That time a barista called me out on my coffee order and I finally got it

I was standing in line at this little coffee shop downtown, same order I always get, a vanilla latte with oat milk. The barista, this older guy named Dave, looked at me and said 'you don't even like vanilla, do you?' I stood there for a second and realized he was totally right. I had been ordering it for like 3 years just because my friend said it was good, never once thought about what I actually wanted. It was right in front of me the whole time, hidden in plain sight. Has anyone else had a stranger call out a habit you never questioned?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby_jones1mo agoMost Upvoted

avery_flores17 that "black cold brew because it seemed right" bit hit close to home. I spent a whole summer ordering drip coffee with no sugar because I thought that's what a grown adult should drink. I'd choke it down every morning and wonder why I felt so grumpy. Then one day my wife just handed me a caramel latte and I nearly cried because it was actually good. Dave the barista would probably take one look at my current order of a hazelnut mocha with extra whip and tell me I'm compensating for something.

avery_flores171mo ago

@wood.eric honestly makes a great point about Dave's hidden life coaching business. I used to think the whole "you order the same thing every time without thinking" thing was just a joke, but that story flipped a switch for me. I went through a phase where I'd order black cold brew just because it seemed like the "right" coffee drink to order, even though I hated every sip. Finally switched to an iced oatmilk latte with an extra shot and felt stupid it took a stranger's comment for me to realize it.

wood.eric1mo ago

Three years drinking something you didn't even like, that's a pretty good deal for the coffee shop. Dave should start charging you for life coaching on the side.