I love Starbuck's. I don't really drink the coffee there because if I'm spending $5 for liquid in a cup it'll be for a beer or really cheap whiskey.
However, I love the FEEL of Starbuck's. I'll tag along with my wife just so I can hang out. Despite their obvious corporate dominance, it doesn't feel corporate. They've done a masterful job of creating an atmosphere that makes you want to lounge for a few hours and steal their wi-fi.
In addition, they always have lots of nooks and crannies to sit in, and I've even been in some of their locations that have a comfy chair or two that belong in a master study in your house, where you'd sit reading Tolstoy in a smoking jacket with a cigar and a snifter of brandy.
But the thing I've always noticed about this mega-conglomerate coffee house is their staff. It was about a year ago when I was in one of the Starbuck's with my wife, waiting for her non-fat-skinny-chai-frappuccino-double-espresso-shot-extra-chocolate-extra-hot-latte the other day, that I started to marvel at what little efficiency machines they were.
Not that I didn't already know this. I have watched them casually before, but now I started comparing them to my best bartenders and I couldn't help but think that if they were working for me, I wouldn't even have to train them that much. They were already doing most of the things that my staff was doing, but they were making A LOT less money doing it. I'm talking the difference of $10/hr. to $50/hr.
They just don't realize how valuable they are, so they stay stuck in the same job making the same low-income while providing a great service.
That's when I made a decision to start targeting Starbuck's employees to become bartenders and take my course, and within a couple of months, I had a long list of Starbuck's baristas becoming bartenders and changing their lives around.
It's always nice when an experiment pans out, but it wasn't just me. Starbuck's must have a great training program, because the transition is practically seamless for them.
With that said, let's look at why it's so seamless, and while we're at it, let's go ahead and count down from 10 to 1 David Letterman style, because I miss Dave's sarcastic undertones a lot and he deserves a tribute as special as this.
10 REASONS WHY STARBUCK'S EMPLOYEES MAKE AWESOME BARTENDERS10. They're used to being on their feet for long hours. In some professions you sit in a cubicle all day, or sell cars in the show room, or spend time on a roof hammering tile nails in the 98 degree heat. Baristas and bartenders both move quickly on their feet for 6 - 8 hours at a time which is right up their ally, because they don't like sitting and they don't like roofing in July.
9. They already know how to use a POS system and cash register. Seems like small potatoes, but if you're experience is more in the area of typing out reports, using a POS system and handling cash and end-of-shift reports would be completely foreign to you.
8. They're used to working in crowded spaces. Baristas and bartenders are like those little worker ants who scurry around looking for pieces of whatever so they can stock up for the winter. If you watch them, they bump into each other briefly before moving on quickly to their next task. Same thing with baristas and bartenders: they move between and around each other quickly and efficiently to make sure their guests don't go empty in the winter...or other seasons.
7. They are fast, with a sense of urgency. This piggy-backs on #8. This is why I believe the Starbuck's training program is probably pretty good, because people in general don't hustle on their own. They need a supervisor or a coach or really good training to put them in that frame of mind. We all know that bartenders can get crazy-busy making drinks in a high-volume bar, but I've seen Starbuck's baristas move with the best of them to get the drinks out, which is just plain good customer service.
6. They're well-trained. I know I've already said this one, but it needs its own spot on the list because it's important. Through TheRealBarcourse, I teach people with absolutely no experience how to become bartenders quickly, and we have a high-success rate, so you can imagine what a well-trained, fast-moving barista could do,
5. They have energy. Don't overlook this one. Not to bag on Walmart and the jobs they provide, but have you ever received "good" energy or a positive vibe from the staff? I know they have great prices and all, but by the time I walk out with my deodorant and toothpaste, I feel a sort of depression seeping into my pores. No energy. When you walk into Starbuck's, or a bar/club that's really poppin', you feel a good energy, and it's because the staff is hustling and bustling and smiling and they at least make you feel like you matter.
4. They have a good memory. Have you ever walked into a Starbuck's and noticed that the person taking the orders knows the name of about half the people who walk in? Not to mention they are looking at tickets and busting out multiple drinks at a time. You can't do that if you have to keep looking back and referring to the print outs or people would never get their drinks. Same thing with bartending. As a bartender, you should be able to hold 10 drinks in your head that were ordered at one time and then go bust them out. Practice with this makes it easier.
3. They mix stuff together, just like bartenders do. It's true. They blend together more frothy concoctions before 9:00 a.m. than cocktails made in one night by a bartender at a Miami nighclub. All they need to do to make the transition is mix different liquids in different containers, but it's the same concept.
2. They multitask. This is one of the most important skills a bartender can have, which is why it's listed at #2 obviously. I have (regretfully) hired bartenders who can only make one drink at a time before they take the next order, and it kills sales...and their tips. From what I've witnessed, Starbuck's baristas can multitask with the best of them.
And the #1 reason why Starbuck's employees make awesome bartenders is....
1. Because their friendly-can-do-service-oriented attitude is off the fucking charts. Pardon my German, but it's appropriate here because whatever Starbuck's is doing to train their staff, I want to steal it and keep it in my pocket forever, because it works. They greet you immediately when you walk in, they smile, they joke, they laugh, they know your name if you're a regular. They deliver your drinks quickly and they do it over and over again. I am a deep believer that customer service is the #1 factor bar owners and managers need to be focusing on to keep their place (or make their place) a hot spot.
Check out my article on The 10-Step Customer Service System and see if it doesn't sound like service that a Starbuck's employee would provide. Obviously they don't do table service, so those steps don't apply, but as customer service goes, they fill the bill.
If you are a Starbuck's employee and you're interested in making a lot more money doing what you're already doing, download my cheat sheet, 7-Steps & 21-Day Plan to Becoming a Bartender and I'll send it to you immediately.
Thanks for hanging out.
Cheers, until next time,
Dave, The RB
