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Ticket for Coffee Shop Frustration: Ordering Black Coffee

helsinkiandrew 4y ago
https://archive.ph/i1iB9 https://archive.ph/i1iB9
graypegg 4y ago
Does this problem… exist? I order black pike place coffee regularly. It’s been fine, and I don’t think anyone has been confused. Even if someone was confused, I can’t blame them, being a barista at busy hours is complex and stressful. Are people thinking that because their order is simple, they should skip ahead in the FIFO order queue here? If it’s not busy I usually end up with that anyway and the person on POS system just does the 10 second pour. I don’t expect that at peak hours.
rmason 4y ago
Try being a non-coffee drinker and having to find something else to drink. In Starbuck's you have the choice of overpriced water or hot chocolate that's made without milk. These businesses don't even consider that customers who don't drink coffee might be customers. The sole exception I have found is Biggby's (which those on the West coast haven't experienced yet) the choices at most coffee houses are poor or none. I use the local Biggby's as my preferred meeting place.
- swatcoder 4y ago
  That reminds me of the time I tried to get a hamburger at the Jamba Juice. What a hassle that was.
- graypegg 4y ago
  > These [coffee shops] don't even consider that customers who don't drink coffee might be customers. Why? You’re not the target audience and there’s plenty of customers in the coffee drinking market. Starbucks will work on what they’re good at, coffee.
  - rmason 4y ago
    Why? Say you're invited to a meeting there. What do you do? Starbuck's used to even charge for wi-fi. When I was growing up if you wanted to use a bar or restaurant and were a non-smoker you had to deal with smoke. In this case 75% were non-smokers yet they wouldn't dare offend the smokers. When Michigan passed a law banning smoking in clubs, bars and restaurants the smoking lobby said it would result in extreme financial harm. However it was the exact opposite, their business went up! A couple years later a majority of smokers said it was for the better.
    - graypegg 4y ago
      Ask to meet somewhere else? Are you asking that the government mandate that coffee shops provide additional drinks on the off chance that someone that dislikes coffee is invited to a meeting at a coffee shop? And that it will improve profits for coffee shops?
swatcoder 4y ago
I order a “drip” pretty much everyday from somehwhere and have done so for a decade. Lots of different coffee shops in lots of different places. I have never once experienced someone confused and I can’t think of a time when my drink wasn’t handed to me while I was still at the register. No busy shop would clutter their prep line with a drip coffee that the cashier or somebody doing cleanup can get out of the way. This article is nuts.
fingerlocks 4y ago
That’s because it’s not called “Black Coffee”. As a former Seattle barista >20 years ago, I would have been confused as well. It’s Drip Coffee, not Black Coffee. You have two plain options: drip or espresso. They are both black (eventually). All coffee is black. The baristas are giving weird looks because the customer made a weird order.
- goosedragons 4y ago
  Depends where you go. At Tim Hortons for example you say "Black Coffee" and that translates instantly to "Black light roast non-decaf drip coffee" even though now they can do a black dark roast or a black decaf or a black Americano or whatever. The base assumption for "coffee" in North America is drip. I'm curious now how often you heard "black coffee" and the customer actually wanted a black espresso or black Americano?
kjs3 4y ago
There has not been a single time in my entire life when I walked into a Starbucks (something I often do) and ordered "Large coffee, Black please" and I did not get a 20oz drip coffee with nothing added. Occasionally I'll get "Vente?" as a question, because I guess the baristas are obligated to use the 'corporate approved' size names. Very rarely I get "nothing added, right?" or similar, I assume because there's always That Person who orders something like 'black coffee', and then decides they want something in it. None of this offends me enough to write a eye-roll worthy piece for the WSJ.

https://archive.ph/i1iB9 https://archive.ph/i1iB9

Does this problem… exist? I order black pike place coffee regularly. It’s been fine, and I don’t think anyone has been confused. Even if someone was confused, I can’t blame them, being a barista at busy hours is complex and stressful. Are people thinking that because their order is simple, they should skip ahead in the FIFO order queue here? If it’s not busy I usually end up with that anyway and the person on POS system just does the 10 second pour. I don’t expect that at peak hours.

rmason 4y ago

Try being a non-coffee drinker and having to find something else to drink. In Starbuck's you have the choice of overpriced water or hot chocolate that's made without milk. These businesses don't even consider that customers who don't drink coffee might be customers. The sole exception I have found is Biggby's (which those on the West coast haven't experienced yet) the choices at most coffee houses are poor or none. I use the local Biggby's as my preferred meeting place.

swatcoder 4y ago
That reminds me of the time I tried to get a hamburger at the Jamba Juice. What a hassle that was.
graypegg 4y ago
> These [coffee shops] don't even consider that customers who don't drink coffee might be customers. Why? You’re not the target audience and there’s plenty of customers in the coffee drinking market. Starbucks will work on what they’re good at, coffee.
- rmason 4y ago
  Why? Say you're invited to a meeting there. What do you do? Starbuck's used to even charge for wi-fi. When I was growing up if you wanted to use a bar or restaurant and were a non-smoker you had to deal with smoke. In this case 75% were non-smokers yet they wouldn't dare offend the smokers. When Michigan passed a law banning smoking in clubs, bars and restaurants the smoking lobby said it would result in extreme financial harm. However it was the exact opposite, their business went up! A couple years later a majority of smokers said it was for the better.
  - graypegg 4y ago
    Ask to meet somewhere else? Are you asking that the government mandate that coffee shops provide additional drinks on the off chance that someone that dislikes coffee is invited to a meeting at a coffee shop? And that it will improve profits for coffee shops?

swatcoder 4y ago

I order a “drip” pretty much everyday from somehwhere and have done so for a decade. Lots of different coffee shops in lots of different places. I have never once experienced someone confused and I can’t think of a time when my drink wasn’t handed to me while I was still at the register. No busy shop would clutter their prep line with a drip coffee that the cashier or somebody doing cleanup can get out of the way. This article is nuts.

fingerlocks 4y ago

That’s because it’s not called “Black Coffee”. As a former Seattle barista >20 years ago, I would have been confused as well. It’s Drip Coffee, not Black Coffee. You have two plain options: drip or espresso. They are both black (eventually). All coffee is black. The baristas are giving weird looks because the customer made a weird order.

goosedragons 4y ago
Depends where you go. At Tim Hortons for example you say "Black Coffee" and that translates instantly to "Black light roast non-decaf drip coffee" even though now they can do a black dark roast or a black decaf or a black Americano or whatever. The base assumption for "coffee" in North America is drip. I'm curious now how often you heard "black coffee" and the customer actually wanted a black espresso or black Americano?

kjs3 4y ago

There has not been a single time in my entire life when I walked into a Starbucks (something I often do) and ordered "Large coffee, Black please" and I did not get a 20oz drip coffee with nothing added. Occasionally I'll get "Vente?" as a question, because I guess the baristas are obligated to use the 'corporate approved' size names. Very rarely I get "nothing added, right?" or similar, I assume because there's always That Person who orders something like 'black coffee', and then decides they want something in it. None of this offends me enough to write a eye-roll worthy piece for the WSJ.