Coffee Shop Etiquette

By Nicholas Neyhouse on October 4, 2014

Coffee shop etiquette

The Alex Raymond Band in Lulu Carpenter’s

Coffee shops bring friends together, create a perfect atmosphere for first dates, and almost always have exciting and interesting people in them. Although, probably the best thing about local coffee and tea houses are the wonderful baristas that make your drinks.

I personally have never worked in a coffee shop, although I spent hours upon hours in lulu carpenters in downtown Santa Cruz last year, and I found that the workers there know there stuff and are willing to help if you have questions.

This is a guide for primarily local coffee shops, but some of the ideas can be extrapolated for chain shops as well.

On ordering your drink/food:

It’s perfectly fine if you don’t know exactly what you want when you get up to the register, but don’t act like you know what you’re doing if you have never ordered an espresso drink before. Be willing to ask the barista what they recommend based off of your tastes.

Most times the barista will be excited to help you learn about the different ways of preparing espresso. Although, if the place is packed and the worker looks tired and worn out, don’t expect a super long conversation. As well with a crowded place try and be as prepared as possible to order and pay as fast as you can, because everyone wants to get their drinks before they rush off to class or work.

On tipping:

Baristas make minimum wage most of the time, but tips do end up making about 20-40% of their salary according to Tim Urban’s article “Everything You Don’t Know About Tipping”.

With that said, they are not expecting every costumer to tip them every time. But if you order 3 cappuccinos, 2 nonfat lattes, 2 macchiatos, and 3 paninis, then some tip is expected.

Another occasion where tips are appreciated is if they do an exceptional job at helping you decide on a drink, and they make it extremely well. Basically, you should tip if you have the buck to give, or if there is some sort of extra work that the barista has to do then tip.

On where to sit:

Sitting, most likely, is seen as an easy task, although in a coffee shop the simple action becomes a bit of a process of questioning. Your intended actions  in the coffee shop changes the place you may sit. If you are on a date, meeting for an interview, or want to have a ‘private’ conversation, then head to the back or sit outside if that is an option.

If you are just with a couple of friends hanging out on a Saturday night then feel free to sit at the bar or any other open and loud area of the coffee shop, but don’t take a seat in the quiet area where a bunch of people are trying to study or write if you plan on having a loud conversation.

If you are studying, pick an area in the shop that isn’t heavily populated with loud people, because not only will they bother you, but they will start to feel bad and as if they are interrupting you.

On talking to people:

Coffee shops are social places that also act as semi private places. What I mean by this is that there are going to be people who are open to talking and there will be couples that need a moment to themselves. My recommendation is to think about what the person is doing and why they are there before you speak to them.

If they have a book and have headphones in then you probably don’t want to bother them. Although if they are sort of just looking around with a book in their hand, or they don’t have anyone that they are already talking to, then feel free to talk to them.  Hopefully you will pick up on any social cues that show if that person is interested in talking to you.

While these are good guidelines to go by in coffee shops, each situation is going to be different, and you are going to make mistakes with interacting in these places. I personally have, and have put myself in a lot of awkward situations, but most regulars in local coffee shops are pretty chill and have an open mentality to the world around them.

If this sounds like a place you want to be,
and the people are your kind of people, I recommend giving a local place a shot rather than going back to your usual Starbucks.

Photo taken by myself

Tipping advice from: Urban, Tim. “Everything You Don’t Know About Tipping.” Wait But Why. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/04/everything-dont-know-tipping.html

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