When I (can't) just say yes to customer

Rachel understands. Picture taken from here.

Being a barista is not always a nightmare.

Here's five (from hundreds) things I enjoy being a barista:
1. make your own-any-kind-beverages-you-want
"add two pumps raspberry syrup to half black tea half passion tea" or "I was wondering, wouldn't it be nice to have a shot of espresso in your raspberry blackcurrant?' or that time when "zen tea plus hazelnut syrup is beyond words" or any other zillions times.

There's just a few examples of our experiments. Well, I must admit that not all of them went well, though :p

2. Winning people's heart is one of skill you can learn. Or faking it.
For me personally, having a regular customer is one of a happy thing. What could bring a smile to your face in the middle of Saturday night where there's a long queuing line craving for a cup of coffee (or most of them are ice blended)? Familiar faces greet you personally and asking how are you while ordering their usual. and the best part was: they genuinely ask and care about you.

How about the time when you're dealing with Mr. (who thinks) Knows-it-All, the bossy one, the grumpy one, etc? Just be professional and do your job, then!

3. You've got a friend in me.
Working in a F&B retail is never ending story. There's a lot of work to do. For example, you're in the middle of steaming the milk for cappuccino with the manual machine then suddenly there's a customer need your help to mop up the Iced Soy Green Tea Latte he dropped while standing in front of the merchandise area. You can not leave the milk aerating by itself (unless you're using the automatic machine, of course). Don't worry, there's a hero (your friends who works in the same shift as you) with a green apron (sometimes black) with a mop and a bucket full of hot water.

Psst, your coworkers (sometimes a customer who turns into your best buddy) could be the best accompany for beers after a break up or simply for one hour karaoke after having a tough day.

4. Being a barista is one of the milestone in my life.
I still remember the question that day when the HR person asked me "Why do you want to work for us?" I answer with "I love the atmosphere in your coffee shop. I like how the way baristas greet people walk in your entrance door. You make it way cooler when you do that standardization (also with the beverage/food) in almost all of your stores, in this country, moreover all over the world. And, I want to be a part of it."  

5. In the end, it's about the business.
It's not (just) about the money you make. The more important thing is about learning about the business itself. After I worked for 2 years 9 months, they taught me not only how to brew a good coffee. But also, the system, how to estimate the food sales, calculate a forecast budget (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly), how to achieve budget, analyze profit and loss, while make sure the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is applied by the rest of your team. 

disclaimer:
This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual.