The Worst Thing You Can Do at a Busy Coffee Shop, According to a Former Barista

Before I started my career with Allrecipes, I worked my fair share of odd jobs. My first job was at Little Ceasers, slinging pizzas, and I’ve also worked in retail. But my longest-standing job was as a barista. I’ve worked in both drive-thru coffee chains and small local cafes, and, regardless if it’s a fast-paced drive-thru or a cozy coffee shop, the interesting customers and orders never change.

People take their coffee extremely seriously. So, when you add those customers to a busy rush or season—like the holidays—you can get some absolutely unhinged interactions. And, as a former barista, I’ve seen my fair share. If you don’t want to be one of those people we talk about during our breaks, here are a few things you should avoid doing at a busy coffee shop.

The Worst Things To Do at a Busy Coffee Shop

Requesting Your Favorite Barista to Make Your Drink

Whether it’s a coffee chain or a small cafe, each barista has their own station. Sure, you can hop around and help wherever needed, but, especially during a rush, it’s important to stay at your station.

Usually, someone is handling the register while someone else is working on the hot and iced coffee bar, and another barista is working on blended drinks. Everybody has their place and it creates a well-oiled machine for getting drinks to the customers.

So if a customer walks in, especially during a rush, and insists their favorite barista must make their drink, it causes a rift in that flow. I promise your favorite coffee aficionado does not do anything special when they make your drink. There’s no extra time taken or no special ingredients used—we’re all trained to make the drinks the same way. If you want to say “hello” to your usual barista, that’s fine, but don’t throw off our groove, please.

Assuming Your Barista Knows Your Name and Order

Don’t get me wrong: baristas love our regulars and, sometimes, we do have your coffee order on deck before you even walk in the door. However, if there’s a barista on the bar that you don’t recognize, don’t just assume that they’re going to immediately know you and your order. And please, don’t just say the order as your name, like “Can I get the Karen?” It’ll save us both time and embarrassment if you just order your drink according to what’s on the menu.

Ordering TikTok Drinks

On a similar note, please don’t order a custom-made drink with 1,000 alterations when you see a lot of people in the store. TikTok has done wonderful things for supporting local coffee shops and sharing delicious orders, but it’s also created a bit of a nightmare for us baristas with the “secret menu” coffee drinks. Not only will it take longer to receive your drink but it also makes things so much harder during a rush.

Above all else, please have patience when we’re dealing with a coffee rush. We want to get you caffeinated as badly as you do, but some things—like the size of the line—are outside our control. However, if you want to make the line move just a tad faster, try to avoid doing these things that will add unnecessary time to your order. Your barista—and the people behind you—will thank you.