Coffee with an attitude, what’s the point?
I’ve noticed a trend that hasn’t set well with me for a while, so it’s time to put it out there and see if I’m the only one who’s noticed or feels this way.
There’s a couple of coffee houses in town, two in particular, that deliver an attitude with their coffee. The person behind the counter is expressionless verging on annoyed. When a customer asks a question they get a flat answer with no elaboration. The thing that saddens me is they serve great coffee. And they know it! It’s almost as if they think they can act that way because their coffee is that good.
I walked into one of these establishments recently and asked if they had a coffee of day because I had always gotten espresso or cappuccino. Expressionless, emotionless, annoyed, “We freasfhasfhehtahhfeooo.”
“I’m sorry?”
“WEEEEE Freeeennnnnch PRESSSSS….TO…..ORRRRDERRRRR.”
Now I have to decide: Do I (a) react and tell him how he has failed miserably at basic communication and customer service, or do I (b) play dumb and see if I can annoy him more. I chose the latter. “Ohhhhhh, so your saying I can choose any of these coffees up here and you’ll French press it for me?”
“Yeah”
So I took my time, him-hawing over which coffee to choose. I chose a Guatemalan. He picked up a bag he had behind the counter, ground it, boiled the water, poured the water, set the timer, then walked into the back room. Nothing was ever said again between him and I.
So what’s the point? Am I supposed to prove to you that I know enough about coffee for you to treat me as an actual customer? Are you willing to lose customers to another coffee house that will smile as people walk up to the counter? Instead of telling people only how you do it, why not explain WHY you do it? Why not elaborate on how French press brewing gives a more full-bodied flavor, and how with more coffee to water contact time you get a fresher, crisp taste?
Yeah your coffee is good and your baristas have skills, but it’s not worth being treated like an idiot.
So my friends abroad, is this a local phenomenon? A sign of the times? Or do baristas actually think that because they know more than the average consumer they have the right to treat them as lemmings?
Michael Brown
http://www.JitteryCoffeeCupRoasters.com
The more I think about this store front you’re describing, the more confidant I am that they won’t be around long if they don’t get over themselves.
Have you succeeded in speaking to one of the owners? Because nobody opens a specialty coffee shop in order to have the baristas be sassy and surly. The point of opening such a coffee shop is to bring enthusiasts together over some good joe. Not to ridicule those who simpler tastes or less developed palates. If a person finds as much pleasure in a cup of Folgers drip as Michael Brown finds in a good shot of espresso, that doesn’t make them any less valid. They’re still entitled to a cup of coffee without attitude.
So, no. You shouldn’t have to prove that you know anything about coffee.
Every cafe I’ve been to that has what I consider to be exceptional coffee also had knowledgeable baristas who were EAGER to discuss bean/blend origin, brewing and extraction process, and flavor profiles, and even food matching.
Those clowns are doing it wrong, and they aren’t going to instill an appreciation for coffee in their customers if they don’t create a pleasant and an educational environment. Hell, they aren’t going to be selling coffee at all for very long if they don’t get over themselves and start engaging with their customers.
In fact, they are betraying the fact that they have little knowledge about cafe society and the way a coffee bar should be run. Their snobbery is undeserved.
I’m sorry you’ve had such a nasty experience there. My ire is up on your behalf.