Manners at the Coffee Shop
Entering coffee shops these days is a gamble. Will you be met with a crowd of people waiting for a table to open up, or a long line that is going to make you 15 minutes late to your next meeting? Coffee shops have become a popular place for individuals to work and hangout during their free time. With so much traffic entering and leaving these establishments, it is necessary to have a few guidelines on the proper manners to display when trying to purchase a fresh coffee drink.
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Politeness goes a long way. A simple hello and please can make a short transaction, such as purchasing a coffee, much more enjoyable and smoother. Don’t bark orders at the barista, they are humans too and are much more willing to help those who are kind to them.
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Get off your phone! This applies to several aspects in life. We have become extremely attached to our mobile devices and it often impedes our ability to focus on what we are doing at that moment. Look away from your phone for two minutes to give your full attention while ordering. This can save time and possibly even shorten the lines at coffee shops if everyone was ready with their order and form of payment, rather than getting to the register and then looking at the menu. This is perhaps one of the most important coffee shop manners you can display.
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Leave a tip. This coffee shop manner sometimes seems foreign to coffee shop goers, but it falls under the same idea of a bartender. When you go to the bar and order a drink, you’re expected to give a tip right? And all they do sometimes is transfer liquid from a bottle to a cup or open up a bottle, a barista puts in more work to create your coffee and deserve to be tipped for their work. Coffee is an art and baristas are the artists. Be a patron to the arts!
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Don’t hog the tables. This is common sense. Now I know many people work at cafes, it sometimes helps get those creative juices flowing but be mindful of others in the coffee shop. Don’t sit at a table all day and refill the same cup you got that morning. After a few hours, look around, if there are several people waiting head to another coffee shop. If there are other open tables, try ordering another fresh coffee or pastry. Show some respect to the establishment helping you work.
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Keep Your Area Neat. Setting up to work can sometimes get messy. Papers become disorganized and slowly begin migrating farther and farther away from you. Make sure to keep your area neat, you don’t want to make it look like you live at the coffee shop. Also, remember to take up as little room as you need. Don’t get a large 4 seater table if it’s just you. Again, be mindful of other guests in the coffee shop.
- Interact with Others. After all, you chose a coffee shop rather than a library because of its social environment. You don’t need to spend hours chatting away with random people, but be friendly to those you come across. If you see another person working at a table, try joining them. Greet them and set your things up. No need to take another table if you both are working with headphones in anyway.
Next time you visit your local coffee shop, be considerate of other guests and the baristas with these common coffee shop manners. If you plan on spending a lot of time at the coffee shop, it will be a lot more pleasurable for everyone if you follow a few simple guidelines to help make the environment in the coffee shop a little nicer. For the coffee lovers who like to make their coffee at home, Koffee Kult has the best whole bean coffee and brewers that allow you to avoid the coffee shop altogether.
