CLEVELAND, OH— This morning, during a popular cafe’s morning rush, barista Leila Tehrani watched a fruit fly hover around, then slowly crawl towards, a freshly-made cappuccino, only to enter the drink just as she called the customer’s name. “I was steaming milk and pulling a shot for the drink, and this fruit fly was hovering around,” Tehrani, a…
By Christopher Vasquez PORTLAND, OR— A barista at one Portland cafe came face-to-face with his own shortcomings when it became apparent that he had spent the last six months calling regular customer Mark Wilde by the wrong name. The customer is reportedly both unoffended and unphased. According to witnesses, barista Eddie Wong had called out, “Hey Scott,…
PITTSBURGH, PA— This week at a high-volume university cafe, two baristas were fired after playing Alanis Morissette’s classic album “Jagged Little Pill,” during the mid-morning lull. The altercation began when university professor Jill Redkin came over to complain about the music, which was playing at a moderate volume in the space. “I asked them if it wasn’t…
This piece is dedicated to Umeko Motoyoshi, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate. By Zac Hyde CHARLESTON, SC— Staff at a local coffee shop in Charleston, SC were reportedly touched this morning when they arrived to work to find that new hire Stacy Chambers had still not yet become an irredeemably bitter cynic. Now entering…
OAKLAND, CA— Chaos erupted during the morning rush at a local cash-free cafe after the internet went down and stayed down for fifteen long minutes, preventing baristas from making any formal transactions. “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” said customer Sarah Walabi, looking past me as she spoke. “The line was out the door and the…
CINCINNATI, OH— Local mom Corinne Olson was banned from a popular Cincinnati cafe this morning after complaining that the kid’s temperature hot chocolate she ordered for her nine-year-old son Tyler was too cool. Olson, who frequents the cafe while working on her Etsy store, often brings her son along on his days off from school. She assumed that…
By Camillia Nazanin AUSTIN, TX— Angry customers are flooding the Yelp page of an Austin coffee shop following an unfortunate incident with a talkative visitor. Flutist Sebastian Chorno stopped by the cafe to get his caffeine fix before a performance, but quickly found himself in the company of vexed patrons. Our reporters reached out to Chorno for…
NEW YORK CITY, NY— Communist coffee shop customer Mitch Dryden doesn’t believe in tipping baristas; according to him, “the whole system is fucked, and tipping only validates that.” Dryden, who works as a bike mechanic, used to work as barista but doesn’t believe in tipping. “It’s not about people as individuals, it’s about the system,” he said. “It’s…
BOSTON, MA— This morning in a local university’s robotics building, a coffee-fetching robot disrupted service and severely pissed off several baristas. Creators were thrilled and excited to send Caffbot, the new robot they’ve engineered to fetch their morning brew, on his inaugural mission down to their favorite cafe. However, the mission didn’t quite go as planned. When…
By Adam Heffelfinger CLEVELAND, OH— Barista Seth Holstein was working through a typical brisk rush hour line early Tuesday morning when his day took an unexpected turn. Craig Johns, a 42-year veteran of Cleveland-based investment firm Stodges & Coller produced a crisp bill and placed it on the counter. “He asked me if I could break it…