Would bean to cup coffee instead of barista stop you going to a cafe?

[wh1tbyboats]

I get that we all love great coffee but recently I've found myself queuing for most of my visit or finishing my food before my coffees arrived and a poor barista with orders coming out of their ears. I would just love to enjoy a lovely coffee before eating and sit with a friend instead of queuing separately for ages. What to people think of high quality freshly brewed bean to cup coffee? That then frees up the server to do other things in between like print a bill or log an order ... any thoughts ?

DS was a Barrista and (obviously 🤣) the very best, fancies himself as something of a expert. His view is that the vast majority of Barrista made coffee is really poor and you're better off with something from a machine, in most cases.

Isn't this what blank street coffee is?

This was my husbands thought ... he goes to Leon a lot and says their coffee is great from bean to cup .. obviously a very decent machine proper quality but really good coffee

I just want a cup of coffee. I can do without all the ponce.

Personally, I can't really tell the difference, and much prefer a place where I won't be stood in a queue for ages because the person in front has ordered 5 drinks.

I would like barista coffee, but to order on an app at the table so I didn’t have to waste chatting time in the queue.

Nah for a few reasons.

Often bean to cups have powder milk compartments which I can't stand. If they have a fresh milk tank then you're hoping the staff have properly cleaned it out and it's stored to temperature.

I've looked into them for work and I just don't rate them at all.

BUT, I'm not a coffee lover. Its a necessity in the mornings, but I am perfectly happy with instant.

I much prefer the Italian way, which is proper coffee with table service. Saves you having to wait in line for ages in the hope that there’ll still be a table free when you have your drink. And yes, a bean to coffee machine would massively put me off.

If I wanted it made by a machine I'd stay home.

Yes I think it's the service wait times that cause back up and overload on the barista and the queues at busy times ... personally if my coffee is really good, as is a realistic and efficient service speed & MOSTLY genuine customer service... warm welcome.... time for conversation ... real warmth... great ambience lovely place to sit... then I'm happy but I know for others the barista making the coffee is essential

I’m a trained Barista and a self confessed coffee snob. If I’m ever in a cafe that has a bean to cup machine I will order a cup of tea instead. So yes it very much puts me off.

I also wouldn’t drink Costa/Starbucks etc because 99% of the staff are not well trained and the coffee tastes terrible. A well trained Barista will make a completely different level tasting coffee to a poorly trained staff member using the same coffee beans and machines.

I know it's a huge art form baristas are hugely talented ... but what are your thoughts on when you're really busy and have a queue of people staring at you .. 😂 it must feel a lot of pressure... and I also feel
For the barista sometimes when they're stuck at the coffee machine all day ... would you not want to be on the floor chatting to people and getting variation or are you happy Just as you are ? Really appreciate the feedback

It would put me off, I have a great bean to cup at home.

I don’t want to chat to the staff, and I don’t want them to chat to me. I’m going there for a coffee and paying for their skill making it. Most people who go to cafes go to meet friends, work, or have a bit of peace and quiet, not some stranger chatting to them!

I only go out for coffee to places that do really good coffee. Unless they take it seriously with really good beans and good baristas I’ll have tea, or just stay at home!

There's a difference between bothering people and reading them... many people have come because they feel welcomed that it's a place they're valued. It would be clear if someone didn't want to talk ... but a lot of people want the staff to have enough time for a couple of minutes conversation

I choose cafes based on the quality of the coffee, so yes it would unfortunately put me off. If I am going to pay £3.90 for a cup of coffee, it needs to be significantly better than I can make myself at home.

It sounds like the cafe in question needs more staff (or possibly better training or organisation of staff). I am always very polite and nice to staff, but if they were regularly slow then I might start going to a different cafe.

A baristas job is coffee, not idle chatting. As long as they're polite when serving you that's all they need to do, nobody wants to be stuck listening to someone else having a random conversation

Agreed 👍

Bean to cup is just as variable imo, Greggs and McDonalds are ok for the price. The ones you get at Premier Inn breakfasts are undrinkable imo, as was one we used to have at work. I wouldn't choose to go to a cafe with a bean to cup machine as a treat.

That meant agreed to your comment!

No I work as a barista as I enjoy making coffee. If my boss switched to a bean to cup machine then I would hand in my notice the same day. I don’t feel pressure with people watching me. I can make coffee and chat to customers at the same time without problem.

And when I go into a proper coffee shop I go in with the expectation that it will take a little time to make a great quality coffee.

Do you own a cafe @wh1tbyboats

I'd love to one day ... thanks for all this ... looks like it's a well staffed well trained barista lead cafe that is most wanted thanks guys

also depends if it's a cake shop or bakery offering hot drinks or a coffee shop offering snacks.

I wouldn’t know the difference?

what does a barista do that a bean to cup doesn’t?

I worked in hospitality years ago and coffee was grind beans, do the machine, froth milk and make espresso/cappuccino/latte or whatever was ordered. Isn’t that bean to cup?

i certainly didn’t need to be well trained for it, it was 30 seconds watching someone else and crack on. It didn’t take a load of time to make a coffee either.

so I wouldn’t notice how it’s made. If it tastes like crap I wouldn’t go back though.

Horrible idea.