TIL a customer at my old coffee shop job thought 'room for cream' meant an empty cup

I used to just leave a small space, but after that, I started asking 'how much room' and showing them with my finger, which cut down on complaints by about 90%. Anyone else have a weird phrase that customers just totally misunderstand?

3 comments

3 Comments

susandixon1mo ago

Yeah, showing the space with your finger is the move. At my last place, "light ice" was the killer. People would get mad when their drink was still half full of ice. Started asking if they wanted it filled to the top with more liquid instead, which usually got a yes.

lucas_west1mo ago

Wait, they got mad at half ice?

patricia_hayes15d ago

The "light ice" thing is brutal because people don't realize ice takes up space. At my old diner, we had a lady order an iced tea with "light ice" and then scream at me for only filling the cup halfway. I finally started telling people that "light ice" means they get less total drink unless they want extra tea to fill the gap. About 80% of them would just shrug and say "oh, okay, just leave it how it is" after that. The problem is customers think "light ice" means the same amount of liquid but less ice, which is impossible unless you want a half-empty cup. I swear, some people think physics just bends to their coffee order.

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