TikTok creator @jorlala shared a video describing an encounter she had with an angry customer who was frustrated that she wouldn’t let her into the café 30 minutes before opening. The video has received more than 943,000 views and 2,669 comments at the time of writing.
Jordan began the video by explaining that she and the staff responsible for opening the café typically arrive around 4:30 a.m. This gives them roughly 30 minutes to prepare the café before it opens at 5 a.m. However, just four minutes after they arrived, the phone began ringing repeatedly. According to Jordan, the calls were coming from a customer who was standing outside and impatiently waiting for the café to open.
@jorlala she ended up leaving lol never ordered #baristalife #baristatok #worklife #customerstories #customersbelike
♬ original sound - bhadbharista
For context, Jordan explained that one of the first things the opening staff does when they arrive is turn on the lights behind the bar, but not in the lobby. This allows them to see while preparing the café while keeping the lobby dim, signaling to customers that the business isn’t open yet.
Still, Jordan said customers sometimes try to open the door before 5 a.m.
At approximately 4:34 a.m., she walked onto the main floor and saw a woman standing at the front door with her arms crossed, staring into the café.
Jordan said they had only just begun preparing for the morning and still had 26 minutes before opening. She therefore didn’t let the customer inside.
TikToker Says Customer Rattled the Locked Door and Repeatedly Called Before Opening
After standing outside and looking into the café for some time, the customer began pulling on the locked door handle. Jordan said the lobby lights were off and the store-hours sign on the door clearly stated that the café opened at 5 a.m. She felt those details should have made it clear that the café was still closed.
She continued preparing for the opening and did not respond to the customer’s attempts to open the door. According to Jordan, the customer eventually became frustrated and called the store.
Jordan said that although she was already at work, the café had not officially opened yet, so she didn’t feel obligated to answer the phone. She also said she needed to focus on getting the café ready for the customers who would begin arriving once it opened.
Reacting to the video, many commenters, who were also baristas, said they were in total agreement with her decision to ignore the customer's calls and attempts to enter the store. One commenter wrote, "I never had a problem ignoring customers before open and after close. Never."
Another commenter said that they don't even acknowledge a customer's existence until after the store opens. They wrote, "I pretend they don't exist. I don't look at them or acknowledge their existence until I am done opening."
A separate commenter said that Jordan was not in the wrong at all. They wrote, "No, if you were an a-hole, you'd have picked up the phone while maintaining eye contact through the locked door, and just set it on the counter off the hook. I know that's what an a-hole would do, because that's exactly what I'd do."
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described by @jorlala, which are based solely on her account of the interaction.
