They do more work than waitress. Waitresses don't MAKE the food. And if it was just sloshing some milk into a canister, you wouldn't be paying $4 for it. They have to deal with people like you all day long. People who order **** they have no knowledge about, can't pronounce and generally just mess up the order. If you can't say Caramel Macchiato, that's fine. ASK. But don't order it and ask for more caramel syrup pumps. :wall:
.
As someone who has worked in both a busy starbucks and as a waitress.
I've gotta disagree.
First off, baristas make minimum wage. So right off the bat, they are CERTAINLY not as dependent on tips as waitresses.
Baristas are standing or walking 4-10 feet from somewhere (especially when it comes to places like starbucks, they aren't even bringing it to you). They are not carrying heavy trays running to/from the kitchen, refilling drinks, checking up on customers, opening up, cleaning up afterwards, bussing tables, running between tables etc.. so just physically, more demanding. Baristas stand, they walk down the counter, they go to the back, they re-stock.. but it's hardly the blood sport in physical endurance that is waitressing.
Even in the middle of Boston, during the weekday rush.. being a barista was 900% easier than waitressing in city conditions.
"I'd like a umm.. what's it called.. caramel thing..I'm not sure what I want or what's it's called" "please look over the menu above, NEXT CUSTOMER!" annoying. but brief, they maybe you won't get tipped from that guy but there are 100 other people in line.
"Umm.. I'd like a thingy..a coke thingy.." run to kitchen, run back, "ok here's your coke!" "just kidding what I wanted was pepsi" "ok I'll go get that for you!" "I don't want pepsi anymore I want a root beer float..WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DONT HAVE THOSE??.. ugh fine I'll have a cherry coke. Now, come back in 30 minutes when I'm done looking over the menu, I don't know what I want..what's in the pasta? is it gluten free?"
you can't ask them to leave, you can't give attitude, you can't do ANYTHING other than deal with them. for a WHILE. They don't tip you? You've served 50 people that night, one table not leaving you anything is a huge problem.
they have to deal with people all day long. Yes, as do waitresses, except FOR LONGER. They get to deal with people's BS for hours. Mispronouncing things, miscommunications, bad attitudes, blaming you for everything from too much ice to a kitchen error. You get to deal with people, more than one table at the same time, for longer.. and then wait around til they leave to see if they tipped you or how much.
got a bad customer? It'll be over in about 4 times.
got a bad table? enjoy the next 2-4 hours of your life with them up your ass all while checking up on them every 15 minutes and making sure their needs are met.
They make the food. True.. but waitresses very often make coffee and frankly the work of making something at starbucks (from someone who worked there) is nothing compared to running around fetching food to/from, taking orders, delivering orders to the kitchen, bringing drinks, filling drinks, keeping an eye on 10 tables at a time.
I'd make 100 complicated drink orders and skim and foam and pump before I'd EVER want to deal with the joys of dealing with kitchens and people ordering food.
I'm not trying to paint either as being easy, both are in customer service so both generally blow.
That said, when it comes to just about every way.. from hours, to physical labor, to dealing with customers, to mental exhaustion..
waitressing is the much more difficult of the two.
It made me more money in the longer run (hours were much longer for one thing).. but the physical and mental toll was certainly higher.
My biggest annoyance as a barista was people who didn't know what they wanted or didn't put down their phones to talk to me. Or people just being short and grumpy in the morning.
My biggest annoyance as a waitress was losing my sanity and my feet having blisters and barely scraping by because one huge table didn't think tipping was necessary that night and I spent all night with them or people dined & dashed or the kitchen being slow and me getting blamed for it and making a total of $22 for 12 hours of WORK because the kitchen was slow and people blamed me.