This is the first semester I have worked as a barista at my school's coffee shop, or at any coffee shop, for that matter. I was excited when I first received the position, but also daunted by the seemingly endless amount of drinks and variations. What exactly was a cappuccino? How many pumps of syrup go in each cup size? Which comes first in the macchiato, the milk or the vanilla? What happens if you forget the vanilla? The list of questions went on, but, per usual, I made the whole thing a lot scarier and bigger in my head than if ever turned out to be. I love working in the coffee shop, and I've learned a lot along the way, as well.
So here is a blend of the fun and the serious I've learned:
1. Decisions are hard
The number of choices for drinks at a coffee shop seems almost limitless. You have your basic drinks, like the latte, mocha, Frappuccino, smoothie or Italian soda. Then you have your syrup choices, only a few of which include caramel, chocolate, white chocolate, hazelnut, coconut, almond and toffee nut. Not sure about 2% milk? You can alternatively choose almond, soy, rice, nonfat or even half-and-half. There's iced or extra hot. Tall, grande, venti. Decaf or extra shots. The list goes on. We like to have our choice, customize and personalize our orders. It makes us feel more loved and more attended to as customers, but sometimes I feel like we are given too many choices; we are left paralyzed by the thought of having to choose from so many options. Coffee shops reveal this about people and as an indecisive person myself, it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one.
2. We all need help sometimes
And more often than not, that help comes in the form of an extra shot, or two, or espresso dripped into a cup of brewed coffee. I knew we were addicted to caffeine, but I never realized how much until l worked in a coffee shop. It's a little bit scary. I also admire the one customer every week or two who orders a decaf coffee.
3. College students love their white chocolate
By far, the white chocolate mocha and its variants is the most popular drink I have made as a barista. I never knew they were so popular. I had never realized their existence until I was a senior in high school. I can probably only count on one hand the number of times I've had one for myself, but I can understand their popularity. White chocolate mochas are proof that we all need something extra sweet in our lives sometimes, especially when we're under stress.
4. Laugh at yourself
Sometimes the Italian soda erupts as you open it. Sometimes you spatter your face with raspberry syrup. Sometimes you mark the cup as rice milk but use 2% instead, twice. And sometimes you hand the customer their empty cup instead of handing it to your coworker behind you to make the drink.
Mistakes and messes happen. Choosing to laugh about them is a much better way of handling the embarrassment than ducking down and hiding behind the counter. It's choosing to give yourself grace, and smiling and laughing help you feel a little bit better. Sometimes you customer or coworker will look at you a little strangely, but you can go ahead and just laugh about that too. Eventually it will be ok. Give yourself grace and learn to be generous in giving others grace, as well.
