Sounds like she might be lacking a happy face...

In that case, the proper response would have been: "You got four minutes missy, that shot better be a godsend or you'll be spending the rest of today removing an espresso cup from you oesophagus!"

erik996 wrote:Just a bit more information.....

This particular barista always seems very disinterested and gruff when I'm in there. The other employees at this establishment, without fail, have been welcoming and friendly every single time I'm there. This one, however, rarely smiles but makes very good drinks. I always tip and I always say "thank you" when they put the drink on the bar to acknowledge their work. I really do appreciate the skill and stamina it takes to stand at an espresso machine all day and make drinks. I spent a couple shifts working in a small drive through kiosk at a local roaster I invested in, so I have a small idea what's involved, and how absolutely rude and offensive customers can be. I also deal with less than savory people at my work yet I am expected to be professional if at all possible.

I don't think there is any doubt that the barista's behavior was rude. It's always more important to be polite when saying no to a customer request than when saying yes. Given that the barista has a record of curt, impersonal service I would feel justified talking to a manager or owner about the incident.

At the same time, I'm surprised at some of the angrier responses I have seen here. We, more than most people, should recognize that a barista who makes "very good drinks" is not all that common. How do you weigh the balance between barista skill and customer service? Would you buy a drink from a WBC champion with the personality of a toad or would you buy swill from Mother Teresa? If this were the only decent cafe in town, would you refuse to go back? Would you demand the same level of politeness from someone with a high status profession, like your doctor or lawyer?

In a perfect world all skilled baristas would have pleasant personalities, but this isn't a perfect world. I would willingly trade all the nice, polite baristas in South Florida for just one who could make a decent espresso.

I dunno, being skilled at making coffee should not be a free pass to be an a-hole. I would personally not put up with attitude even from WBC champion.

After all, being a barista is about making coffee but also making a connection with the client. You don't see the guys at WBC mouthing off to the judges eh?

Does

"we don't open until 6:30!"

merit

"You got four minutes missy, that shot better be a godsend or you'll be spending the rest of today removing an espresso cup from you oesophagus!"

or

I would have told them to stick their coffee up their arse.

What have we degenerated into? I feel like I'm back working in corrections rather than with in a civilized forum.

Marvin

Marvin, i understand your point. We are just having a bit of fun with this thread... Well I was anyway.

If you want to see some real venom go check out the threads on VST baskets!

Just an idle thought.. If the 6:26 employee is forbidden by the owner to open the doors before 6:30, is she still rude?

Nice to have the facts before making the judgement.

BDL

My favorite response to such a brazen lack of understanding of the term "customer service" would first to check-in on Yelp with a quick tip to tell everyone to turn right around when they saw this particular clerk (she does not deserve the title of Barista) and head to any of the other coffee shops in town. Then, I'd draft my signature-style sardonic review highlighting this person's inability to communicate with other humans and post it to remain as long as the website exists. Finally, rather than waste my time with an email, I'd walk in and ask her for the owner's name and number so that I could arrange a fact to face meeting with them to politely, yes, politely explain how their staff was doing a bang up job of chasing away customers.

I am sure that after your meeting with the owner, you'll no doubt see this Chiquita mopping floors at the Sev.

Finally, once she had been packed out of there, I'd refresh my Yelp review to highlight the lusciousness of their bean selection and the excitement of good customer service.

Moral of this story is, don't bring your bad hangover to work to spew all over your boss's customers. It's his livelihood you're screwing with.

The Barista was wrong and the owner/manager should be told. If customers leave an otherwise good establishment due to one employee that is tragic. The Barista also deserves a chance to work on their people skills but, may be unaware how they appear to customers. Do yourself and the coffee shop a favor and talk to those in charge.

Erik (OP) seems plenty forgiving of "gruff" - especially if that's the trade-off for an outstanding product. After all, the legendary Parisian waiters at Brasserie Lipp (and countless NYC cafes and diners) have refined "gruff" into an art form that's not just the price of admission but an essential part of the show.

But the troubling issue in this case is that it didn't stop there - he was essentially accused of trespassing and then kicked out. This is not part of the show, and you can't excuse this kind of "service" in a service business. Worse, Portland is a friendly town where drivers actually invite you to cut into traffic: this employee is poisonous for business: there are too many other places with outstanding coffee and great characters who will hand it to you - attended by a hard time in good cheer - at 6:26. So staying quiet is truly unfair to the owner whose business is being damaged.

This barista needs to take her professional capabilities to a shop where customer contact is handled by friendly and appreciative sorts while the baristas are free to mutter dark threats in the direction of their group-heads.

Boldjava wrote:I would have done the same thing as you did. Both my feet and my money vote. I also follow up with an email to the owner, "Let me tell you of my experience..." Your post had an appropriate tone. Send it to her/him.

B|Java

Absolutely agree. I would want to know, any conscientious owner would want to know. Actually I don't care how great the coffee is, if customer service isn't up to par you're dead meat.