Fed up Rostov barista: 'Customers upset over breaks'

Today«s feature in the column »Fed Up« is a Rostov barista. He enjoys working in the café, but dealing with rudeness and disrespect from customers — not so much. Sometimes, even taking a short break without running into people»s displeasure is problematic. He shares what irritates him in this column.

Overall, there«s nothing that directly infuriates or angers. It»s more about a mixture of irritation, second-hand embarrassment, and the desire to laugh it off later, but for simplicity, let«s combine it into the word »irritates.«

Many think that since you«re behind the counter, you must be obligated to do something. Many are surprised or upset if you go on a legal break to eat or use the toilet. Even just to clean up or sit in silence, I can calmly close according to regulations. Specifically, close, because no one sees the »Break« sign, or doesn»t want to see it, thinking that maybe it«ll work out. And if it doesn»t work out, then I«m the bad one. Even if you»re standing with food right behind the sign (we place it on the counter), it hardly bothers anyone.

[Some believe] that I should still work if the establishment just closed, justifying it with, «Well, just one order, is it that hard?» And it«s fine if they managed to come in before closing and for some reason lingered, but now we»re talking about those who are completely late. My work time has already ended, there«s no benefit for me personally, so I simply don»t need it. No one else will work unpaid time, and the food service industry is no exception.

It«s amusing that the schedule is written on the door, all equipment might already be turned off and half the lights, you»re standing, putting on your jacket, but people come in as if nothing happened, try to scrutinize the technical cards on the wall, thinking it«s the menu, and, of course, get upset that the establishment is already closed, even though the information is literally in front of their eyes.

What I«m getting at: for most, you»re an NPC (from English — non-playable character, in slang — a «gray» person. — Ed.), who has no needs, no personal life, no concerns. You can be rude to such a person, and then wonder why their friendliness has disappeared.

Also irritating is the cleanliness of many people, or rather, the lack thereof. When making a mess and not cleaning up after themselves is normal for them. Adults, but they poke at display glass, for example, or lay out their dirty things or food on it, even though there are specially designated places for that. This is especially felt in the winter season, when at best 30% of people think to shake snow off their shoes, and then they themselves tread in the same dirt. Just why?

Also, there«s a complete lack of understanding that we»re not some chain store, and we don«t print money, including change. Therefore, we often can»t give change for cash payments if a discount was applied to the order. We«re short on tens, let alone smaller denominations. Especially at the end of the day, because for some reason there are enthusiasts of a cancel culture who avoid ATMs and go exclusively to establishments to exchange money.

Example: they order a small drink, like an americano for 180 rubles (about $2 at current rates), and hand over 1000 or 2000 rubles (about $11 or $22). I have to refuse, because I can«t just spend all the change on one person. Our cash register limit is 2000 rubles (about $22). Even if during the day there happens to be a lot of cash, by law I can»t even give change if it exceeds the cash register limit, or if it«s a risk — to lose all the change on one person during a rush. By law, I have the right to refuse and offer another payment method. Of course, attempts to assert rights begin.

A separate art form is people who come with 5000 rubles (about $56 at current rates). This is an automatic ban, as the cash register limit is still 2000 rubles (about $22), not to mention that paying with a 5000 bill in an establishment with an average check of 500 rubles (about $6) is bad form.

There«s also a funny, rather, moment when people absolutely don»t understand the mechanics of work or what«s happening at the moment, even though you can arrive at it with simple logical thinking. For example, if one order was made, it can»t just be replaced with another, even with an extra payment. Each point keeps track of consumables; if something is bought, the corresponding ingredients are automatically written off from the warehouse for preparation. I can«t just take and prepare something else (except classics), as it will require other ingredients that will then be »minused,« and I»ll have to pay for it from my salary.

Or about the order formation itself: it«s already compiled, the pre-check has come out, and then suddenly they remember a loyalty card or coupon, or want to add something else, but it»s already technically impossible. As I said, it«s not directly irritating, but you can mentally exhale and doubt people.