‘Male Karen’ makes California barista cry after he orders a small cappuccino in a large cup and gets exactly that: ‘BAN HIM’
Somebody needed to put him in his place.
The “hacks” on social media promising to help you get more for less money at big-name coffee chains sound fascinating. But for the barista behind the counter, these hacks are often just a thin veil for harassment.
TikTok creator and California-based barista @jorlala (Bhad Barista) has gone viral with a similar story that has reached over 4.7 million viewers. She details an encounter with an entitled customer that left her shaking with rage. Bhad Barista’s skit of the real encounter shows how the scam culture is plaguing service workers.
Customers use specific terminology at the counter to try and get more for a budget price. But for the barista, it’s infuriating. The creator’s story leaves you to think whether a few extra sips is really worth the tears of the barista who made the coffee for you.
The customer’s order confused the barista immediately
The conversation was off from the beginning. A man walked in and ordered a small cappuccino. But when the barista asked him if he needed anything else, he immediately went, “Why don’t you just let me finish ordering.” Then, the central conflict began. The man customized his order to be a “small, single shot cappuccino, extra dry, in a large cup.”
To the average person, this sounds like a specific preference. But to an experienced barista, it’s a red flag for a common scam. By ordering a small drink in a large cup and asking for it to be “extra dry” mostly foam), customers often expect the barista to fill the entire large cup with foam to avoid empty space. Essentially, the customer was trying to get the volume of a large drink while only paying for a small.
Naturally, the barista asked clarifying questions about why he wanted the large cup. But the customer became immediately condescending and belligerent. According to the creator, he rudely told her,
“It doesn’t matter why it’s in a large cup, okay? She knows how to make it and she’s going to make it for me, so you don’t need to be asking me all these questions.“
Another barista had been giving in to the man’s wishes
The situation escalated when the barista discovered that her coworkers had been enabling this behavior for some time. A coworker admitted that because the man is “particular,” they usually just fill the large cup with foam to avoid a confrontation.
Refusing to “raise entitled customers,” the barista made the drink herself. She steamed the milk to be extra dry, but only filled the large cup to the “small” quantity as ordered. The customer’s reaction was a total breakdown of civility.
He threw his cup sleeve at the counter and screamed at the barista that she didn’t know how to do her job. He demanded to know why the cup wasn’t full. Despite being slammed with other orders, the barista held her ground. She informed him that if he wanted the cup filled, he would need to pay for a large.
Was the customer’s order valid?
Technically, you can order any small drink in a larger vessel. Customers often do this to leave room for extra cream or to prevent spills. However, the intent behind this specific order was what made it invalid.
A “small” drink refers to the volume of ingredients (milk and espresso) used. If a customer orders a small and expects the physical dimensions of a large cup to be filled, they are asking for a product they haven’t paid for. This is regardless of whether it’s filled with liquid or foam.
Foam in coffee requires milk and labor to produce. So, by demanding the cup be full, the customer was effectively trying to scam the shop out of the extra product.
Should the barista have charged the man for a large?
In the service industry, you pay for the volume of the product consumed, not the size of the cardboard container it sits in. If the customer wanted a cup full of foam, he was requesting a large cappuccino. So, the barista was correct to offer the man an option to pay the price difference.
By standing her ground, the barista was attempting to break a cycle of enabling. Giving in to such unfair demands makes the customer entitled, making the job significantly harder for everyone else. While the encounter ended with the barista in tears from sheer frustration, her refusal to reward the customer’s “male-Karen” behavior is being hailed as a win for service workers everywhere.
Your barista is there to serve you, not to take your abuse
Bhad Barista’s video serves as a reminder that the “customer is always right” mantra is outdated. When a hack turns into harassment and throwing items at staff, the customer has lost their right to the product.
We hope the “male-Karen” does not make a return appearance at the shop. But if you end up at a coffee shop anytime soon, remember to pay for large if you want a large. And maybe leave a tip for the person who has to steam your extra dry foam.
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