Every Dunkin Donuts franchise restaurant can be different from the next but also they are the same. Whether the store has a wealthy or not location, whether it has a drive thru or not, or whether it's in or around the Boston area or some random town in Florida, the atmosphere is just the same. Coffee. Donuts. Homey. Every Dunkin Donuts has these three qualities that help the restaurant run both smoothly and efficiently while keeping it's customer's first and "in charge". Along with having the same atmosphere among most Dunkin Donuts restaurants nationwide, every employee sees the same kinds of customers that make their work shift a different kind of experience. As an employee of Dunkin Donuts, I have experienced many different customers throughout my years of working there. 10 of the most common and memorable customers I have ever had are listed below:
1. The Regulars! These are by far our favorite people to serve! They come in just about the same time everyday, and just by seeing their bright and shiny or groggy and sleepy faces, we remember their order. Order after order, day after day, these customers become more friendly towards us employees and we start referring to them by their names. Because this happens so much by no mistake at all, we notice that our customers become more enthusiastic when getting their daily coffee (and our tip cup becomes fuller, which in return makes us more enthusiastic).
2. The Needys! These customers are the ones who test our knowledge on the types of products we actually have in stock. They are the ones who constantly ask for a certain discontinued flavor, or who ask when the Pumpkin Spice Swirl is going to come back in the middle of February. They also are the ones who usually ask for more or less cream and sugar after we had made their coffee like they asked and/ or are the ones who demand we remake their coffees altogether. Although they mostly are a handful and we are thankful when they have paid and left, they keep us all on our toes and knowledgeable about the products we are selling.
3. The Difficults! The difficult customers we encounter are the ones who order like 15 coffees at once. In my case, it is the construction guys who typically come in around 10:30 in the morning starting in mid-to-late April and last all summer. The thing about these orders is that they usually take place around when the busiest rush is, which can be time-consuming and increase the stress levels amongst all employees on duty. The thing about these customers, however, is that they are usually also regulars, so we know what they're getting (and can prepare) as soon as they walk through the door of the restaurant.
4. The Simples! Similar to the difficult customers, we also encounter simple customers. These are the people who order a small hot black. The easiest order anyone has ever had to deal with. And I love these customers for it. Simple orders can be the orders that turn down the insanity of a busy rush and quickly can get customers happy and out the door.
5. The Pickys! The picky customers are the hardest customers. As much as "the customer is always right" is instilled into our heads as customer service workers, it's very hard to comply to that when a customer is being picky. A lot of people I guess may not know that our machines are preset to amounts of ingredients we put into your coffee. A coffee with half a cream and half a sugar aren't usually that. Our machines are set to dispense one full cream and one full sugar, so unless you get a barista who will actually take the extra time to pour out half of your cream, sad to say it but you're probably going to get whatever is closest to your order that the machine will dispensed.
6. The Discussers! These are the types of customers we like during a slow shift. I repeat a slow shift. They are the ones who love to talk, tell their life stories and hear ours. They come in, order their drink, and by the time they are finished talking, their hot coffee has become iced coffee. Don't get me wrong, we love the discussing types of people because they keep our shifts interesting and less boring. But as I said earlier, they are only enjoyable during the slow shifts, because when these discussers are done discussing, our rush has turned into traffic.
7. The Jokesters! These customers are by far the funnest and most entertaining customers we have ever had. They always find a way to brighten our day and put a smile on our faces and a laugh in our throats. Whether they joke about the newest sandwich item on our menu or how the rainclouds look like hippos, they are always there to make the rushes more enjoyable and friendly.
8. The Cuties! By far, most exciting and ideal customers to come into our restaurant. The cuties not only bring a more intriguing customer experience but they bring eye candy as well! I've noticed a lot of body language changes when a cutie customer comes in by not only myself but also from my coworkers. Back goes straight, shoulders go back and lips tilt upright. The cuties come up to the front counter, order their whatever and leave with a giggle, smile or in some cases wink thrown their way.
9. The Flirts! Other than the cuties being intriguing, the flirts are the most interesting customers we tend to see. As young as two to as old as 85, everyone flirts. The two-year-olds through the i-may-have-just-done-something-bad eye glance and the older men usually (at least towards me) call us sugar, sweetie and hunny and occasionally throw in a (sort of) creepy wink movement. And then there's the guys that are more my age. The male customers who enjoying giving me a hard time while I make their food or beverages. The ones who always call out that I'm mixing the coffee wrong or that we didn't fold the sandwich right. These are the customers who often will get a friendly eyeball roll sent their way as they add on five extra seconds to my meal prep. Maybe they should remember it's their coffee I'm making, and they should quiet up if they don't want it messed up.
10. The Smarties! These customers are the best customers. They know exactly what they want, how they want it and have no problem changing their order if necessary (due to store lack of inventories and whatnot). These customers understand that we are only working here because we need money to pay for our college degrees and/or other family expenses we may have. They also understand that rules are rules and we are only enforcing them because we want to do our jobs as we are supposed to; not because we are cruel animals who don't want you to get your free box of donuts, because in reality, we don't make commission off of how many donuts we sell and we don't really care if you can get something for free, but doing so isn't worth losing our jobs.
Working at Dunkin Donuts is a really entertaining way to kill time while making money. The customers definitely add to the entertaining part if I do say so myself.
