Cafe, Customer Service, New Findings

Homemade Charcoal Powder Receives Mixed Reviews From Customers, Health Department

A burning log turns to charcoal.

By Eric Dong This piece is dedicated to Velton Ross, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we appreciate. WALNUT CREEK, CA— A local coffee shop’s attempt at using homemade charcoal powders has received mixed reviews from customers and USDA. “Our espresso is a Columbia-Papua New Guinea blend with notes of dense dark chocolate, vanilla, and a buttery mouthfeel,” owner Jack Haney told Knockbox…

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Cafe, Inspiring People, Staff Drama

Barista Pretends to Initial Checklist Items for Third Straight Day

A barista in blue sunglasses looks proudly at the camera and smiles.

This piece is dedicated to Umeko Motoyoshi, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate. By Josh Rank COLUMBUS, OH– Part-time barista Kyle Fleming set a personal record this afternoon by marking items off the closing checklist without actually doing them for the third consecutive day. “I really thought I was pushing it with two days in a row,”…

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Cafe, Customer Service, Staff Drama

Debate Sparks After New Hire Poses Hypothetical Iced Cappuccino Order

An iced cappuccino with a straw.

This piece is dedicated to Umeko Motoyoshi, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate. By Eric Dong KAILUA-KONA, HI— Chaos broke out at a local cafe today after new hire and ex-Starbucks employee Gabriel Scott posed a hypothetical scenario in which a guest orders an iced cappuccino, sparking a loud and heated debate. Although the conflict began mid-shift,…

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Cafe, Coffee Events, Inspiring People, New Findings

Louisville Barista Wins Nobel Prize for “Literally Leaving No Room”

A person pours coffee from a glass carafe into a white coffee cup.

This piece is dedicated to Velton Ross, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we appreciate. By Cody Barnhart LOUISVILLE, KY— In what scientists have called “a masterpiece of surface tension,” Louisville barista Jennifer Guevara was recently awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for “outstanding advancement in regard to science’s understanding of coffee particle distribution and beverage surface tension.” Some might marvel at…

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Cafe, Customer Service

Barista Charges Less for Coffee He Doesn’t Like

An espresso in a double-walled glass cup on a wooden table.

  This piece is dedicated to Weihong Zhang, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate.   By Lucas Haladki   NASHVILLE, TN— On looking over his Square receipts for the week, specialty coffee lover Matt Martinez was surprised to find he had been charged $1.75 for “2 xtra shots” at his favorite local shop instead of the regular $3.75 for…

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Cafe, New Products

Barista ‘Broken’ after Finding Favorite Beans in Local Supermarket

A grocery store sells gourmet snacks,

  By Jack Crisfield   LONDON, UK— London barista Alex Benn recently expressed disgust on finding that his favorite roaster’s espresso blend is now available for “mass consumption” in his local supermarket.   Benn, head barista of a notoriously successful coffee shop in Dalston, claims his spirit and faith in the coffee industry has been ‘broken’ in response to the…

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Cafe, Coffee Events

New Cafe Lets You Cuddle and Adopt Adorable Vampire Bats

A small fuzzy brown vampire bat sits on a white table.

  HONOLULU, HI— You’re probably familiar with cat cafes, but this week, a brand-new concept has emerged with the launch of Honolulu’s beautiful new bat cafe, which allows guests to cuddle with and even adopt adorable vampire bats. With a concept this original, we had to check it out for ourselves. We flew to Hawaii to attend the soft opening,…

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Cafe, Customer Service

Other Barista Knows My Order, Says Customer

A cash register screen shows a readout of the customer's change.

  This piece is dedicated to Velton Ross, our most excellent Patreon supporter without whom we couldn’t do this.    By Adam Heffelfinger   ANNAPOLIS, MD— The morning rush was in full swing at one local coffee shop this morning when housewife Julianne Akers reached the front of the queue. Akers, 44, received a cordial greeting from barista Rachael Ng, 27, who…

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Cafe, Coffee Events, Customer Service, Inspiring People

Inspiring Cafe Donates all X-mas Day Proceeds to Charity, Makes Workers Come In

A cappuccino with Christmas lights around it.

  KNOXVILLE, TN— This Christmas, one inspiring cafe set a shining example by donating all Christmas-day proceeds to the American Red Cross. We hit the scene to investigate and get a little taste of their true holiday spirit.   The cafe was all a-bustle with customers in from all over town to celebrate and donate. The air was laden with…

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