How do you order a coffee?

[Greenandcabbagelooking]

I just went to a coffee shop with a friend. You order at the counter. I said “Hi, please may I have a latte. Thanks”.

She says that all that is a waste a of time, and that when the staff member asks what you want, it’s fine to just say “a latte”. It holds up the queue for other people, apparently. I think that’s really rude, and that all orders should include the words please and thank you.

Who is right?

I go to my local cafe so much that as soon as I heave into view they start making me an oat flat white without any words having to be exchanged
But generally, 'Hi, you all right? <pause for their response, and my reply if necessary>, may I have an oat flat white please.' And 'thanks very much, bye!' at the end.
I am not aware of pissing off the people behind me or ruining their day by spending 20 extra seconds passing the time of day with the barista.
My DP says 'Can I get...', which irritates the hell out of me. I'm on a permanent one-woman campaign not to let 'may I have' die out.

Oh, off we go into ‘I hate “can I get”’. It’s perfectly acceptable grammatically and widely used. This does not need rehearsing every bastard week in the parade of ‘I’m middle class me’ (declared in strangulated Morningside vowels or the equivalent of where you people come from).

How many more seconds does it take to say, "latte please" instead of just "latte?" One second?
Your friend is a knobber.

Maybe she's Scandinavian?

If so, a normal way to order would be:

Customer: "One latte"

Shop assistant: "Ok, that'll be...£10" (probably) 😂

That's not rude in Scandinavia, but in the UK it is. Just different cultures.

"Could I get" my pet hate. NO! The barista will get it for you!"

And then I'll get it from the barista

'you people'?

I grew up on a cheap shit Barratt housing estate in an economically depressed village in the East Midlands coalfield region.
But crack on with your stereotypes, if it makes you feel good.

I go for:

"Hi, I'd like a latte please"

‘You people’ indeed, a well-defined demographic on this site endlessly wittering about ‘can I get’ and reams of tedious class nonsense. And funny you should say East Midlands, that’s what I have I generally have in mind when I read this stuff, well the Midlands generally. In new build estates outside of dull Midland towns, daily fearful of saying couch and serviette.

I can see her point. It used to annoy me when I first moved to England - the need to listen to whole sentences and sometimes even conversations when all the information I need can be shared in a single word answer and then I can get on with my job and make your order.

But I've lived here a while now and I wouldn't dream of ordering anything without saying please and thank you

My question is how do you propose to get this coffee? Are you trained to use their machinery?

I hate 'can I get' and I hate even more that I've started saying it too!

Odd that, seeing as your example was Morningside, which is not really at all like working-class/lower middle class EM estates.

I always say Can I have a large cappuccino please... and then " would it be possible to ask someone to carry it over for me?( I'm disabled).. They always say " of course I'll bring it to your table"
I reply" That's great, Thank you very much"
Your friend is rude
It takes seconds to say please and Thank you, and costs nothing

That's what I say too.

Would never not say please/thank you

Barista: what can I get you?

Me: Medium Skinny iced latte please

Barista: would you like any syrups or flavourings

Me: no thank you

The OP is saying ‘please May I’ because it’s a server who just says ‘Hi’, as many do.

If they asked her what she wanted then I’m guessing she would just say a latte thanks.

She sounds very rude.

I would say: could I have a small Americano please.

Speaking English I'd say "can I have a cup of tea please?" Then thank you or thanks very much when they give it to me.
Speaking Finnish I'll just say "tea" or "I'll take tea", its the normal way

You're right and your friend is wrong. Staff want to be spoken to with respect and humanity.

Not as though they're some sort of automaton which is what happens with crap like "a latte" with zero manners. 🤔

If they say 'What can I get you?'
Me: 'A black coffee please' (or whatever silly name they use for a black coffee )
If they just say 'Hi'
Me: 'Hi, could I have a black coffee, please?'