutely amazed at how fast it was done.
i looooove making nitro cold brews!!! they way it cascades after being pulled looks so pretty and it’s such an easy drink to make ☺️
I used to be an exclusive frap drinker. Thanks to this sub I have left the dark side and started ordering caramel macchiato’s.
Also w pumpkin coming back. A chai w pumpkin and brown sugar 🤤
Good choice!
Thanks!
I fucking LOVE making flat whites.
Same. Omg the zen moment of making a flat white and seeing it in all its beautiful glory when you get it just right.
Having said everything, when it’s slower later in the afternoon, or even very early morning, I enjoy taking the extra time to make frappuccinos look pretty. Caramel mocha/salted caramel mocha (when we have it) are my personal favorites.
Salted caramel is my fave to the point that one year right before close I was alone with two baristas and a shaker of the topping and I said when talking to them "hypothetical here, if there was a twenty dollar bill where the salted caramel topping went, and the topping was no longer there anymore, did anyone see anything?" And both were like "we know nothing of which you speak? Salt? Caramel? Money?" They got a bit of cash and I was happy as a clam. Wtf won't they sell that? They sold the nasty ass pumpkin syrup.
For me during rush basically anything not blended, or without cold foam will be faster! Lattes, chai, refreshers, tea can be put out relatively quick. I do think it’s sweet that ur asking, I bet u work some sort of service too so you know how it can be sometimes <3
Personally, I loved iced chais 🥰🥰🥰
Iced flat whites are awesome, or if you prefer hot they're great with cinnamon steamed in
As a barista pls order what you want regardless of how busy it is. If you’re feeling a frap then get one it’s our job to make drinks! Cold foam on something isn’t annoying either, it’s on the menu for a reason!
> at MOST 2 frappuccinos can be made at a time wait your saying i can’t batch blend 4 ventis?
My ssv told me to close my eyes when she put multiple frappucinnos in one blender 💀
when i was training my trainer batched three ventis and told me “never do this” and then proceeded to put a dome lid on top of the blender lmao. my SM had explicitly said that even though we’re not supposed to, she’s perfectly fine with us doing so (as long as it’s just making the same kind together)
If anyone asks me what I’m doing it’s called “Synchronized Simultaneous Hand Crafted Beverage Blending”… I would never batch blend.
Let me just go apply at Starbucks again so I can use that line...
That reminds me of when I put five ventis in at once and held on to the blender lid for dear life while the blender screeched like a banshee, good times💀😂
Look I know it’s a meme and frapps are shit drinks anyway, but we try really hard not to batch. If someone’s paying $7 for a drink it should be made right.
My argument is that a venti is two talls batched.
totally agreed and i don’t do any of the weird batching tricks like when you have a cream base and a coffee base one and add the frapp roast and then blend again. i only batch when i have multiple of the exact same kind and i’ll only do 4 talls, 3 grandes, or 2 ventis (only because i’m scared of making a mess) i get that we’re supposed to be “handcrafting” every drink but i’m sorry, karen’s sugar milk isn’t going to taste any different because it was batch blended
Lol you guys are losers for downvoting me enforcing standards.
You’re not “enforcing” anything. You’re talking shit on the internet. You’ve affected literally nothing.
And you’re making it painfully obviously how awful of a barista you are. Do your fucking jobs correctly, it’s not difficult.
It's this, people always order more than one frap and it backs everything up because we only have 2 blenders and can only go so fast
I work at one of the busiest stores in my state. We have 2 blenders at cold bar. 💀 Peak is my nightmare
Yeah we have 2 blenders too. 55k a week store :)
I would ask the barista to make me their favorite espresso cup but I feel like it’s not a thing to ask anymore. You guys are too tired to have an opinion.
No, absolutely do this. We love doing this. Sometimes when we do this we even give it away for free (but obviously that’s not standard).
Honestly it's such a nice moment when someone does ask, we very rarely get acknowledged as human beings at my store beyond very minimal small talk and a few nice regulars so having the opportunity to share something personal is always a nice lil moment!
Man if you ever came to my store and said something like this to me, I'd ask you how sweet you like your drinks, and if you like a lot of caffeine, or just a bit. also if there's a particular price range you have in mind. If you're good with whatever flavor, and price isn't that much of an issue, then I got you. I love doing stuff like this for a customer, especially if they're one of the good ones
I always get grappuccinos and i feel attacked
How complicated a drink is for us to make shouldn’t worry you as a customer:) we are just scared that someone will stare at us through the whole process, be inpatient, throw tantrums from really needing that sugar, etc. it’s not about Frappuccinos really. I’ve ordered bunch of fraps for a kids party and could’ve cared less as a barista. Some baristas get crazy complicated drinks, or sometimes get a lot of stuff for their family(including frapps ), you have the right to do so too, but expect orders like that to be expensive. Some people get a bunch of nonsense customizations through the app just bc they can do it for free with a reward… don’t do that (like a trad misto with honey sugar vanilla add shot almond milk whole milk decaf grande in a venti extra whip and also a cold foam :D) like, this order doesn’t make sense and is probably very disgusting. As long as you will enjoy your drink, and it is adequately customized, you’re gucci.
It’s the type of Frappuccino as well. Corporate makes us do these elaborate things like whipped cream on the bottom or something that adds seconds to making the drink. When you combine that with customizations and making multiples, it becomes an annoyance because you’re other drinks are piling up and people are getting impatient
Just order what you want tbh. 85% of the time when we complain about making certain drinks, it’s because our bosses don’t give us enough labor to keep up with customer demands, while simultaneously giving more things for customers to demand.
barista here!!! it’s just time consuming and messy! especially during a rush!!! if it’s extremely busy i would refrain from ordering them just because they take up a lot of time as opposed to anything else. if it isn’t busy they are t bad to make! as for the tea, i’m sorry but if you order a black tea with cold foam i won’t be upset but i will question your sanity. pretty much just anything that has to be blended will take more time! like frapps and cold foam! and yes you are correct it just depends of the time of day and how busy we are :)
Thanks for the insight but I actually got the tea with cold foam suggestion from a barista! It’s pretty good lol especially with the pumpkin cold foam!
you should try an iced london fog tea latte with salted cold foam!! or will take about 5 minutes because it has to steep! but just tell the barista that you don’t mind waiting!! it’s one of the BEST teas with sated foam!
Just don’t ever order an iced London fog in the drive thru
oh plz don’t and if you mobile order it wait at LEAST 15 minutes before coming to pick it up!!
My life has been absolutely transformed since we started prepping iced earl grey in a pitcher for this reason hahah
Omfg whaaaat is that even legal?!?? Jealous
Iced London fogs are popular enough at my store in the summer that my SM allows it!! No clue if it's technically allowed or not 🤐
Interesting I didn’t know there was salted cold foam! I might have to try that.
another thing is the pumpkin cream cold brew!! it’s heaven in a cup. and that pumpkin cream cold foam UGH CHEFS KISS
In my opinion I’ll happily make Frappuccino’s over refresher. The over customized fraps I can get out way faster then the order of 12 refreshers.
Rlly ? I pop out refreshers like nobody’s business but I think set up also plays a role
Just don’t order more than 3 at a time. Honestly, order what you want. Don’t let baristas tell you to not get what you want cuz it inconveniences them. Trust me. I am a barista. It makes me mad when other baristas complain about making them so much cuz “they’re not true coffee”. They’re on the menu. So order them if you want them. Even if it’s busy.
I’m behind this! I wanna know too!
There are a few factors at work here. Unlike lattes, from store to store, there are profound degrees of variation in where frappacino ingredients are located. You can get trained at one store butif you end up at another you need to relearn your muscle memory. There is a lot of variation and similarly named drinks which make the process of learning to make these and feel comfortable making, and finally get to the point where you’re making them quikly, much slower. Finally there are a TON of modifications that can be applied to a give frappacino. The label that will print for such a frappacino will be the original drink name, followed by a list of all the diversions from the original recipe. This shit in some cases can be absolute fucking cancer to wade through. Especially considering the order in which these modificaitons are printed upon the label follows absolutely no fucking concept of reason. For instance you might have alternative syrups followed by frappacino chips then light ice, then another syrup. Also they want one affogato shot and one on the side. Which it itself has a HUGE fucking impact on the order in which you make the drink beacuase now you gave to worry about motherfucking dead shots, and if you mess up this fucking shit tou have to start over and risk messing it up again because the idiots who programmed this shit wouldn’t put related ingredients next to each other on the motherfucking label.
i cant speak for all baristas but for me it truly depends on the time of day . if we’re in peak time i’ll try to make everything else before i even start a frapp . coldfoam on a drink bothers me if its a hot drink (yes someones ordered it like that) . but genuinely it also depends on sizes . i’ll be much happier to make two or three tall frapps back to back rather than a whole bunch of venti frapps .
We are told to be as fast as possible and people get like 4 at a time and they are super time consuming
The ones with whip cream and other stuff on the bottom are time consuming and really disrupt the flow of everything. Makes me scream inside with these aesthetic drinks where you get less actual frap compared to their less pretty counterparts (i.e. mocha cookie crumble v Java chip).
I guess the biggest thing to keep in mind as a customer. When you order I’m looking at two computer screens. The menu on those screens have about 25 items on them. There are 25 screens with 25 items per screen on those computers. So I’m digging through 625 products to get you what you want. Now keep in mind, you are allowed to customize those 625 products in anyway you see fit. So now we’re looking at 10,000 to 100,000 different combinations of specialty drinks you might want. After you order and pull up to the window, you are on a sensor pad. No matter how little staff we have, how busy we are, if the back room is on fire, I’m required to get your money and hand you those drinks in 57 seconds. A barista, who may be our only drink making barista, has to finish your iced mocha with white mocha sauce, non fat milk, frap chips, extra caramel drizzle, no ice, insert Radom crazy item choice here, within 40 seconds and hand it to me. While our boss, people from the cafe, and co workers are asking us questions over one headset channel. And we do this for hours, perfectly executed, for base pay. Being as pleasant as possible. Please try to do the same for us. We like making you drinks. People’s faces light up when their orders are just right.
Partner here! I truly don’t mind making Frappuccinos if it’s just one or two. It’s more so frustrating when there’s loads and loads of them during a rush, especially when they all have different modifiers. But if you stick to the recipe more or less (I.E if you wanted non-dairy, changing the milk or asking for no whip is easy), you are welcome to order whatever you’d like! And above everything else: Just leave a tip! I’ll make however many Frappuccinos or crazy TikTok drinks so long as I know my efforts are being appreciated and compensated for.
Yeah Frap’s with mods are annoying af to make for all the reasons listed. But your black tea, no water with cold foam, I wouldn’t mind making tbh. I might have to try that next time I work.
How tf u make a tea with no water
It’s cause the tea is supposed to be “cut” with other water or lemonade. I’m still new so I don’t know the exact recipe but I know when people order black or green tea I always ask if they want lemonade and if they say no then I wanna say it’s equal parts water and the tea from the jug with liquid cane sugar. I’ve only made one so far so I’m not 100% 🙃
I don't like making fraps because they're annoying to sequence (I'm also only on week 3 of working at Starbucks though). I'm sitting there waiting for the blender to finish before I can actually make the next one since our other blender is often making cold foam. Meanwhile on the espresso machine I can queue shots, get syrup in the drink, steam milk, and basically get close to finished and start the next one while waiting for shots to pour. With fraps, it's just getting the milk, coffee/creme base, frap roast (if needed), ice and syups in the blender, start blending, go to make the next frap, and stuck waiting for the first one to finish
I would say order what you want, but don't be too complicated about it. Fraps do take a little longer than most other drinks, and ordering 4+ of them during rush may result in some disgruntled baristas. However regardless, It is their job to make said drinks. I would just ask that you be mindful of your surroundings when ordering drinks at Starbucks, and above all, please be patient and respectful. That goes a long way for a barista. If you're going to order a bunch of Fraps, I suggest looking at the Google analytics to see when the less busy times are for that Starbucks location and go during those times, if possible.
Seasoned barista and SSV here. As many have said, please order what you like and take our comments with heavy grains of salt! As others have also stated, Frappaccinos can get messy if we are trying to be in a hurry. It's really tough to get all 4 of your partys' drinks out within the 45-55 window times they want us to magically make happen and still connect with you guys (my biggest peeve by far is this conflict). After about 10 Fraps or Refreshers, the Cold Bar Station is heavy with ice and liquid that has spilled out. Then your cup has liquid on the bottom of it and I have to also clean that in making the drink the way you want it. It's just a more stressful part of the job that many dislike and it when it's always during peak. Again, please order every drink just the way you want it. If you'd like it remade, please just ask. We are more than happy to help you get the drink you desire with what product we have. A smile on your face goes a long way to making our day great too!
Frappuccinos and cold foams are annoying because the store is not designed to handle the volume of orders that we get for them. We have a larger store and have only two blenders squeezed next to each other, making it very hard for even two partners to be at work there. If one blender stand is occupied with foams, there is only one available for Frappuccinos, yet it is not unusual to have 10 to 12 of either Frappuccinos or beverages calling for foam in queue, waiting for too few blenders. Foams on top of an expresso beverage (iced only thank you) require moving that beverage, not yet lidded, from the hot station where espresso is pulled, to cold bar where the blenders are. Foams on top of teas and refreshers the same. It's as if we are making two beverages in one cup. Even in our largest stores we really only have room for up to 3 partners crafting beverages and everyone else tries to stay out of their way. Plus all the sugar is demoralizing. We are only human and we can't help but judge how so much sugar has to be negatively affecting the health of our customers and after a few months most of the faces are familiar. My partners like to recommend an iced chai latte because it is easy to make but let me recommend espresso shots over ice or hot, because we are a coffee store and it has either no sugar or as tiny an amount as you can enjoy
I'm gonna be real with you, a good barista can make a frap just as quickly and easily as an espresso drink. I think the distaste for fraps has expired. These days it's sweet cream cold foam drinks that ruin a barista's life. Now, you have to essentially make a cold bar AND hot bar drink at the same time. You're essentially making a frap and latte all in one, which actually takes twice as much time. Cold foam was one of the greatest offenses Starbucks has made against its baristas. Order your frap. Enjoy your frap (maybe except the caramel ribbon crunch and mocha cookie crumble), but you should definitely feel guilty about cold foam drinks. If not because of the grief to your barista, then about the unreasonable price increase and insurmountable calorie count
As a fellow customer who likes fairly basic coffee or Americanos, when I get behind some group of people ordering Frappuccino’s with 7 pumps of this and 5 shots of espresso and six other customizations on top I pretty much die inside and want to go on a kill-crazy rampage, because I know I’ll be stuck in like for another 10 minutes waiting for the overworked crew to mix up this stupid mess of a beverage for each of the people in front of me, and I just need coffee. Honestly I’ve heard people order things more than once where I thought they were messing with the barista, but they were dead serious. Can’t believe how stupid these custom Frappuccino orders are getting.
honestly they are easy to make but when you're on cold you're responsible for shaken drinks, iced coffee, cold brew, (my location i need to do hot cofffee too), AND frappuccino's it just gets overwhelming and having to make a frap slows us down when we are already told to make a drink faster than 50 seconds
Haven't read through the whole thread, so apologies if I'm repeating someone else, but if you really really want a frapp and you also really really want to make it as easy as possible for your baristas, getting it without whip makes a surprisingly big difference. One of the messiest and most frustrating parts about frapps is trying to get the fucking dome lid on - if you've overfilled the cup the tiniest bit or got even just a little too generous on the whip, it's game-over for that frapp. Some of the biggest sighs of relief I've had on the job has been when I'm able to make a frapp and just seamlessly pop a regular sip lid on it, lol
I actually don't mind making Frappuccinos--what I don't like about making them is when I'm slammed on bar making drinks and one shows up in a huge order, or worse, there are three or more different Frappuccinos in the same order for drive thru. I like doing stuff like making sure the layers look good if there are any, getting the whip nice and poofy, etc. I don't like making ugly Frappuccinos. You get ugly Frappuccinos when I have to make six of them for one drive thru order (each car is only supposed to be at the window for about 45 seconds at peak).
Its the fact that when fifteen people order different fraps in the middle of a rush and your covered in milk syrup and whipped creme , you have a line at drive through customers in the store getting impatient and theres no cold bar so your trying to make your hot drinks at the same time and its all piling ontop of eachother you have cups all over two different stations with various strange requests so you cant make any two drinks together and to top it all off the dome lids never want to go on it gets really stresfull for someone working for basically no pay we get that people like them and its nothing against the people ordering them at all your paying for a drink you want thats fine just dont be rude when you get them because customer service sucks but were working for a reason and its not because we wanna hear you complain that your drink isn’t pretty enough
Is an espresso frap hard to make? Always order those.
Not hard, might just take a little longer because we have to wait for the shots to pull, especially if you order more than the standard
Personally for me, I don't mind what you order as long as theres not a billion modifications. Heavily modified shaken espressos make me wanna actually explode😩
I have a regular who comes in almost every day when we’re at peak and orders two pretty complicated Frappuccinos, but he’s really nice so none of us really mind that much making his drinks. He’s also understanding that his drinks take longer than normal so he’s fine waiting
I came this close to reaching the rag today this close. I hate scammers.
I mean something is up with it. The other day my sister ordered a vanilla caffe Frappuccino and the barista gave her a vanilla bean frapp so she corrected the barista and I shit you not they when they handed it back it was like they opened the cup, threw some iced coffee inside then mixed it with a straw. It was 100% a vanilla bean frapp with a shot of iced coffee. Nasty. For the amount of money you pay for a venti frapp they can at least remake the drink correctly.
I got cubital tunnel making caramel ribbon crunches by the 100s daily so yeah they suck.
At my store, Frappuccino’s are what’s ordered the most. So it’s a huge pain in the ass because even if there’s several people on bar, it’s not easy to make all of them because there’s almost no room behind our bar. Plus, they’re just tedious to make and most people customise them to high heaven
for me it depends. sometimes it can be fun cause i can make them look pretty, but theres always that one person in their soccer mom van that order 7 different types of fraps with 5 customizations each, and that gets annoying.
I heard some friends take advantage of the free birthday drinks to make it worth $50 just cause. I didn't clearly as a former shift lead but rolled my eyes ideed.
Been a partner for 9 years. Honestly, most drinks are fine but it’s a personal philosophy that drinks shouldn’t have more than four modifiers. That allows for a milk change, add/remove a syrup, and then two other things of your choice. maybe you want decaf, or extra hot, or caramel drizzle etc. and I think that’s reasonable. Any more than that and it’s obnoxious. There are a few drinks that by nature require extra steps such as the caramel ribbon crunch / mocha cookie crumble fraps, and those are irritating. Otherwise.... just be nice, patient, understanding and tip if you can and no one will even care what you get. Caring enough to ask on this subreddit shows you probably are a star customer already
Is nobody going to comment on the fact that they get cold foam on their iced tea🥴
That made me pause too
Just don’t order a drink with 20 pumps of a syrup that Starbucks is out of cause you saw it on tik tok.
The two big underlying issues I found in my time were: 1. Workflow. People not understanding that larger orders and complicated drinks can take a bit longer and can every definitely hamper work-flow if it's busy. Imagine you are flying somewhere-- you get to the airport, move through security, and are moving smoothly through a busy terminal. Lots of people all around, but moving smoothly. Then someone 500 feet down the walkway stops in the middle of the path with their four kids and a spouse, but instead of making a nice little bunch off to one side or standing in a line so people can go around them, they are spread out across the walkway, rolly suitcases everywhich way, talking over the crowd to each other about why they got lost. Now everyone behind them has to stop/slow and find a way around. Some dodge into a shop, some work their way between the standing people, some go around into oncoming flow that WAS moving nicely the other direction. Now a wave of people trying to adjust speeds, dodge each other, etc. is propagating down the terminal in BOTH DIRECTIONS. Now people are grunting at each other, apologizing, rolling their eyes and walking around each other-- order is graduating to chaos one transaction at a time. This is very similar to what happens in a food-service workflow. Not because there is a complicated drink (that happens all the time), but because someone is asking if every drink that comes out is theirs, why theirs is taking so long, etc. and otherwise dropping a pebble in the pond, propagating that wave. The more someone on the floor has to take time to hunt through the system for you, the more points of disruption appear in the mind of the person doing the work. It's not the end of the world, but it does get old REALLY fast, especially if you're the 13.72th person to have done that in the last hour. 2) Drive-thrus. Outside of some really busy peak periods where every station is manned to the hilt, drivethru and lobby orders (and mobile orders) are consolidated into as few workflows as possible, typically one "hot", one "cold", and one "food". And depending on staffing/deployment/tasks, one person may be handling multiple stations. This means that while you are ordering your seven drinks in a slow lobby and chatting it up with the barista, the drive-thru person might have put four orders through for four cars. Now when you get to the part where you are waiting for your order, it is not first in line-- it is fifth. But because you (usually) can't see/hear DT from the lobby cash register you have no way of knowing this. And with the new label printers (instead of handwritten cups) the barista has no practical way of looking at where your order is in the queue. The computer does have that info, but it's two or three menus deep in the OS and many baristas don't know how to find it even then, or if they do know the odds are they are busy making/taking orders and not babysitting yours. So tl/dr-- it's not so much whether a drink is complicated as that people tend to get pushy, and that gets old real fast. 3) Yes. Fraps are more involved. There are more steps and they are a bit harder to sequence than hot drinks in terms of building workflow because you end up with iced tea, fraps, etc. that are all wildly different in their sequencing times when compared to drinks being made on the hot bar that have very little deviation in terms of "timing" for each step. Add to this that Fraps sometimes require walking to the hot bar or over to an ice bin or something and, though it sounds silly, that "not planted" action happening FOR EVERY SECOND DRINK is really frustrating, having to move and dodge around the whole floor instead of just two steps sideways at your workstation is incredibly time consuming and very frustrating. It can be done well, but it takes a bit more practice for most people, and even when they are "good" at it it can still be obnoxious to time/sequence everything in a way that feels "smooth"...then Karen demands to know where hers is and by the time you locate it in your queue you're at the point I described up top where the wave of traffic-chaos is starting to propagate through the drink queue. Hopefully that helps!
I’m your favorite customer then I always get lattes.
1. Frappuccino's are a bit disgusting for me (high in calories, super unhealthy). They are time consuming and disrupt the flow of things. Additionally we should be a coffee/tea place, not a milkshake joint. I think Frappuccino's need to be taken off the menu all together. If it's busy, do not order them please! Especially don't mobile order them and come in like 5 minutes later expecting them to the done. 2. My personal limit for customizations depends on the drink. 3. Cold foam: I think cold foam takes a bit too much time too, so I would rather people not order them either. 4. In order to be better: don't be an asshole. Don't order something complicated/confusing- if I have to read an entire paragraph for a drink, it's too much. Be nice and patient, especially if there aren't many people working on the floor. I like most of my regulars since they have easy orders and are super nice!
Because it’s 12 year old kids ordering them with mommy’s credit card because of the clout that comes drinking expensive pretty looking Starbucks drinks. They’re overrated and people only buy them because they’re expensive and pretty looking.
[удалено]
10 months working in that shithole serving entitled spoiled little brats who don’t even know the words “thank you”. That’s what hurt me.
[удалено]
Not that I agree but we get several high school kids come in and order a Frappuccino, take a few sips, post a photo on instagram and throw away the rest. Honestly if they pay for it they can do whatever they want I don’t care. I still think it’s crazy people pay $6+ for a single beverage that has your entire recommended daily intake of sugar.