Whether you are a casual coffee drinker or a crazy coffee fanatic, you’ve probably spent too much on a beverage at Starbucks at least once before.
But this popular cafe actually has a few secrets that most baristas prefer you wouldn’t know…
There’s no denying it, Starbucks is a very popular cafe but it’s also notorious for its overpriced beverages.
Lucky for you, former baristas came together on a reddit thread to share some **heavily guarded secrets** that might help you in your next purchase!
If you feel like treating yourself with Starbucks coffee while you are on a tight budget, then their iced coffee is the right drink for you!
A former Starbucks barista from reddit shared that you can make your iced coffee taste better by asking the barista to add syrup in it, but don’t worry, it’s free of charge. The user also shared that you can actually ask the barista to steam your iced coffee if you find that their drink is too weak for your taste.
If you order iced coffee, it’s automatically sweetened.
One reddit user said that if you don’t want any sugar dumped in your coffee, tell your barista right away! “Iced coffees and iced teas are automatically sweetened using ‘simple syrup.’ You can switch for another syrup free of charge or ask for fewer pumps of syrup if you prefer it unsweetened,” The (username redacted) wrote.
Not all their syrups are vegan friendly! Starbucks isn’t exactly a vegan company and one reddit user has very helpful advice for the vegan coffee lovers out there. “As a barista who worked for a vegan company and had to research what’s vegan at Starbucks, none of the regular syrups have milk in them, though the caramel drizzle and the thicker syrups (white mocha, pumpkin spice, and caramel brulee) do.
Regular mocha is vegan though,” The reddit user wrote.
You’ve probably encountered the phrase “secret menu” a lot of times before and you hear them change through different seasons but reddit user Raskov75 shared that there is actually no secret menu and it actually makes their work harder than it already is! “Former Barista here. There is no secret menu. Those drinks are just special orders.
The vast majority of the time [they] are annoying because they involve steps and ingredients that usually aren’t used in a drink. This slow[s] things down which is an issue when you’re trying to dig yourself out of a 10 drink-deep rush. Just order a mocha and live your life.” Oh bummer!
Well it turns out, those fancy secret menu items just happened to be special orders.
But if you want to order one of those fancy secret menu items while they’re off-season, this next secret can help you...
Not a lot of customers know this, but you can actually order most secret menu beverages while they’re off season. How? Well, you just need to know what they’re made of! It turns out, most baristas don’t even know what those fancy made-up secret menu names on the internet are. So it’s better to just tell them what’s in it.
“Never, ever, ever order made-up nicknames and expect us to know what you want. For instance, I could tell you at least six different recipes I have been told for a Captain Crunch Frappuccino. So always know your recipe because I refuse to make a bleeding penguin unless you can tell me exactly what you are referring to,” reddit user ismonkah said.
If you want to get your money’s worth of coffee, this reddit user has the best advice for you. “If you drink drip coffee and want room for cream, order a tall in a grande cup or a grande in a venti cup. The amount should come right to the top of the Sbux logo (tested it after getting chewed out by a bitchy customer).
Usually [if] you ask for room, the barista gives you entirely too much room so this ensures you get all the coffee you pay for.”
One reddit user admitted that there’s one item that he and his workmates absolutely hate making... ...and it’s the Frappuccinos! Which is surprising since most customers order them. “Everything else at the job can be made in sequence with other things.
While waiting for espresso to pour, you can start steaming milk, and so on. You can pour shots and steam milk and get going on multiple drinks at once. With Frapps, it’s one at a time, several steps, and you can’t walk away,” The reddit user shared.
Do you ever wonder why most Starbucks stores have such dim lighting? Well it turns out, they actually have a good reason for that.
One reddit user shared that it’s actually for a special cause. “Starbucks switched to LEED lighting for stores in 2011 in an effort to make a smaller global footprint on the environment. We strive to create an atmosphere of sustainability from the farmers we build relationships with our distributors, to the very stores themselves.” Now, what do real Starbucks pros do when they want to spice up their day?
Reddit user ismonkah shared another secret again, and it’s for those customers that want to try something different. If you’re getting tired of ordering the same beverage over and over again, try this special trick... ANSWER: ask for the barista’s favorite drink.
“Most of the time you are going to get the greatest drink ever if you ask the barista to make you their favorite drink. After a few questions, most of us can blow your mind with the delicious recipes we have acquired over the years.”
Your dog can actually enjoy something from the Starbucks menu too, reddit user SherpaLali shared that if you want to get something for your dog, you can just ask the barista for a Puppacino. “Most Starbucks employees will know what a Puppaccino is, but if you feel dumb asking for it by name, it’s just a sample size cup full of whipped cream,” the reddit user wrote.
Reddit user likeabaker revealed that the food from Starbucks isn’t as fresh as we anticipated -- but there’s still some things that are absolutely good. “All Starbucks food is reheated frozen food. Ridiculous how little people realize that.
Doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good, it’s just not fresh at all and incredibly overpriced.” Yikes! Here’s our PRO TIP: Cheesecakes are shipped in regularly and it’s actually always yummy… IMO!
Reddit user nomad917 shared that dealing with rude and entitled customers can be a bummer... so this is how they get revenge...
ANSWER: Baristas who deal with rude customers usually switch their coffee with decaf as a way of getting back. “Feel like I’m pretty universal when saying this, but when you think you’re entitled to anything and complain about a non-issue, you’re getting decaf and I’m not apologizing about your minor inconvenience.” #sorrynotsorry
Reddit user jadium who was also a former Starbucks barista, shared a very helpful tip for Starbucks customers everywhere. ( Hint: Iced Lattes for ½ price ) “There are multiple ways to charge for the exact same drink, oftentimes much cheaper than the menu price.
Ex: an iced venti latte is $4, a doppio (two espresso shots) is $1.95, and a cup of ice with two added shots is $1.20.” But how do you get the ½ price lattes?
The Secret to ½ Priced Lattes “Because you can add as much cold milk as you want from the condiment bar (that island full of sugar packets and carafes) to whatever you’re drinking, you can always ask for an iced venti doppio, pay $1.95, then add the milk yourself. Half price lattes,” the reddit user revealed.
Now, this is getting good ;)
It’s common knowledge that most Baristas don’t get paid nearly enough for the work that they do... but did you know that by doing something as simple as this can make their job a little easier? Everyone knows… when your barista likes you, there’s a chance they will LOVE you.
So it pays to do things that make their day.
One former barista shared on the reddit thread how most of them hate dealing with excess coffee thrown in the garbage. “It’s awful. Back when I was a barista, [I’d] have to check the area after every customer. People would spill coffee and it would be dripping on the floor.
They’d walk away without saying anything,” One former barista shared. Finish the drink before throwing it away, please.
What else can you do to keep baristas loving you?
It’s seriously something that costs nothing… and is worth a million bucks...
ANSWER: treat them kindly while talking to them with a **smile on your face.** And if you’ve got any spare cash lying inside your wallet, it wouldn’t hurt to give them a little tip just to show your appreciation for their job.
After all, without them, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our beloved coffee.