Starbucks - asking your name

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  • welwynrosewelwynrose Posts: 33,666
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    Just say you're Spartacus
  • newda898newda898 Posts: 5,464
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    Glengavel wrote: »

    At a Starbucks in Glasgow the barista asked one customer for his name, and somebody in the queue shouted "don't tell him Pike!"

    Love it! I can only imagine some confused looks from the younger crowd in the shop.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,118
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    You are mad because they wanted to know your name so your coffee doesn't get served to someone else? That is kinda odd to be mad about, but hey you guys are free to be angry about anything you want I guess.

    If the staff are half decent there will not be a huge amount of people waiting for their coffee and thr waiting public all mill about the end of the counter anyway and will know their place in the queue. Other coffee chains manage it just fine and make their customers feel valued
  • neo_walesneo_wales Posts: 13,625
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    'Barista' is Italian for bartender, why use the term over here, its a coffee shop for crying out loud, its not even good coffee:rolleyes:

    I suppose the Media Study/Sports Science/Womens Studies/Equality graduates working in them like a 'posh' title though :D
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,691
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    i have not been in a starbucks for a few years now, but the last one I went into, I just told them what I wanted and waited at the counter for them to make it. so how can they not know who I am?


    Nero, well here at least, again, i just wait until the coffee is ready, same with costa.

    I never been in our local Starbucks, i refuse to.

    Nero coffee is pretty good, it is strongish which is how I like it. Sure i make better coffee at home, but I can't do that when I am out.
  • epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    neo_wales wrote: »
    'Barista' is Italian for bartender, why use the term over here, its a coffee shop for crying out loud, its not even good coffee:rolleyes:

    I suppose the Media Study/Sports Science/Womens Studies/Equality graduates working in them like a 'posh' title though :D

    It's loanword from another language. English is full of them.

    Bar: Long counter or table where drinks are served.

    Coffee is a drink. How highly you rate it, is beside the point. :p
  • neo_walesneo_wales Posts: 13,625
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    epicurian wrote: »
    It's loanword from another language. English is full of them.

    Bar: Long counter or table where drinks are served.

    Coffee is a drink. How highly you rate it, is beside the point. :p

    But we're not in Italy, they are counter staff in a UK coffee shop, simple as that (the coffee is pee poor). What should I call the fella who sells hot pork rolls at the market "Chef de Porc" I suppose:rolleyes:
  • RorschachRorschach Posts: 10,818
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    Glengavel wrote: »
    At a Starbucks in Glasgow the barista asked one customer for his name, and somebody in the queue shouted "don't tell him Pike!"
    Aparently another fine example was a customer giving the name "Voldemort" and the staff writing "He Who Must Not Be Named" on his cup :D
  • InspirationInspiration Posts: 62,694
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    I was stood behind a guy the other day who said, when asked, "I'd rather I didn't give you my name if it's all the same with you" in an arsey tone. I thought to myself "You d**k" .. they're only doing their job. What bloody harm does it do that they know your name. Some people are so uptight in this country.
  • jmclaughjmclaugh Posts: 63,988
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    Perhaps everyone should just say Dick.
  • epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    neo_wales wrote: »
    But we're not in Italy, they are counter staff in a UK coffee shop, simple as that (the coffee is pee poor). What should I call the fella who sells hot pork rolls at the market "Chef de Porc" I suppose:rolleyes:


    Are you really getting het up over this? You can call them whatever you want. I doubt they'll care. And a lot of people like the coffee, so your personal opinion isn't a factor. Speaking as a coffee (quasi)snob, the attempts at snobbery when it comes to Starbucks are really funny. I remember going into a Costa in Scarborough, and when the guy serving me, the manager no less, heard my accent he asked where I was from. I told him I was from Seattle and from there he started slating our coffee, ignorantly believing all we drink is Starbucks. What great customer service, I thought! Fishing for compliments, he asked me how I thought S'bux compared with Costa. I told him I didn't think there was much between the two. Both oversized chains with minimally trained staff, and ok beans. At least Starbucks uses 100% arabica. lol His face was a picture. Nero is marginally better, but I wouldn't write home about it. :D

    Like I said, "barista" is a loanword, like so many other words from other languages that work their way into English, and find themselves in common parlance; so while it's not wrong to use it, you are under no obligation to do so. We've been saying it for at least 20 years where I'm from and nobody gets their knickers in a twist, it's just part of the zeitgeist!
  • big_hard_ladbig_hard_lad Posts: 4,077
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    I have to say, Starbucks coffee is notoriously poor...even in comparison to other chains, it's terrible.
  • Beau_SoirBeau_Soir Posts: 1,811
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    epicurian wrote: »
    Are you really getting het up over this? You can call them whatever you want. I doubt they'll care. And a lot of people like the coffee, so your personal opinion isn't a factor. Speaking as a coffee (quasi)snob, the attempts at snobbery when it comes to Starbucks are really funny. I remember going into a Costa in Scarborough, and when the guy serving me, the manager no less, heard my accent he asked where I was from. I told him I was from Seattle and from there he started slating our coffee, ignorantly believing all we drink is Starbucks. What great customer service, I thought! Fishing for compliments, he asked me how I thought S'bux compared with Costa. I told him I didn't think there was much between the two. Both oversized chains with minimally trained staff, and ok beans. At least Starbucks uses 100% arabica. lol His face was a picture. Nero is marginally better, but I wouldn't write home about it. :D

    Like I said, "barista" is a loanword, like so many other words from other languages that work their way into English, and find themselves in common parlance; so while it's not wrong to use it, you are under no obligation to do so. We've been saying it for at least 20 years where I'm from and nobody gets their knickers in a twist, it's just part of the zeitgeist!

    A great response to a very ignorant post.
    I would however disagree with your point about Nero, I find it streets ahead of the other two and I say that as complete coffee snob (it's all about the crema!) which brings me to my next point about independent coffee shops. I try and use them where I can, but the one time in Camden I popped into a quaint looking place and ordered my coffee. It arrived without crema, when I enquired what had happened to it, the guy looked puzzled, when he finally understood, he said 'oh that bit, I scraped it off and threw it in the sink, it didn't look nice':D
    My favourite coffee is coconut roasted stuff, delicious. And always beans for me ground at home as and when needed.
  • epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    Beau_Soir wrote: »
    A great response to a very ignorant post.
    I would however disagree with your point about Nero, I find it streets ahead of the other two and I say that as complete coffee snob (it's all about the crema!) which brings me to my next point about independent coffee shops. I try and use them where I can, but the one time in Camden I popped into a quaint looking place and ordered my coffee. It arrived without crema, when I enquired what had happened to it, the guy looked puzzled, when he finally understood, he said 'oh that bit, I scraped it off and threw it in the sink, it didn't look nice':D
    My favourite coffee is coconut roasted stuff, delicious. And always beans for me ground at home as and when needed.


    Ahhhh! That's sacrilegious! I worked for a local coffee company in Seattle for years, and our mantra was to, "preserve and protect the crema." And we timed our shots, which is so important. I'll concede your point about Nero, but on their website they say they use robusta in their blend for the sake of the crema. That I disagree with that, as in my own experience behind the bar, the cream we achieved using 100% Arabica was superb. With the right blend, roast, grind, water temperature, tamp, and of course and quality, high-pressure, pump driven machine, cheap robusta shouldn't be necessary. I know some people argue it adds depth, but I'm not convinced of that either. That being said, one of my favorite espressos in Seattle was the Dolce blend from Espresso Vivace, and up until a few years ago, it included a small amount of mild robusta. They've since dropped it, believing it wasn't really helping them in their quest for the perfect shot.

    My favorite beans are the floral and fruity Kenya AA and Tanzanian peaberry (when it's available). And my favorite coffee shop in Britain is Caffe Vergnano. I make a beeline for it whenever I'm in London.
  • Beau_SoirBeau_Soir Posts: 1,811
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    epicurian wrote: »
    Ahhhh! That's sacrilegious! I worked for a local coffee company in Seattle for years, and our mantra was to, "preserve and protect the crema." And we timed our shots, which is so important. I'll concede your point about Nero, but on their website they say they use robusta in their blend for the sake of the crema. That I disagree with that, as in my own experience behind the bar, the cream we achieved using 100% Arabica was superb. With the right blend, roast, grind, water temperature, tamp, and of course and quality, high-pressure, pump driven machine, cheap robusta shouldn't be necessary. I know some people argue it adds depth, but I'm not convinced of that either. That being said, one of my favorite espressos in Seattle was the Dolce blend from Espresso Vivace, and up until a few years ago, it included a small amount of mild robusta. They've since dropped it, believing it wasn't really helping them in their quest for the perfect shot.

    My favorite beans are the floral and fruity Kenya AA and Tanzanian peaberry (when it's available). And my favorite coffee shop in Britain is Caffe Vergnano. I make a beeline for it whenever I'm in London.

    Perhaps surprisingly, McDonald's do good coffee. Caffe Vergnano is one of my favourite spots, closely followed by Monmouth. I am always amazed that Starbucks remains so popular, it is quite possibly some of the worst coffee I've tasted, and they've only recently started doing two shots as standard.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,691
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    Beau_Soir wrote: »
    Perhaps surprisingly, McDonald's do good coffee. Caffe Vergnano is one of my favourite spots, closely followed by Monmouth. I am always amazed that Starbucks remains so popular, it is quite possibly some of the worst coffee I've tasted, and they've only recently started doing two shots as standard.



    What on earth do Mucky D know about coffee? they can only just about make what they call a burger.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,691
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    epicurian wrote: »
    Ahhhh! That's sacrilegious! I worked for a local coffee company in Seattle for years, and our mantra was to, "preserve and protect the crema." And we timed our shots, which is so important. I'll concede your point about Nero, but on their website they say they use robusta in their blend for the sake of the crema. That I disagree with that, as in my own experience behind the bar, the cream we achieved using 100% Arabica was superb. With the right blend, roast, grind, water temperature, tamp, and of course and quality, high-pressure, pump driven machine, cheap robusta shouldn't be necessary. I know some people argue it adds depth, but I'm not convinced of that either. That being said, one of my favorite espressos in Seattle was the Dolce blend from Espresso Vivace, and up until a few years ago, it included a small amount of mild robusta. They've since dropped it, believing it wasn't really helping them in their quest for the perfect shot.

    My favorite beans are the floral and fruity Kenya AA and Tanzanian peaberry (when it's available). And my favorite coffee shop in Britain is Caffe Vergnano. I make a beeline for it whenever I'm in London.

    Even i can get a Crema with 100% Arabica with my espresso maker and it was not that expensive, but I do need a new one.

    Nice to have mixed blend anyway, lots of nice coffee around that is not well known, like Malawi Mzuzu Geisha i also like Thai Doi Chaang Peaberry, i never heard of Tanzanian peaberry.
  • OsusanaOsusana Posts: 7,461
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    noise747 wrote: »
    Even i can get a Crema with 100% Arabica with my espresso maker and it was not that expensive, but I do need a new one.

    Nice to have mixed blend anyway, lots of nice coffee around that is not well known, like Malawi Mzuzu Geisha i also like Thai Doi Chaang Peaberry, i never heard of Tanzanian peaberry.

    I have a Gaggia bean to cup machine that does an amazing crema.
    My favourite bean at the moment is an Australian Skyberry, yep I didn't know they had good coffee either! It's from the rainforest area of Queensland - a medium smooth one
  • Welsh-ladWelsh-lad Posts: 51,908
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    You are mad because they wanted to know your name so your coffee doesn't get served to someone else? That is kinda odd to be mad about, but hey you guys are free to be angry about anything you want I guess.

    because it's fakery. Awful insincere corporate faux-chumminess.
    Sinks like a brick in the UK.... and so it should.

    If they need the drink to get to someone, give them a table number.... like we've done for a hundred years.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 78
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    I would love to say "bob" in a blackadder style...
    I'm a costa girl usually but it's worth windin em up :)
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,691
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    Osusana wrote: »
    I have a Gaggia bean to cup machine that does an amazing crema.
    My favourite bean at the moment is an Australian Skyberry, yep I didn't know they had good coffee either! It's from the rainforest area of Queensland - a medium smooth one

    But that is all automatic, no fun in that at all, it is like a posh version of those coffee pod machines, which I do have, but only for quickness in the morning.


    i would like something like this, sadly they are a bit too expensive, i could buy one, but not a good idea. i will get a better pump based one at some point, maybe one of the Gaggia models.
  • welwynrosewelwynrose Posts: 33,666
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    noise747 wrote: »
    But that is all automatic, no fun in that at all, it is like a posh version of those coffee pod machines, which I do have, but only for quickness in the morning.


    i would like something like this, sadly they are a bit too expensive, i could buy one, but not a good idea. i will get a better pump based one at some point, maybe one of the Gaggia models.

    Something like that is on the OH wish list as well
  • neo_walesneo_wales Posts: 13,625
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    epicurian wrote: »
    Are you really getting het up over this? You can call them whatever you want. I doubt they'll care. And a lot of people like the coffee, so your personal opinion isn't a factor. Speaking as a coffee (quasi)snob, the attempts at snobbery when it comes to Starbucks are really funny. I remember going into a Costa in Scarborough, and when the guy serving me, the manager no less, heard my accent he asked where I was from. I told him I was from Seattle and from there he started slating our coffee, ignorantly believing all we drink is Starbucks. What great customer service, I thought! Fishing for compliments, he asked me how I thought S'bux compared with Costa. I told him I didn't think there was much between the two. Both oversized chains with minimally trained staff, and ok beans. At least Starbucks uses 100% arabica. lol His face was a picture. Nero is marginally better, but I wouldn't write home about it. :D

    Like I said, "barista" is a loanword, like so many other words from other languages that work their way into English, and find themselves in common parlance; so while it's not wrong to use it, you are under no obligation to do so. We've been saying it for at least 20 years where I'm from and nobody gets their knickers in a twist, it's just part of the zeitgeist!

    Like I said, we ain't in Italy :) In America I could expect it, I have lived there (and had a wonderful time), in the UK? No, they are coffee bar assistants. I don't care much about giving my name, you don't have to give your real one do you but then I don't go in these places so its all academic really.

    The likes of Starbucks have done the States good in terms of getting a 'good' coffee to drink, thirty years ago most coffee over there was like hot pee, its getting better out there but still has a long way to go to catch up with many parts of Europe where good coffee is just the standard norm.
  • big_hard_ladbig_hard_lad Posts: 4,077
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    noise747 wrote: »
    What on earth do Mucky D know about coffee? they can only just about make what they call a burger.

    I would have a McD's coffee over a Starbucks any day of the week. The McD's coffee is surprisingly excellent.
  • PlatinumStevePlatinumSteve Posts: 4,295
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    I would have a McD's coffee over a Starbucks any day of the week. The McD's coffee is surprisingly excellent.

    The ad's they've run showed how they put a tremendous amount of effort, time, and money in to their coffee. I don't know if McDonald's does breakfast over there, but over here the line's are always longest in the morning's, not just for the coffee, who doesn't love a Sausage McMuffin but it's a huge part of their breakfast offering.
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