22 Starbucks Etiquette Tips That'll Make Any Barista Want To Give You A Hug

Thinking of someone pouring hot coffee in the trash can makes me want to cry.

Hi, my name is Audrey, and I was a Starbucks barista for two and a half years.

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Over my time as a barista, I noticed there were a select handful of things customers did that, well, I wish they didn't. So as a former employee, here are some do's and don'ts that I personally think will make you a barista's favorite customer.

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1. PLEASE DON'T dump liquid in the trash can.

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This one was the worst for me. A little part of me died when I saw it happen. Trash bags are not meant to hold liquid, and if you need room, all you have to do is ask. I am especially bitter because one time, I clocked in and the first thing I did was go change the trash at the condiment bar. I picked the old bag out of the trash can and *SPLOOSH*. There was so much grody old coffee pooled at the bottom of the trash bag that the bag broke, spilling all over my SHOE AND SOCK FIVE MINUTES INTO MY SHIFT. Bad, bad, bad.

2. PLEASE order food first.

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A breakfast sandwich takes, like, a minute and a half to toast in the oven. Baristas can make, like, four drinks in a minute and a half. It takes longer to warm up food, so order that first so the barista can pop it in the oven. It will take a shorter amount of time to complete the total order.

3. PLEASE DON'T ask us to throw away trash from your car.

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Taking in trash from the drive-thru window is a health code violation. Please don't get upset when the barista refuses to throw away your trash for you.

4. PLEASE ask if you have questions about the menu.

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It was always confusing to me that the full menu was never on display, and it can make Starbucks seem more intimidating to new customers, but baristas take pride in making you something delicious that will brighten your day a little. Tell them what you're looking for, and they'll help.

5. PLEASE DON'T make an "I just want a plain coffee; do you even have that here?" comment.

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Yes, they do. The have three blends: dark, medium, and blonde roast. All you have to do is order a [size] [roast], like a tall dark. That's the regular cup of coffee. An americano is also very similar, so that's a good alternative to a brewed coffee, as well.

6. PLEASE only order a secret menu drink if you know the recipe.

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Starbucks does not have a secret menu. Baristas aren't trained to know the secret menu. I worked at Starbucks during the height of Pokémon Go, and people would regularly come in asking for a Pokéball Frappuccino or an Electabuzz Frappuccino. These are not drinks we know how to make unless you know the recipe. Rambling off the ingredients to the barista will make it so much easier. I will also let you know there is about an 80% chance the barista will be upset if you ask to blend inclusions because they are a big ol' pain to get out of the blender.

7. PLEASE DON'T leave your wipers on at the drive-thru window.

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This is not just exclusive to Starbucks. There are times during rain where the windshield wipers would flick water directly into the window and at the employee on drive-thru. Stay mindful of it because it makes the employee on drive-thru wet, cold, and sad.

8. PLEASE keep in mind we can see you and hear you as soon as you pull up to the speaker box.

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Not sure if the "seeing you" applies to every Starbucks, but most of the stores I worked at had a camera. The microphone on your side gets automatically turned on when you pull up, so we can hear you even if we don't respond. We also have a tiny camera where we can see you. I don't think most people know this because I saw people doing everything from putting on makeup to changing clothes at the drive-thru speaker box.

9. PLEASE DON'T say, "Well the other Starbucks does it like this."

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Every Starbucks, I think, tries to be as consistent as possible, but there are a TON of variations between recipes, and knowing the recipe for the drink you like the most will help to keep your drink tasting consistent across stores. For example, I order a grande nitro cold brew with hazelnut syrup. Nitro cold brews don't typically come with syrup. Grande drinks that come with syrup usually come with four pumps of said syrup. However, sometimes when I ask for a grande nitro cold brew with hazelnut syrup, and the label just says "hazelnut syrup," how many should the barista put in? Just one because it doesn't say to put any more? Four because that's how much syrup would go in other grande drinks? There is a little room for assumption, so taking the guesswork out as much as possible will help to always make your order correct.

10. PLEASE specify if you want espresso drinks or chais iced or hot.

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Both lattes and chais I felt like were a 50/50 split as to whether someone wanted them iced or hot. They're delicious both ways! However, the default is hot. If you say you want a grande chai, it will be made hot. You have to specify if you want it iced. Baristas are really good at asking, but have 600 other things going on and can sometimes forget the follow-up questions. If you want your drink iced, be sure to mention it.

11. PLEASE DON'T micromanage the barista who is making your drink.

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I think every barista would rather you have your drink in hand and say something is wrong with it, then fully remake it, than you try to catch them before they finish. Why? Chances are the drink you're watching them make is not yours. A lot of coffees look the same, and the barista making them is probably juggling orders coming through the drive-thru on their headset, mobile orders coming through, and orders from people in the store. They will remake your drink if it's wrong, but asking them to course-correct when they aren't even making your drink is fatiguing.

12. PLEASE ask for a straw instead of reaching over the counter to get one.

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The odds of you and a barista colliding are much greater when you reach over the partition to get your own straw. I promise you aren't bothering them. Also, it's kind of invading their space? I don't know how else to describe it, but just ask.

13. PLEASE DON'T give sweaty money to the cashier.

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This happened to me a lot because I worked at a Starbucks next to a park that was popular for runners and bikers, but taking sweaty money that came out of a shirt or bra or waistband is gross. Please pay with your app or maybe put your money in a little baggie to shield it?

14. PLEASE put your phone down before ordering your drink.

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There were a couple of times I remember people would come up on the phone and then thrust the phone to me so the person over the phone could order. This was pre-pandemic but still, looking back on it, I can't believe how close random strangers' phones came to my face. If you're chatting with someone before you order, the barista will be thankful if you tell them you'll call them back, or you can do what I do to my mom and say, "Hold on, mom, let me put you in my pocket while I order." 

15. PLEASE DON'T leave straw wrappers or unused napkins on the table when you leave.

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It's like...5 feet to the trash can. Nobody is going to use napkins that have been chilling on the table because nobody knows where they've been. Additionally, straw wrappers are the worst thing to pick up and throw away because they're little and annoying. Please clean up your trash.

16. PLEASE place a mobile order before you get to the store.

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Or just give the barista enough time to make the drink. If you place a mobile order and, 30 seconds later, go up to the counter to ask if your drink is done, it won't be. Once you place a mobile order, your drinks will join the line of drinks in the process of being made. You have to give the barista a few minutes to get to your drink. Placing a mobile order doesn't mean your drink starts being made immediately.

17. PLEASE DON'T pay with a large bill.

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The poor barista will try to make change for a $100 bill with $10s or $5s and then wipe themselves out of change. Please be nice and break large bills at a grocery store or something.

18. PLEASE, if you move the patio furniture, put it back the way you found it.

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Baristas are busy hustling and bustling, and don't make it outside often. A lot of people like hanging out and drinking coffee on Starbucks patios. They will bring their pups, friends, or even, like, a whole book club, which is great! Except pushing tables together or stealing three sets of chairs so eight people can sit around one table can be a pain in the butt if you leave everything like that. If you rearrange the patio, it's nice to take two minutes before you leave and put things back where you found them.

19. PLEASE DON'T order a coffee traveler when you're in a time crunch.

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Coffee travelers require baristas to brew an entire pot of coffee fresh, then transfer it into a to-go container. It also requires baristas to get coffee accoutrements like cream, sugar, cups, lids, and stirrers all together for the traveler. They take like 10–15 minutes and require a little patience. It's best to order them ahead or when you have a minute or two to spare.

20. PLEASE use your real name.

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When a barista asks you for your name, saying something funny like Voldemort or Batman has been done before. If you want to help your barista out, spelling your name out is great, too. When I worked at Starbucks, I had to take my best guess for people's names or ask them how to spell it and risk them rolling their eyes or getting annoyed at me. Also, if you're a regular and you don't think a barista knows your name, help them out! It made me feel so bad when I asked the name of someone who came in frequently and they were like, "You don't know who I am by now?" Starbucks employees make it a point to remember names and orders, but are not 100% perfect.

21. PLEASE DON'T complain to a barista about your stars.

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Baristas have zero control over your stars and can't see anything related to your Starbucks account. Anytime someone asked me, I directed them to the phone number on the back of Starbucks gift cards because I couldn't help. Once again, nobody at the store can control stars.

22. Finally, PLEASE, if you're going to order water, order it at the cash register.

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While it isn't necessarily a burden to make a water, coming in and walking straight to the hand-off counter to ask the barista for a glass of water not only interrupts their flow of making drinks, but it also puts your beverage in front of everyone else who waited in line and paid. While it may not seem like making a water isn't hard, it still takes time. It's more courteous to baristas and fellow customers if you order it at the register or drive-thru speaker box like you would any other drink.