1.15.2007

mocha mudslides

i received a MUG award tonight - and it was well deserved!

actually the closing shift started off great. for a change the mid-day crew had turned over a great shift and it looked like it would be smooth sailing for the night.
but then murphy's law was in full effect and we had to spend the last two hours playing catch up.

it all started when my fellow barista brat decided to be nice and make an extra bar mocha for the morning crew. since the mocha is mixed with hot water we set it aside for about an hour before we store it in the refrigerator (the mocha doesn't thicken until it's been cooling for a few hours). so, as my fellow brat was placing the newly mixed mocha on the counter, she lost her grip on the container and ended up coating the counter, cabinets and floor with chocolate. instead of freaking out she said "it's a good thing it wasn't milk or i'd be crying" and laughed. we spent the next twenty minutes wiping the area clean and re-mopping the floor.

then our barista buddy tripped in the backroom and sprained his ankle. after filling out an incident report form he hobbled home - leaving just two of us to finish closing the store. we were still good on time so i made another mocha for the morning crew. but fellow barista brat had a major case of the clumsies and knocked the passion iced tea container into the ice bin - which meant we had to empty out the ice, clean the bin, and then fill it up again.

as i was putting the last bit of ice in the bin a regular informed fellow brat that the toilet was overflowing in the bathroom. apparently some customer decided to use ten toilet seat covers at once. i managed to fix the toilet and mop the floor in record time. when it came time to lock the door we figured we were safe from anymore problems - that is until fellow brat put the mocha in the refrigerator. like i said before - she had a case of the clumsies and ended up spilling the mocha all over the inside of the fridge. my only reaction was to laugh. we ended up finishing our shift without any other incidents, and my fellow brat gave me a MUG award for my mopping skills.

thank goodness our customers were well behaved because i'm sure i would have done bodily harm to the first person who got lippy.

barista rant: don't ask me to give you a discount on our valentine's day merchandise - especially when january is only halfway over. don't complain that our mugs are overpriced, or that the chocolate isn't as good as see's chocolate. no one is forcing you to buy our merchandise and no matter how much you whine i will NOT reduce the price.

13 comments:

Coffeypot said...

Maybe your barista buddy should try those gloves that wide receivers wear. It would cut down on the “slippage.” You were right in just laughing. Sometimes life can be so stupid that laughing is all you can do – or carry 375 magnum. Personally, I prefer to laugh.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to start tipping you folks a lot more often. Toilet duty? Puh.leeze!

TheDame said...

That's how my day was too! woke up 25 minutes before work, called in that I'd be late, and still somehow managed to get there a minute early. All's well that ends well, I suppose.

Just thought you'd like to know, I tried the Cinnamon Dolce Latte- I think perhaps it is the most magnificant coffee-based beverage on earth.

Sling said...

Good for you Brat!
Both for the MUG award,and being able to laugh at all the mishaps.Especially on a Monday. :)

mellowlee said...

You deserve a golden MUG for sure!!! Man! Im glad the problem wasn't made worse by lippy customers :O)

Moxie said...

Earlier today my girl T-Wizzle and I were discussing some of the food-service-related blogs that we have read. "Barista Brat is the best one," T-Wizzle said. "She always has a good attitude." "Yeah, she really likes working for Bux," I added. So you get a Golden Moxie Award, too! And a Platinum Moxie Award for being a happy mopper, too. I hate mopping.

Anonymous said...

with the kind of enthusiasm u show at work, u deserve the MUG award!

keep up the good work! :)

bored-rista.

Anonymous said...

with the kind of enthusiasm you show for ur work, u deserve the MUG award. don't think i've ever seen a more motivated barista!

keep it up, brat!

bored-rista

Anonymous said...

oops sry, didnt mean to get it published twice.

Anonymous said...

bless your little cotton socks, brat! you deserve that award and more. i always wonder while reading your posts if you are in college or what your story is.


one word for people who use that many seat covers: squat!

Anonymous said...

It is some of the most overpriced merchandise I've seen, though. That's why I don't buy it.

barista brat said...

coffeypot - yeah, i threatened to superglue velcro to her fingers.

evangaline - yeah, the toilet is the WORST part of my job.

thedame - but at least we both survived, right? i'm glad you like the cinnamon dolce - so many people were crushed when we took it away last year.

sling - yeah, i EARNED that damn award, haha!

girl with moxie - ok, the golden moxie award is my most treasured!

bored-rista - thanks! twice! haha!

lizzie - i do have a story, just not yet ready to reveal it, haha!

anonymous - i get 30% off and i STILL don't buy any of it.

MochaMaster said...

hi barista brat,

would you like to share your best Mocha experiences on my new blog, Do You Love Mocha?

thanx : D