Now, children, if you can't play nice...

Actually, I think the fact the customer was from Brooklyn explains a lot. That said, while first and foremost I have to say "I wasn't there" (and neither was Nick), I think it's best to chalk it up to "having a bad [hair] day."

Needless to say, the customer will never come back to Murky. Needless to sat, Nick won't miss him, and he won't be changing his policies anytime soon. The only thing/person that will change may be the Barista, who might handle a similar situation a little differently.

And I have no doubt that similar situations will occur this summer. There are enough idiots on the planet that someone will certainly come in to order an iced espresso just to see what happens. After all, Nick got enough free publicity to last at least all summer long!

I prefer to help Nick with his advertising the old fashioned way. Word of mouth.
Nick, look for some unsavory theatre -types to come haunting your shop soon. Unfortunately, one is a Noo-Yawk lighting designer! ; > Actually he's from Boston, but he work s in NYC, He's a nice guy, and there ought to be a few from the Lion King dropping in, too. Get tickets...
I already told 'em what not to order iced! ; >

As a shop owner I have had to deal with this issue. One customer was becoming quite the problem. He would order the double shot in a 16oz cup, go to the ice dispenser and half fill it with ice and then pour half and half to the rim. After the second time I saw him do it I instructed the staff to charge a 16oz cup with a double shot as a 16oz iced breve, which is what it is. The customer was asked not to do that again and he was a little pissed, but later explained he just wanted to make his drink the way he wanted. I found no problem with his making an iced breve himself. He still comes in and we share a wink when he is standing at the condiments pouring 10oz of half and half into his cup at 6cents an ounce. His ticket is $4.55. I'll sell 16oz iced breves all day long to whomever wants to fill their own cup with ice and pour their own half and half. I have also 86'd customers who try a third time to avoid paying for a drink. There is a huge difference in margin in an iced breve and a drink the customer buys at $2.25 and makes into an iced breve themselves. These small enterprises are in a business of pennies. I've seen my share in the past 12 years that have gone belly-up in part for not paying close attention to the little things like the "ghetto latte".
Bernie

Moo!

The store owners in this thread seem to be lactose intolerant. What would happen if the dairy products were moved closer to the cash register? Would the milk abusers think twice about filling their cup to the top when an employee is watching? Another choice might be the individual portions of the product and when the customer asks for milk/cream, the employee could ask "how many?" I think a customer would be hesitant asking for 10-15 portions.

Cliff Isackson

Just had to add to this lot since it's quite amazing.

When I first read the blog I got the idea of the barista being a snob, which I've found quite common at some establishments in my own country. But after reading this thread and the other over at coffeed.com I've changed sides. First of all I had never heard of a ghetto-latte, mainly because I would not have the nerve to pull something like that off... (I have once in my life stolen something from a bar, it was a half liter red wine glass that I paid 10€ for, and after I figured out that the whole bottle of the cheap plonk wouldn't be worth even 7€ I figured that a half liter glass would be quite a nice thing to have).
I would remedy the situation by getting demitasse to-go cups (we have them in Finland, anyone wanna order some? ^^) and if the customer wanted a bigger cup I would kindly explain to him that it would be a waste of mother nature, but if he has a legitimate reason for why he wants a bigger cup I would be happy to get him one after he explains it to me... ^^ The iced espresso could be treated the same way, just chuck it into a cup that's just big enough for 90 ml of espresso and some ice, but explain to the customer that it won't taste good before preparing it. Some people have funny tastes, and if they want it I would serve it. Heck, every bartender looks at me sideways when I order Jack Daniels and Cointreau on the rocks. ^^

I don't agree with the attitude, but I agree with the policy. In my line of work (personal training) I spell out exactly what I do up front and, if a client wants me to compromise the core of what I do, I tell them to go elsewhere.

You can have any color, as long as it is black.

or for the Gen Y kids:
You can have any beer you want, as long as it is a corona.