Coffee Woes

[Supergirl]

Frequent lurker...new poster here.

I work two jobs, one of which is as a barista. People's stupidity astounds me some days. Some customers I've had this week:

The obvious answer:
The coffee shop I work at is in a mall and is ALWAYS busy. On Saturday a woman stood in line for 15min and when she go to my register she looked quite confused.

SC: Um so whats in a um "Vanilla Latte"thing

Supergirl (thinking why didnt you figure out what you wanted while you were in line?): Oh well thats espresso, streamed milk and vanilla syrup

SC: And by espresso you mean?? What is that?

Supergirl: o_O

The more obvious answer:

A 20-something girl asks a newbie on register about the Cinnamon Dolce Latte, and I jump in...
Supergirl: Oh the Cinnamon Dolce Latte is steamed milk, espresso and cinnamon dolce syrup. We can also make it with soy or non-fat milk
SC: oookkkayy...so what does the cinnamon dolce taste like?
Supergirl: Cinnamon (DUH)

I mean what was she expecting me to say..."Well yes SC our cinnamon dolce syrup does in fact taste like mocha"

Do you even know what you ordered?

A tweeny-bopper SC orders a cappuccino extra dry. This means that the cap, which normally is 2/3 steamed milk to 1/3 foam will be 1/2 steamed milk and 1/2 foam. The whole point really of a cappuccino is the darn foam, otherwise just get a latte! So 5min later she comes back...

SC: Like...I can't drink this, its like half foam.

Supergirl: what did you order SC?

SC: A tall cap extra dry.

Supergirl Extra dry means you wanted more foam in your drink? Soo how much foam did you want?

SC: Liek just a little on top and the rest steamed milk

We remade her drink as a latte

[Andara Bledin]

SC: oookkkayy...so what does the cinnamon dolce taste like?
Supergirl: Cinnamon (DUH)

Isn't dolce syrup rather redundant? However, for someone who doesn't know that dolce means sweet, I can completely understand the question.

^-.-^

[Caractacus_Potts]

SC: Um so whats in a um "Vanilla Latte"thing
Supergirl (thinking why didnt you figure out what you wanted while you were in line?): Oh well thats espresso, streamed milk and vanilla syrup

SC: And by espresso you mean?? What is that?

Supergirl: o_O

I was kind of this SC and the second one years ago. I rarely drink coffee and when I finally decided to try one of those new fangled funny named drinks that had gotten so popular I ordered blind not really knowing what I was ordering (I like to experiment so I didn't bother to ask or research it). I ordered a cappuccino from a Dunkin Donuts.

What I got was a cup of espresso with milk and a little foam on the top. I liked it a lot but it was frustrating because every time I ordered one it was anywhere from almost all foam (didn't like) to almost no foam (liked). It wasn't until several years later that I found out what I should be ordering is a latte and the variation in the foam for the cappuccino was due to the fact that some DD employees knew how to make them right and some didn't.

SC: oookkkayy...so what does the cinnamon dolce taste like?
Supergirl: Cinnamon (DUH)

That reminds me of a story I read from a phone center rep when they needed the name of the person on the phones son. The person responded with Tom (some 15 syllable long vaguely Native American last name that was almost unpronounceable).

Phone Rep: Could you spell that for me?
Customer: Sure! T...O...M.
Phone Rep:
Phone Rep: Could you spell the last name please?
Customer: Oh! Sure.....

I doubt she had any trouble with the concept of cinnamon. I had to Google dolce to find out its Italian for "sweet" and I now know that "cinnamon dolce" is sweet cinnamon flavored syrup!

[bainsidhe]

I appreciate your frustration, but I can also understand where these customers are coming from. I rarely ever buy coffee, let alone specialty coffee. Last time I went, I think I asked the difference between a Mocha Latte and Mocha Frappe. Woman told me they had the same ingredients, so I asked why they were a different price. One is frozen and one is hot, I had no idea.

I equate it to going to McDonald's without ever having been before. If I asked what's on a Big Mac, telling me has Mac sauce means nothing.

[BrenDAnn]

The whole cappuccino thing reminds me of a customer that came into the C-store to get a cap out of our machine (which as you know is not a true Cappuccino, just water and mix) and griped about how he'd went to a Starbucks or some such and ordered one, and didn't like it. It was a cup of mostly foam, he'd complained. My thought was that the guy didn't realize that what he'd gotten there was what it was really supposed to be like. Oh well. Some people never learn, I guess!

[taxguykarl]

Do you even know what you ordered?

Apparently not.
BTWto

[Supergirl]

All valid points guys

I guess it just baffles me when poeple wait in a long line but then have no clue what they are ordering/what they want or even what we have. It feels a little bit like going to McDs and being like "oh my they have burgers here? AND chicken you say"

[Pixilated]

to the sounding boards!

Supergirl, I understand the weirdness of the question about the cinnamon dolce but the other ... I too don't know what most of those terms mean. Heck, I don't know what most of the terms ARE. I have a couple of items that I traditionally order (Christmas = Peppermint Mocha ... *drool*) but if I want to order something new, yes, I'll probably ask what's in it. I know it can be aggravating when there's a lineup (and I do not, ever, ask "Oh, then what about X ... oh, well, how about Y ... hmmm, what's in Z ...")

But to be honest, these places could help at least some of their customers by putting up a scorecard with ingredients and definitions. Which I admit is pretty heavy-duty for a coffee shop but if you're gonna serve complicated drinks with exotic names ...

[thehuckster]

The whole cappuccino thing reminds me of a customer that came into the C-store to get a cap out of our machine (which as you know is not a true Cappuccino, just water and mix) and griped about how he'd went to a Starbucks or some such and ordered one, and didn't like it. It was a cup of mostly foam, he'd complained. My thought was that the guy didn't realize that what he'd gotten there was what it was really supposed to be like. Oh well. Some people never learn, I guess!

To be honest, I actually like that fake cafeteria/convenience store Cappuccino better than the "real" kind. Dunkin Donuts actually has something similar, only they call it a Dunkachino.

[singerchick]

I enjoy gas station cappuccinos, but they really need to rename them. They're nothing remotely like a real cappuccino, and it's got a lot of people confused. It's not necessarily their fault, but it makes things hard on baristas. I feel your pain, Supergirl.

I did some time in a coffee shop, and one of my favorite non-sucky customers was the guy who came in to buy a cappuccino machine for his gf. He picked out the top of the line model, and I set him up with all the trimmings--if I'd worked on commission, I'd have been dancing. As I started to ring him up, he mentioned how much his gf loved cappuccino...from the gas station. She'd never had one from a coffee shop. I took one look at this sweet guy, realized that his gf was going to hate this gift, and set him up with a nice assortment of hot chocolates. He was super appreciative, and I avoided a huge return the day after Christmas.

[blas]

Kwik Trip has the BEST cappuccinos for a cheap price.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

To be honest, I actually like that fake cafeteria/convenience store Cappuccino better than the "real" kind. Dunkin Donuts actually has something similar, only they call it a Dunkachino.

I enjoy gas station cappuccinos, but they really need to rename them. They're nothing remotely like a real cappuccino, and it's got a lot of people confused.

When my stepdaughter was in high school she and her friends used to get the c-store cappuccinos all the time. Then one day we went to a fancy restaurant and she ordered a REAL cappuccino. She nearly spit it all over the table...it actually tasted like (gasp) COFFEE!!! Fortunately the server didn't charge her for it...damn thing cost $12.00, no joke!

[ozcatbug]

I know the difference between a cappucino and a latte. I know what a mocha and a frappe is. I know what an espresso is. Flat white, long black, yeah I know. Why is this strange? I don't drink coffee. Never have as I can't stand the taste though I do love the smell of roasting coffee. Comes from growing up near the Nestles factory I guess.

Yeah, I didn't know what dolce was either, but with cinnamon before it I can make an educated guess. Which is usually the problem with SC's isn't it? Oh, and even though I know what all these types of coffee's are, the fact that I don't drink it never ask me to make you a coffee. Tea, hot chocolate, milo, chai latte, sure, but coffee, no.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I have to say, I love the cappucinos you can get from McDonalds. I know full well they're not "proper" ones, but they are just fantastic on a cold day. Last year, when we had all that snow and it was difficult to get into work, I went on the bus rather than risk my life on my motorbike and I often got into work an hour early so I went to sit in McDonalds with a cappucino instead of sitting upstairs in the work canteen. ^^

However, on the rare occasions that I visit a Starbucks, Cafe Nero etc, I do know what real cappucino tastes like and what the coffees are. If I wait in a queue, I'm usually reading the menu and working out what to ask for, and struggling with whether or not to have a yummy muffin as well.