If you love coffee, you would love a pretty barista, right? Especially if you are a single girl or guy? Well, we get you; who would not want their coffee served with a nice smile and a little chat? Yet, an 18-year-old barista working at a small café went completely silent after her new shift lead reprimanded her for chatting with coworkers.
The crew had a friendly atmosphere where light conversation during slow moments made shifts more bearable. However, things took a turn when the new manager, attempting to assert authority, snapped, “You’re not paid to socialise. You’re paid to work. Less talking, more doing.” The young girl responded with a mere “okay.” Little did the manager know that the young barista would take the order literally and go completely “into a silent robot working mode.”
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As per a report, she quietly began working around the cafe without greeting customers, didn’t say “excuse me,” and gave no verbal warnings while moving around tight spaces. When asked why she wasn’t responding, she said, “I’m not paid to talk.”
The same manager softened her stance by the next shift, admitting that “some communication is fine.” Still, originally a Reddit post, the story went viral about management styles, toxic workplace environments, and the balance between professionalism and basic human interaction; furthermore, comments after the post received a lot of traction, and many of them supported the 18-year-old barista.
One user said, “Every manager who thinks that discipline is the only management technique needs to go back under the rock they came from.” Another said, “The best way to get rid of a stupid rule is to follow it.” Meanwhile, some had neutral responses to the incident, writing, ” I think we’ve all worked with that 18-year-old who wouldn’t just shut up; some of us had to learn the hard way that we were that 18-year-old.”
Meanwhile, being a server or a barista in coffee shops is a popular entry-level job for students and youngsters who wish to earn extra cash. It is a fast-paced and high-stress environment where a worker must juggle multiple things simultaneously.
Since coffee comes in various flavors and requires different preparation methods—for instance, coffee beverages require finer or coarser grinds, while espresso requires a very fine grind (via Qwick)— Moreover, not everyone might have a fair idea about modern coffee drinks and what they are made of just like matcha or a caramel mocha.
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For some individuals, coffee only means black or with milk. Hence, workers in coffee shops need to be interactive and help customers pick the right kind of drink according to their mood. Maintaining a formal yet cheerful tone while taking orders, serving them, and providing recommendations (while dealing with rude people) can boost customer retention and satisfaction.
It’s good to witness social media being the platform for many youngsters to articulate their stories, whether it’s a tale of hard work, sorrow, the toxic manager or boss in the office, or just a terrible ex-boyfriend who never called back after bailing out on dinner plans. Question-and-answer platforms like Reddit and Quora have space for everyone to rant, interact with the virtual world, and take some weight off their chest.
