A Starbucks barista’s TikTok has gone viral after sharing her interaction with a customer who didn’t “get how coffee works.”
In the video, TikToker @ughhhjocee stands in her work apron, gesturing incredulity with overlay text summarizing the interaction.
“Can I get a caramel macchiato with no espresso shots?” the first line of text reads.
“Me: so just milk?” was the barista’s alleged response, since Starbucks uses full-bodied espresso as the basis for a macchiato drink.
“Customer: no a macchiato with no espresso,” the text continues.
The text ends with the emoji of a woman standing, an emoji Gen Z frequently uses to display awkward standing. The TikTok was uploaded to the sound “the barista was too stunned to speak,” a spinoff of the viral TikTok sound “the woman was too stunned to speak.” The video has amassed almost 100,000 views since being posted two days ago.
The majority of the comments were other Starbucks baristas sharing similar interactions they have had with customers.
“’Can I get a mocha latte with no espresso?’ ‘You mean a hot chocolate?’” one of the top comments read.
“It’s giving ‘Can I get a cheeseburger without cheese vibes,’” another user wrote.
“I worked as a barista for a while and this activated my flight or fight response,” one commented.
According to the TikToker, these types of interactions happen at least three times a week at her workplace.
“Either don’t know what they’re ordering or they don’t know how are drinks are composed,” she told the Daily Dot via Instagram direct message. She said that when she tries to explain to these confused customers how the drinks are made, they still give her a hard time because they want “exactly what they ask for.”
“There are a few who understand,” she added.
This wasn’t the first time a barista has gone viral for uploading a frustrating interaction with a customer. Recently, TikToker Jordan Perkins (@jorlala) uploaded a similar interaction in which a customer wanted a white hot chocolate with no white mocha. This time, viewers were divided between whose side they were on. Some commented Perkins should’ve just explained the difference, while others empathized with the barista.
However, in situations like these, @ughhhjocee said sometimes trying to explain does little to help.
“Someone once told me ‘IT’S NOT THAT HARD TO UNDERSTAND,’” she recalled a customer telling her after she tried to make suggestions.
In the end, the worker rang up the order as a vanilla creme and caramel drizzle.
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