Big ole' cup of service with a smile: Being nice to your barista

Though service usually comes with a smile, sometimes customers can be less than appreciative.

We’ve all borne witness to some sad displays that make us thank God our parents raised us right. We’ve waited not-so-patiently in line while a wound-up soccer mom lets loose her frustrations, complaining to some poor barista that she did, in fact, order a skinny non-fat mocha without whipped cream, and how dare he give her a skinny non-fat mocha with whipped cream. We’ve all tapped our feet, irritated beyond belief while she holds back the line, making us late to our classes and preventing us from reaching that sweet, bitter caffeine-injected bliss.

Thankfully, though these customers do exist, they are rare on UNC’s campus. 

Kenya Hairston, a barista for The Meantime Coffee Co. and a senior psychology major, said she just started working part time at The Meantime, a student-run coffee shop located in the Campus Y, and that most customers she has served tend to be laid back.  

“I think we have a really good relationship with the people who work at the Campus Y,” she said. “I look forward to going to work.”

Hairston joined The Meantime Coffee Co. just a few weeks ago, and said that, while she’s learned a lot those past few weeks, she’s still trying to perfect her latte art. Customers seem to be OK with the learning curve, even teaching Hairston a thing or two about how to make their drinks.

Hairston said they taught her simple drinks she didn’t know, like Americanos and Red Eyes, which Hairston said she really appreciated, especially as a newer barista.

Aliyah Cruz, a chemistry major and Hairston’s coworker at The Meantime Coffee Co., said she's had several retail jobs at places like CVS and the Student Stores, but this is her first time working as a barista. 

“It’s interesting,” she said. “There’s a lot more that goes into it than people realize.”

"A lot" might be an understatement. Each morning Cruz said she and her co-workers have to set up the counter, bringing up heavy machinery and boxes upon boxes of coffee products. Pretty much everything on the counter goes into storage at night — everything except the giant espresso machine, which looks about as heavy as it sounds.

Cruz said she usually works morning shifts, and with early morning classes, she doesn’t get a lot of students, especially because the Campus Y is so far from a lot of the dorms. However, when those classes get out and customers start pouring in, Cruz said it can get more than a little chaotic. 

“Here people have been really nice, but I feel like some customers in general want things like, right then — I feel like sometimes people could be a bit more calm,” she said. “Just sort of understanding that like, we’re going to get to you and we’re going to do it as quickly as possible.”

In general, Cruz said the customers coming into the Campus Y are a lot more ~chill~ than customers from her previous jobs, and she thought the vibes have something to do with the philanthropic atmosphere the Campus Y provides.

“I’ve never had a bad customer (here),” she said. "Once I gave this girl like 77 cents in nickels, just because we ran out of, like, every other coin.”

What can customers do to make sure they don’t end up in a red-faced spat with their local barista? Sophomore Hayley Hardison said understanding is the key ingredient to a happy caffeine handoff. 

“They’re human, and they’re most likely students as well,” she said. “They’re just normal people — that’s what we have to remember.”

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