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For me life starts relatively similar every morning. Arrive at work at 4:45. Brew iced coffee, followed by regular and decaf. Open both espresso bars, and cold bar. Stock everything. Don a head set. 5:30 we open. A few people trickle in. Then the mad rush occurs.

In a recent New York Times article it was noted that

“Mr. Schultz faces a difficult task: He has to slow down the company to make
stores feel more like hip neighborhood coffeehouses while also delivering the
steady growth that investors have come to expect from Starbucks.”

Unfortunately the ebb and flow of a society aren’t in Mr. Schultz’s hands.

So can a cozy neighborhood café keep up with the high speed demands of our culture?
Honestly, customers, when they walk in and see a full café, or a backed-up drive-thru, understand and expect a little wait. It shouldn’t and doesn’t affect their café experience.

While human error has to be accounted for in any kind of customer service transaction, and I’m not excusing sloppiness on the part of any barista; those who make more than three drinks a minute will know that it is not uncommon to mix up drink orders, hand the wrong order through the window, accidentally use breeve instead of soy, or visa versa. Though these mix ups may be the result of a busy morning, in my opinion it is often the only effects that are felt by the customers.