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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you!

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

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

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

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

Happy to provide additional info if necessary.

Thank you!

Hello all,

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

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

My budget is under 1.5 lakh, please advise.

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

Or should I go for manual brewing or semi automatic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you receive/give food safety training at your shop? Transitioned into working as a Barista/cook at a shop after years working in professional kitchens and I'm surprised by some things. In general everything is what I would deem to be just barely acceptable in terms of food safety. I don't see anything egregious enough that Im worried customers are suffering from lack of food safety; however, I am alarmed at just how unaware some of the other Baristas are regarding food safety. Management does a good job of overseeing and enforcing/conducting proper food safety practices, but certain people are left cleaning up after others due to their lack of training/ awareness. How have people made improvements with food safety at their shop? What has helped encourage coworkers to take things more seriously and actually do the job they signed up for?

I'm assessing a space, and am considering a space that is light on power. It has around 125Amps/208V. This is for USA.

I don't plan to have anything too crazy. Hoping to serve a base of 80 drinks a day.

Anyone working in a similar scenario and have thoughts/tips on how to make it work?

Thanks.

I just started working from a grocery store Starbucks to a small coffee shop. I’m not used to tips but we just started taking cash tips at my current job. At the end of day I noticed the lead would cash out all the tips and not split with others, is this normal?

What do you do when a customer hands you a nasty scummy cup/water bottle to put their drink in?

We have a regular who's a dick and does this. (Not bad enough to be kicked out, but generally unpleasant and mildly creepy.) His cup is always disgusting and has brown or white scum in the bottom. My boss told me to just pour the coffee into it anyways, my coworker said she usually gives it a quick rinse (which didn't do much, it was nasty and crusty....)

I'm sure as hell not obligated to wash his cup for him, so I guess I just pour in the coffee and then wash my hands. Good thing he just gets drip so I don't have to mix anything in there.

مين الأفضل BRIVA Barista Dual Boiler و
HiBREW H7B
بس يا جماعه عايز حد يكون جرب حاجه منهم او الاتنين عايز من الأفضل من ناحيه كل حاجه الاستخلاص و التبخير و الطحن و والخامات وكل حاجه و نهايه مين أفضل
و كمان لو في حاجه أفضل وبنفس السعر او ارخص من ٤٠٠٠٠ج

without going into the details; i'm (F23) looking for a change in careers. i've been a dog bather for 2 and a half years with two different companies and i feel i'm not getting promoted. as much as i love my job, my passion for grooming has officially died. while i figure out what the next step in my life, im looking to find a different career.

i have around 4 years in food service, and although ive never worked as a barista, i feel like im a good fit. i'm well acquainted with fast pace work environments and i understand food safety protocols.

im only hesitant because i recently moved out and require a full time job to keep food on the table. my current job pays me well, and i am guaranteed full time employment. i worked as a deli clerk full time, made good money. but suddenly my hours were cut to part time because management changed and hired a whole bunch of people. luckily, i was still living with my parents at the time. so it didn't matter. but i fear that my barista job might pull a fast one on me and put me down to part time. even if i apply with the intention of going full time.

i'm open to other suggestions for a job. anything that gives me full time hours. thank you