"Tip" of your game

When you begin your day, you think of coffee and that expensive pastry that you call a breakfast. You need a boost during the day and you think of a quick coffee break. If you need a last-minute sugar boost late at night, then you head-over to a Starbucks and you grab a venti frappucino with all the customizations.

However, do you think about the baristas that create and gather the cravings that you have during the day?

When it comes to ordering out, it’s unheard of if you don’t tip your server or delivery boy. Even at a bar, it’s very unlikely that you not tip your bartender. Despite the process of making your martini or pouring your beer is like steaming your lattes and pouring coffee, the only use the tip jar gets in most of these “over the counter service” coffee stores (AKA Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Nordstrom’s Ebar), is just to get rid of the loose change (which makes the baristas appear more as beggars than the dignified people that they are).

But should you tip?

One the one hand, tipping your barista is unheard of. Barista and customer interaction lasts between 10 seconds and 1 minute in a fast-paced store, and sometimes the interaction barely meets customer service expectations. (And who can blame them? They are trying their best to juggle a line-up of customers and drinks, the occasional remake of a drink, a picky customer, and maintain sanity.) In these types of environments, the limited (and possibly crappy) interactions barely warrant a tip, but their tip boxes are usually full.

As a former barista as Starbucks, Chris Cruz still frequents many Starbucks cafes under the guise of just being a typical customer. He claims that “many of the stores that I visited tended to have sub-par till rapport and even worse hand-off interaction.” Cruz facetiously laughs as he says, “even when I say my drink in a way that they understand, it’s still atrociously made.” Needless to say, he would not be tipping anyone. It goes to show that even some baristas don’t believe in tipping one of their own.

On the other hand, what if the barista you met today went above and beyond, regardless of environment? I decided to seek out a fairly new and not-so-busy store in Scarborough with a 4 star rating on Google to see why they were doing so well and what they thought of being tipped.

When I went to the store, I noticed that it had a very relaxed environment and there were many people in the store studying or just relaxing. I also noticed that the baristas had plenty of time to interact with customers and they took advantage of that.

However, watching baristas can only go so far (and not to mention creepy), so I decided to talk to Veda Popal (barista for a year and a half) about her experience working with no tips. A typical day, according to her, would include slow waves of customers allowing her to step away from the counter and give the personal touch to the majority of the customers. “It’s just what’s expected here,” she said. “It’s slow enough most of the day to get most of our work done, and it gives us time to go above and beyond.” Thankfully, I was able to speak with one of their regulars (who I will not name) about his experience. He said, “I spend my nights here after work just because I’ve been here since they’ve opened and I’ve gotten to know everyone really well. And they actually get my drink before I start to pay!”. As a joke he also added that “[he’s] planning Christmas gifts for them”. I was already pleasantly surprised to see the level of connection that he and everyone in the store have built up, and almost shocked when he went over to the counter and dropped a $20 in the very empty tip jar and said “I forgot to tip this week, my bad”.

When he left, I asked Popal if tipping at the store was common. “it’s mostly just him that gives us the meaningful tips,” she said. “Other times it’s just a coin disposal box.”

“it’s actually unfair,” she continued. “we start off at minimum wage, with the promise of tips to make up for it. But most slow stores have stingy people who give us dimes, and busier stores get all types of coins and bills given to them.” She showed me the $6 that she had after two weeks worth of work. “the pressure to go above and beyond with customer service everyday is so heavy, and there isn’t enough incentive to try, but I need a job.”

At the Nordstrom located at the Eaton’s center, they have a saying: making every moment the best moment. From selling clothes to placating fashion buyers, everyone needs to showcase exceptional customer service. Baristas could the unsung heroes of the service industry because they have to maintain a customer-friendly face and expecting nothing but job security in return. Or they could just be “bitter bean” baristas that purposefully misspell your name. Either way, before you cash out and enjoy that grande half-caf, soy, half pump of sugar-free vanilla, one Splenda, 180 degrees, no foam cappuccino, rethink that tip box.