Ever wonder what's happening behind the counter at your Starbucks? Ever feel like they're being too slow?

I have been a barista at the busiest Starbucks in my city for about six months, and I have to say, it is definitely not a casual chill coffeeshop job. Now this perspective is, again, probably not the same for all Starbucks baristas, but this is from my experience.

At my Starbucks, we don't ever just stand around. We work hard to make customers have the best experience. There are many times I bar on both bars and even flex to cold bar.

Although we give 100% of our effort, and there are only two bars and two people making the drinks most of the time, some people still expect their drinks to appear in 2 seconds. I never want to disappoint a customer, but the expectation of a customer sometimes doesn't match with how many drinks a person can make at once.

We multitask and work so fast that we can barely glance up from our focus. At my store, despite the constant work, we still make extensive efforts to know our customers and to live life with them. This is a poem I wrote to help customers empathize and understand what Starbucks baristas do behind the counter to make the best drink, and also for fellow baristas who might find this amusing and relatable.

Caffeine Rush

Bustling feet and frantic hand motions. Steam milk, que shots, good morning! How’s your day going?

See you later, Tim!

Hopefully this perspective will help you think about what your barista is doing for you, and help you appreciate that Venti Iced White Mocha Quad Shot Extra Foam No Whip Soy Latte even more.