Like most hospitality jobs, the life of a barista comes with more than its fair share of experiences that would make anybody’s eyes roll. From elaborate orders to unruly customers, each day comes with its own challenges and oddities. 

Some customers take the saying, “the customer is always right,” too seriously, as proven by this barista’s experience. This customer thought it was okay to blame the barista even though the barista did not have anything to do with the incident.

Pregnancy wreaks havoc on a woman’s hormones, which can result in weird cravings and emotional outbursts. Unfortunately, some customers think these hormone shifts are a good excuse to blame a barista for something that’s out of their control – like when they run out of the pumpkin muffins a pregnant woman is craving.

Just because it’s a coffee shop doesn’t mean you need to order coffee. In this barista’s experience, a group of teenagers can survive on nothing but water and whipped cream. But, as it turns out, they don’t opt for this combo because they dislike caffeine.

We’re not sure how well dogs and coffee mix, but in this scenario, it seems that it was not a very good combination. It was unlucky that this happened the same day an inspector dropped by to check how things were going. 

It’s normal to have parents taking their kids with them to coffee shops. What’s not normal, however, is having a child choke on a piece of apple while the parent does nothing but shout at the kid instead of helping him out. 

It’s unbelievable how mad customers can get when they find something wrong with their order. While most would complain or speak to a manager, some just jump into a tantrum. In this case, the customer threw her no-foam latte at the barista’s face just because she spotted a single milk bubble.

Speaking of wrong orders, while most people would never throw coffee at a barista’s face, some are happy to be rude and condescending. They often see people in the hospitality industry as beneath them without thinking that these baristas are working hard to make money (and great coffee).

There’s a good reason that only baristas can operate the coffee machine in any coffee shop. It’s because those machines spurt out boiling liquid that could cause serious injury if not handled by a professional.

Some customers order a ton of coffee. That’s understandable, especially if you’re ordering for an entire group. It creates a lot of work and effort for the barista, but that’s what they’re there for, right? Of course, if you order 46 lattes, it’s still reasonable to give the hardworking barista a tip. 

We hear the most elaborate coffee orders sometimes and wonder why these customers choose to speak an alien language just to order a cup of joe. Although baristas are often okay with unique requests, there are a few weird ones that get on their nerves.

There are regular customers that baristas love. But there are also times when a regular makes them inwardly groan each time the customer walks through the door. In this customer’s case, he demands 16 pumps of hazelnut syrup in every cup of coffee he orders – but he never leaves a tip.

It’s normal for coffee to have different flavor profiles depending on where it is sourced and roasted. Flavor profiles are not ingredients; they are notes that your palate picks up when you drink certain types of coffee.

When you get a product from a store, it’s a given that you’re supposed to pay for it. But this customer started questioning the barista, demanding to know why she had to pay for steamed milk. The barista was very patient in explaining that because she provided a product and a service, it’s only fair that the customer pays for it.

We already know how underpaid many hospitality workers are and how much they look forward to receiving tips from customers. So it’s no surprise that this barista got excited when she saw her customer put a $5 bill into the tip jar, which doesn’t happen that often.

Anyone would think it’s a prank if a customer tells the barista there’s a lobster in the bathroom. But when the barista realized there was an actual lobster in the toilet, she had to wonder how it got there!

Times are tough, and some customers just don’t have the money for coffee. In this barista’s experience, the customer admitted right from the start that they did not have enough money for a large cappuccino. 

Some barista stories are just straightforward and do not need an extensive backstory. For example, some customers just want to throw things – enough said. 

Starbucks has become such a popular name for the caffeine-drinking public that some assume all coffee shops they step into are part of the popular franchise.

Here’s another case of a customer assuming that they are always right. Between the customer and the barista, it’s a given that the barista probably knows coffee better (unless the customer also has extensive coffee training). 

The thing about working in a coffee shop is that you don’t just make coffee. You also make sure the rest of the place is clean. So when a customer tells you that someone left a mess in the bathroom, it’s your responsibility. You’d hope that the person just didn’t flush properly, but as this story proves, life is not always so easy for baristas. 

Coffee can be made in so many ways, with each one producing different flavors that customers enjoy. Of course, some of these require more effort and can take up a lot of time – manual drip coffee being one of them.

Yes, baristas genuinely have seen everything. In this story, a customer wet her pants right in front of the barista. Maybe the customer wanted to keep her place in line, thinking she could hold it in until after she ordered. 

Some customers just don’t have any respect for personal boundaries. Some make inappropriate comments, while others feel like they own the barista just because they paid for their coffee. 

Some customers will always think they’re better than everyone else just because they’ve had a few unique experiences. For example, think about people who smirk at sushi sold in the US just because they’ve traveled to Tokyo before.

No matter where you go, most coffee shops have the same system – the customer lines up, orders coffee, pays for it, then waits for the barista to call their name out once their orders are ready. Even your local Starbucks does the same thing. 

Different people have different coffee preferences. What tastes rich and delicious to one person probably won’t be as appealing to another. But once you develop your own coffee palate, you’ll have an order your favorite baristas will get to know by heart.

Customers pay using their spare change all the time, and that’s okay. It’s still money. So when this guy handed over a fistful of change, the barista willingly took it. Counting all those pennies took time and held the lineup, but what choice did the barista have?

It’s a given – some customers just have weird requests. Baristas put up with these requests all the time. But when a customer asks for a hot drink in a chilled glass, you’d need to explain some scientific basics to avoid any accidents, like the glass shattering right in the customer’s hands.

Let’s go over this process again: You order something, the barista makes it, then the barista calls out your name to tell you that your order is ready. Basic, right? Unfortunately, for this customer, that process just doesn’t add up.

Chai has become a popular choice among tea drinkers looking for that unique taste. Chai lattes are made of black tea with spices and foamed milk, but what’s distinctive about its taste is the cinnamon.

Here’s another bathroom horror story. The barista had already been informed that a customer had left a massive mess in the bathroom. But because the barista didn’t have time to take care of the mess yet, she left a sign on the bathroom door that it was out of order. She even blocked it with a few tables and chairs to ensure no one else went in.

Here’s one for the books – a customer who apologized for being wrong. The customer insisted on having the barista steam the cinnamon powder and the milk. Otherwise, it wouldn’t taste the way they wanted it. The barista told them this was not good practice because it could clog their machine, but the customer got mad, so the barista ended up doing it anyway.

Toilet horror stories are common among baristas. In this scenario, a little girl was nice enough to ask permission from the barista (who was cleaning the bathroom) to use one of the toilets.

Most customers leave their money in the barista’s hand. Some leave it on the counter. But you know what the rude, annoying ones do? They throw it at the barista.

Some customers complain when their coffee doesn’t taste how they want it. But this man complained when his coffee was not as scalding hot as he wanted.

Earlier, we had a tip thief who stole money from the tip jar. Well, here’s another one, and this time, the guys had the gall to do it openly just to make up for the fact that his payment was 10 cents short.

Coffee shops with drive-thru windows make it easier for people going to work to grab their coffee quicker. If you work these drive-thru windows early in the morning, you’ll know that most customers are too sleepy to make any trouble.

This story is proof that some customers order things they don’t understand. This man ordered a double chocolate muffin. An average person would know that this means it will contain double the amount of chocolate. 

We all have quirks we indulge when we’re at home. Licking the lid of the honey container, for example, is quite normal, especially when there’s some extra honey dripping from it.

We end this list with another odd customer request. A guy asked the barista to add ice cubes to his Americano. Okay, that’s normal enough. But his reason is what made the whole thing weird – he believed this would help him reduce his chances of getting mouth cancer.