Food service workers are only humans—not coffee robots
Photo courtesy of Marco Paköeningrat/Wikimedia Commons
Working a customer service job, especially food service, is rough. However, those food service workers help our campus—and communities—run. College students basically survive on caffeine; we know our Starbucks workers are tired. Especially because they’re students too—students who go from making your venti strawberry acai lemonade with no fruit to reading 50 pages of a textbook at midnight the night before an exam.
It is incredibly important to tip our food service workers, not just with cash, but with kindness. It can slip our minds that they are people too, and not an iced vanilla latte-making machine. They are human, and in Geneseo’s case, they are students just like us. Our campus food service workers have little to no control over what food options are available to the campus, so it is important to remember not to take disappointment out on them. Instead, help them get through their day with a smile. Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ helps them more than we may realize— especially for those of us who have not experienced working in food service before. Making conversation with a fellow student while you order your food or drink can help them enjoy work just a little bit more—maybe just as much as you will enjoy the artfully crafted hot mocha with extra whipped cream they will take the time to make for you. Unlike the delicious mocha cookie crumble frappes they serve to us, kindness is free.
When there is a line of drinks waiting to be made as long as the hill we have to hike up to get to class, rude comments will not help them get made quicker. Instead, a rude comment could fluster or overwhelm a student worker even more. Especially in our campus cafes and dining halls, workers are always serving food and drinks with a smile on their face; a kind gesture in return can show our appreciation for all the hard work put into our favorite snacks and meals.
Student food service workers may not be getting enough support from co-workers or their job alone, so a little kindness can go a long way. A student food service worker is often working the job at Starbucks or in the dining hall kitchen not because they are passionate about food service, but because they simply need a job at college. Kindness and appreciation from a fellow student can make the job even more worth it.
We all know middle aged customers usually get the bad reputations of being notoriously rude to food service workers. However, we college students are not completely free of blame. When college students walk into Starbucks with a sense of entitlement, simply because it happens to be on their campus, it creates a negative experience for everyone. Student workers receive rude or passive aggressive comments about the wait times for a chai latte, and the student making the comments will only end up more annoyed, as they then fail to recognize the effort their fellow student is really putting into making their order.
Food service workers are only humans after all. Everyone will make mistakes from time to time—especially the student worker who is stressed about their upcoming mathematics exam. Have patience with food service workers. Even if you have never worked in food service, try to sympathize with the employee who is working a fast-paced job, taking all different orders and instructions, all with a smile on their face. If they do make a mistake, kindly and patiently explain the issue. They will be much more understanding and able to help if the mistake is pointed out calmly and with care. Being able to laugh off the lack of whipped cream on the hot chocolate with whipped cream you ordered will bring a smile to your day, and a moment of gratitude to the barista’s demanding shift.
After all, we all just want our sweet treat and fun drink. Appreciate those workers who bring it to you; treat them with kindness, have patience, and enjoy your treats made with care.