I have worked in the service Industry for over five years. I've been a barista for one and a half years and am utterly shocked sometimes by how little customers know about how to act in a cafe or coffee shop. Most coffee drinkers drink coffee at the least once a day and if they can't do so at home—they have to venture out into the world until they find themselves at a coffee serving establishment. These are a few things that if the general public respected would make me and my fellow baristas very happy.

1. Milk

Let us know your milk preference before we make the coffee, Not "Wait, is that skim?" Also if we ask for a milk preference and you say regular milk, realize there is no regular milk. Most places use whole. Some people were raised on skim. Personally I was a 2% kid and now I drink soy in coffee, coconut at home and almond in my cereal.

2. No, I do not want to "Surprise" you.

If you give me a "What's your favorite, I'll have that" and then don't like it, then it's your fault!

3. Check your ego.

I offer anyone with two or more cups a cup carrier. I personally work in a hotel and know the elevator requires your door key and I could never juggle and still can't so I offer it to everyone with 2+ items. Do you know how many times a day a man with a big ego tells me "No, I think I can handle it," and then spills before leaving the cafe? Too many to count.

4. The fight to pay-

This can be super awkward for baristas, clerks, bartenders and servers and please don't fight over who's paying and then not tip! You are the bane of my entire existence!

5. Water-

If you need water, you are totally capable of receiving water without cutting in front of everyone and demanding it. Uhhhh, why do you think you take priority over paying customers?

6. Tip! Tip! Tip!

Coffee is hot and your baristas get burned often. We get there at the crack of dawn to brew the coffee and have to break down machines with very tiny parts before and after every shift. Tip us so we can buy band aids and vodka like the rest of the service industry.

7. Listen!

Listen for your name! If you ordered a hot chai, don't you dare take Melvin's iced vanilla latte just because it's on the counter!

8. Need change?

Chase bank is three doors down—coffee shops are not a bank. We actually do a ton of small transactions so you asking us to break a $100 can deplete us for the rest of the day. Also, in hotels, front desks always have a bigger bank than coffee shops so they can make change for you much easier!

8 Iced or Hot

Don't you dare tell me you want it iced after I made it hot. Don't you dare. Do you understand iced drinks are just hot drinks that haven't been steamed and have ice. Don't make me steam a perfectly good drink you wanted iced but didn't communicate and then have me not be able to use it. It's so much easier to fix an iced drink that you decided you wanted hot. Hello, take ice out and steam!!

9. Smoothies-just don't.

Curse you for ordering a six part smoothie when I have a line out the door.

Jamba is on Poydras—please leave!