newbie knows worst

today i visited a bux i used to frequent quite often. it used to be my favorite bux to hang at because the partners were really cool and the store was always clean. the reason i don't go there so often anymore is because there is hardly any seating available. they have become super, super busy.

i saw a couple familiar baristas and chatted with them a bit. i could sense they were annoyed - and it wasn't too hard to figure out why. of the six baristas on the floor, four of them were new.
i know the pain of working with newbies. i don't want to imagine what it would be like to deal with four of them during a busy morning rush.

the lead barista was working on bar. she was doing a fantastic job until a newbie showed up to "help" her. not only did newbie get the drinks out of order - she started to pull shots before her milk was steamed (a cardinal sin for baristas). newbie put too much foam in a latte and when the lead barista asked her to take off the excess foam and add milk, newbie scraped off the foam and plopped it into the steamed milk pitcher instead of the dipwell. then newbie pulled regular shots for a decaf drink, resteamed nonfat milk (eww!), put too many pumps of syrup in an easy vanilla cappuccino, as well as pissing off the lead barista.
i hate newbies that don't listen/learn and i know the lead barista at this store does too.
they ended up sending newbie home early because she was hindering the flow - not helping.

barista rant: LISTEN for your drink. don't just assume that any drink i put on the bar belongs to you. don't sip the drink (that wasn't even yours), wrinkle your nose and tell me that i made your mocha wrong. the reason it tastes funny is because a) it's not a mocha and b) it's not YOURS! listen for your name - that will ensure you get the drink you ordered and paid for, ok?