Starbucks is one of the biggest and most frequented coffee shops in America, and I just so happen to work at one. While we love our customers, I think it’s important to share some helpful tips so that our customers and baristas can have the best experience possible. Out of all of the possibilities, I think the insight on these three things is most important to share:

1. Saying “Hello” or “Hi” in the Drive-through 

On behalf of all baristas, when you anxiously wait in our drive-through line and finally slow down at the box to order, we ask that you please not say “hello” or “hi” until we greet you. I can assure you, we do know when someone has pulled up to the box, as a small ding noise goes off on our headsets. Baristas are always happy to greet customers, whether we are able to right as we are alerted, or a few seconds after.

Most of the time, if we do not greet you immediately, we are doing other jobs that we are meant to perform such as helping customers at the window, making backups of syrups and such, and restocking items so the bar area can run smoothly. Our job can sometimes be stressful juggling several tasks at once, which is why I ask that you do not say “hello” to us until we greet you first. Patient customers often will have a better experience, and it helps baristas to have a better, and less stressful shift as well.

2. Pulling Through the Ordering Box

Every Starbucks location with a drive-through has a box where we take your order before you can pull up to the window to pay and receive your drinks or food. Please do not pull right through the box without ordering. Most drive-throughs have one, and so does Starbucks, so please do not pull right up to the window and expect to order there. Our baristas work hard to keep a smooth system going to ensure efficiency and great service, and when someone pulls through the box and tries to order at the window, it puts a halt to the smooth sailing and adds slightly more stress to those making the drinks especially of orders with more than two items.

For mobile orders, I can see why you may want to pull up to the window without stopping at the box, but please do not do this. We ask that you stop at the box and tell us you are there to pick up a mobile order, and the name the order is under. This helps us immensely! If your order is ready, we then take it to the drive-through area to hand out to you, but if it is not, it helps us alert the baristas making the drinks on bar to make your drinks first so that we can have them ready for you at the window. If you do not stop at the box, get to the window, and your order isn’t ready -which is typical at my store as we are very busy- it frustrates you that you have to wait and frustrates us that we didn’t know sooner of your arrival. Many stressful and frustrating situations for both customers and baristas can be avoided by just stopping at the box to order, so please do!

3. Ordering from the “Secret Menu”

The Starbucks “Secret Menu” has always been a website used by teenagers and adults alike to try new drinks that aren’t on the typical Starbucks menu. Baristas do not mind making these drinks so long as you know the recipes for them or have them pulled up on your smartphone. If you come through the drive-through and ask for a Twix Frappuccino with no recipe or knowledge of what is in the drink, we cannot make it. The Secret Menu is not part of our menu, so baristas are not required to know it nor will we know it (since most baristas do not look at it). If you choose to order off of the Secret Menu, please have the recipe ready to read off to us at the ordering box.

Secondly, we are unable to make a lot of the drinks on the Secret Menu. Many of them include syrups and powders that are either seasonal or discontinued. I’ve had several requests in the past few weeks for a drink that has “blue powder” in it, however, we have no blue powder and if we did, it was discontinued years ago. So, I just ask that you keep yourself aware and up-to-date on those drinks as well so that you’ll never encounter a situation where we can’t make something for you that you have your heart set on.

However, if you are looking for things to order and you aren’t quite sure what you want, we are more than happy to assist you! Personally, I love when customers ask me what my favorite drink is or how something tastes because it ensures that the customer gets a drink that they like, and the whole experience is a positive one.

These tips might not apply to everyone, but don’t worry, I’ll be posting soon on the best drinks to order so stay tuned!