There’s no question about the importance of coffee shops in the lives of college students. As a barista on a college campus myself, I fully commend the caffeine addiction. The students, the locals, the professors, and the families that come in and out of the door everyday, might not be the same without us. We turn our “open” sign towards the window, greeting a new day. In the pastry case, fresh baked goodies lie, waiting to be grabbed and munched on with appreciation by our loyal consumers. The constant brewing allows for an element of white noise that is created by the flow of customers starting to come in through the door. As the dark hours of 5am become the bright hours of another morning, there's some things we as barista's wish you knew. As it turns out, there’s actually a science behind the importance of the local coffee shop and psychologists have been studying it for years. Without us, you would have no one to make your morning pick-me-up coffee or your late night study cup. Between all the crazy lines and orders, we still manage to try our best. Here's why we rock and why you should be thanking us:
1. We allow for a nice split between home and class (or work). Going from class, to the library, to work, or wherever you might be going, routines can get old. The human race enjoys variety, and us at the coffee shop like to provide that for you. So relax, we got you.
2. We get up at 4:30 in the morning, to provide you with your coffee, before we can even have ours.
3. We deal with your incredibly loud conversations all day.
We have all overheard (or been) those girls in the corner sharing their deepest life struggles, dreams, favorite Bible verses and genuine excitement about the next season of "Orange is the New Black," arrival on Netflix over soy vanilla pumpkin chai lattes.
4. We can joke about your decline of money with you. Trust us, we know your wallet understands this concept, as it routinely empties itself in exchange for a cup of liquid gold every, single, day.
5. We give you our full, undivided attention, even when you're on your cell phone.
I know, you’re a very important person and that phone call about how hungover you are today is way more important than getting the coffee that will help pull through it, I get it. But please, we're people in the service industry and I like to think we deserve your attention too.
6. We will make your absurdly interesting coffee order, no matter what.
It's okay, we understand if you want a peach maple soy mocha with extra chocolate. We don't judge here, at least not out loud.
7. We put a smile on your face, even when you try to tell us how to do our job.
8. We won't judge you if this is your third visit today and you're getting yet another large iced coffee, and can't seem to stand still.
9. Nine times out of ten, we will still say "you're welcome," even when you don't use your please and thank yous.
Remember when you were two years old and your mom wouldn’t give you a cookie until you asked for it nicely? We'd prefer if we could do that too with you as well, but we're actually nice humans.
10. We simply, make your day.
As barista's, we know our limits. We are trained to have them tested, in lieu of good customer service. There really isn't anything like that fresh cup of coffee in the morning, so we're more than happy to give it to you. Special thanks to working at a shop on a college campus, the amount of daily consumption is never dull. Students learn early on that caffeine is a crucial part of the college diet, which makes the coffee shop a pretty popular place. Even in big cities or small towns, the local coffee shop is always an important staple. We agree, your coffee's important, but it shouldn't be more important than some good ole' respect. We thank you for your participation in our business, but would greatly appreciate some appreciation through our daily struggles.
