Coffee Tea or Discourtesy?

On Saturday, March 12th at the Mélanges Café in Sacramento, California, I witnessed a barrista treat a customer in a degrading and disrespectful manner. The loyal, smartly dressed customer was sitting at a window table, waiting for friends to join her and purchase coffee and pastries as they have done routinely for years. The barrista assumed that she was loitering, accosted her and told her to that she had to buy something, move to a smaller table or leave immediately. When the distraught customer told the barrista that she is a loyal customer and felt offended by her uncalled for remarks, the barrista screamed out load in front of others that her manager supports her antagonistic behavior. When the customer told the manager about her rudeness, he seemed indifferent.

Clearly, the staff at Mélanges has no regard for its patrons. What is the world coming to? Are cafes designed for customers or only for the staff? Should customers feel safe, relaxed and part of the human community in a coffee establishment? Or should they feel threatened, insulted and strong-armed to buy something the moment they walk through the door? Must they expect discourtesy as a side dish to go with their coffee and croissants? Let’s hope you do not experience a similar situation in your town.