A Starbucks barista recently called out the worst of the customers she encounters on Sunday mornings—including one who felt he needed to specify his latte should have no sugar.
The TikTok video laying it all out comes from creator @jorlala, generating more than 44,000 views in its first two days on the site.
The creator specializes in TikTok content about being a barista, including two covered previously by the Daily Dot: One singling out new hires who haven’t yet earned the right to slack on the phone, and another about a customer who needed to be schooled on the finer points of a white mocha.
This clip starts with a brief musical interlude before @jorlala lists the Sunday morning customers that really grind her gears.
@jorlala Replying to @joybrint uploading again bc it was glitching :( #baristalife #baristaproblems #customerserviceproblems #customersbelike #customerstories #customerstorytime ♬ original sound – bhadbharista
First up is the guy who wants no sugar in his latte—a drink made solely with espresso and milk by default.
“A latte doesn’t come with any sugar so you’ll be good,” she assures him, but he’s still insistent on her pressing a “no sugar” button to get everyone on the same page.
She also highlighted, among others, a customer who won’t specify what size coffee they want and one who won’t commit to either a hot or iced variety of latte. This customer told her, “latte means hot.” @jorlala then had to inform the customer that, “latte is just the drink name, doesn’t specify the temperature, but thank you.” There’s also a long, rude exchange about the origins of a customer’s shirt that the barista only complimented to be polite.
Commenters appreciated her candor and perspective.
“Your ‘Okay!’ is so barista but in the best way,” said one viewer, reacting to a section of the video featuring someone who wanted a cup of ice on the side of a hot latte because the baristas “don’t make it right.”
That observation led the creator to admit, “Ughh it’s my customer service voice.”
Someone else asked, “Desperately want to know what she did with the hot latte and ice.”
Another made an educated guess. “She dumped her hot latte directly over ice and drank her lukewarm melted vanilla water,” they said.
Others commented on the customer who was apparently upset at @jorlala’s compliment.
“Why was that shirt person so mad?” one asked.
Someone else chimed in, “Like she personally owns the store or something.”
Apparently, these customers frequent other stores. As one commenter noted, “Bro I feel you just got off my shift at Dunkin.”
But there was special resonance in the video for Starbucks baristas. One admitted to being a fan of the creator’s whole oeuvre, saying, “Daily routine is me and my bf watching your videos cuz we work at Starbucks.”
The creator responded, “So you know my pain.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @jorlala via TikTok comment.
