WHERE THE SERVICE IS AS AWESOME AS YOU ARE!
- Spencer Hughes
- Jul 8, 2025
- 3 min read
Hot take: The customer is NOT always right. Allow me to explain...
HUMAN FIRST.
COFFEE LOVER SECOND.
You may or may not be somewhat aware of my eclectic (to say the VERY least) resume, and know that it’s deeply rooted in service industry work. Dishwasher. Expo. Sandwich artist. Dinner theater actor and server (hard to believe, I’m sure). Barista. Customers don’t always see you as a person, human, or individual. They see you as an obstacle, distraction, or obstruction to getting the thing they want. For the most part, service industry work is a very thankless and emotionally exhausting line of work.
I’ve declared that if I were to run for government office, I would make it mandatory for people to work at least two years in the service industry. If you’ve ever been involved in the arts, you’ve most likely already done your time. I truly believe that this requirement would change the foundation of the way we treat each other. Not just in the transactional space, but everywhere. Treat others how you want to be treated…
I tend to run off the energy people feed me. I assure you, this isn’t an attempt to deflect or dismiss responsibility for negative interactions I’ve had while in the service industry. I’ve certainly been the cause for short, joyless interactions where I’m acting as the mere conduit for a person to get their Celtic Craic sandwich and bag of chips in the fewest words possible. But I’ve also had my day changed for the better when someone would come in and, before entering the transactional portion of the interaction, they’d compliment my outfit, or ask how my day was going, and I’d transform from my snarky and temperamental self and absorb the generosity and reflect it back to customers.
______________________________________________________________________________
In the service industry, we’re often taught that “the customer is always right”. It’s a phrase that I’ve recently translated to mean “do whatever it takes to not lose the sale/customer by any means possible”. This shouldn’t be the model anymore. I believe that customers can and should be held accountable for how they interact with people in the service industry (and just in general). Allow me to go into some finer detail.
PAY FOR THE PRODUCT and TIP FOR THE SERVICE. First off, I operate a mobile coffee shop, providing convenience by showing up at events where coffee isn’t present. At Corf, I pull double shots of Conscious Coffees Dark Star Espresso Blend with a La Marzocco Linea Mini espresso machine. It’s a single group head machine that can only dispense a maximum of a double shots of espresso at a time. So, my work flow looks a little something like this:
Greeting followed by joyful banter (if reflected).
Take order.
Make beverage.
Present beverage to customer.
Ring them up on device.
Take payment.
(If there are multiple drinks on an order, it’s going to take a little more time simply because my cute little baby water pump and accumulator can only do so much!)
So in this instance, the customer and I had a wonderful opportunity to connect. I recently had a customer who was short in our interaction, implying that my prices were too high, but “figured they could treat themselves” for the day. My response was simple: “You don’t HAVE to order my coffee. It should be a treat, not an imposition”. They decided to move forward with the purchase, and even after a lovely exchange, they left no tip. I’m sure Corf isn’t the destination for this customer. But I can also say that this customer isn’t for Corf either.
We shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for ourselves and gently remind folks that
IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO TIP, YOU CAN'T AFFORD MY SERVICE.
The above interaction is a simple example and presentation of facts. How people receive that information isn’t our responsibility. If people take to the web and post negative reviews about the shop or about the owner/operator who spent months and thousands of dollars to open their dream shop, the response is simple:
Comments