Capitalist Culture and Coffee Criticisms via the Lens of an Ex-Starbucks Barista, Part 2

The interview below is part two of a conversation with my friend, ex-Starbucks barista Elizabeth Dalhou. (Check out part one if you haven't already!)

So the restaurant business is known to have a lot of… or is a great source for gross stories.

Yeah.

So I'm curious if there's anything you've seen, heard, smelled that you still cringe about or you still think about today.

Like specifically at Starbucks?

Yeah.

Um, no. I mean, for the most part, we were very, very clean. We cleaned a lot, like it was part of protocol. We cleaned three times a day, like the stations. Uh, and… this might sound gross, but sometimes there would be a few cockroaches, which… I mean, it is gross. We shouldn't have cockroaches, but it wasn't a chronic problem. But if you think about it, it's all like sugar and milk and all that stuff. Obviously anywhere is going to get that. But for the most part, we would take—like even all the shelves and everything that the syrups would be on—we'd have to wipe them all down, wash them, pull them and wipe the wall behind it, underneath it. We did that three times a day. So yeah, it was the protocol to keep Starbucks clean. It's very clean.

And you can see it. When you go inside and you order your drinks, you can see everything. There isn't anything that we keep in the back—like the food and all the drinks: it's all open, and you can see.

So you have to keep it clean, you know? During the really busy hours where we would get slammed, it would get very dirty just because we didn't have time to clean, but we'd clean after. So yeah, I mean, it's not… it's not gross. Yeah, and eating there isn't gross.

No crazy horror stories?

No, I don't have any. No.

Have you heard any from your peers or are there any group chats or…?

No.

No?

No.

Interesting.

Yeah no, I would say Starbucks is pretty safe in that aspect.

That's good.

Yeah.

What would you say is the greatest misconception people have about Starbucks or even baristas or coffee culture in general?

The greatest misconception… I think people think Starbucks is good coffee, and it's not. It's just not. The coffee beans are not good. You can get way better coffee from a local coffee shop or… I mean… I've heard people… I don't drink Dunkin', but I've heard people like Dunkin's coffee beans more; Starbucks's coffee beans are not the best. Their espresso is just really not that good. It's not the best quality. And I think you could get a way better cup of coffee from even Dancing Goats. Their quality is way better. So yeah, I think people think Starbucks is the best, and it's just not, and you can get more bang for your buck somewhere else. But I think it's the most convenient, and I think that's why people go, because it's the most convenient.

Convenient. Probably with all the sugar and everything, the coffee can hide behind it.

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

Yeah. And it's also like, why are you getting coffee at that point? If you just want to taste sugar and milk, why are you getting a coffee? For what, you know?

Yeah. I think… you know how they say the buns in a Big Mac have so much sugar that they can't be classified as bread?

Oh, I didn't even know that. That's crazy.

Yeah.

Yeah, cause the same thing.

Yeah, I'm thinking we're so addicted to sugar and so used to it—that's what we expect—that we don't realize that we're essentially eating and drinking dessert.

Yeah!

Constantly.

Constantly.

And that just becomes the norm.

Yeah. Mhmm.

And I guess that's also a way for people to say, "oh, I'm not having dessert. I'm just having my morning coffee."

Yeah, but you really are. I mean, if you look at the amount of sugar in your latte is something that's… an insane amount, like 20 to 30 grams of sugar. That's not normal. That's not the first thing you should be putting into your body. You get what I'm saying? And that's what, like a 300-calorie coffee. Okay yeah, that's insane, you know?

And then you add the protein. [Both laughing]

Yeah and then you add the protein. [Both laughing] Balance, right?

Right. A balanced diet. [Both laughing]

Balance, yeah. [Both laughing] But yeah, I think that all these sugary drinks are just so overrated, and I think if you're going to drink coffee, just drink a coffee, like a regular coffee. I think just going back to that is the best. And all these trends of all these specific flavored drinks is just overrated.