A List of Top Tips for the Middle Ground to Make You a Better Customer
1. We Hated the Espresso Machine Being Broken as Much As You Did
Any time the espresso machine breaks it’s a hard time for the entire campus. We are well aware of that, and it’s a hard time for us as workers too. We hate limiting the options of the Rhodes community, especially when those options are not as appetizing (coffee or tea?).
2. Do Not Order Smoothies by Name – We Probably Don’t Have Most of the Ingredients to Make It
Ever felt an inclination to order a Four Point Oh? Or whatever other smoothie combinations are on the menu board? Don’t bother. We have never had Blueberry Pomegranate smoothie mix in stock, and we most likely don’t have one or more of the ingredients of whatever smoothie you want to order. Your best bet is to ask what kind of smoothies we have and pick from that selection.
update: a few days after this article was posted, the Middle Ground magically acquired Blueberry Pomegranate smoothie mix. The author believes that Aramark may or may not be listening to her inner thoughts and feelings, and is vaguely terrified.
3. When We Run Out of Things, It Is Totally Out of Our Control to Get Them Back
The only people who restock the closet are the night workers and Walter and Angela, who work in the morning. And sometimes Aramark doesn’t send us what we need to restock, which is why we are out of staples like chai mix for a third of every semester. We as student workers have no control of what’s given to us, and Middle Ground workers in general have little control over what Aramark decides to replace. So be patient with us (or complain to Aramark if you really want the chai back). Don’t worry, we hate it as much as you do.
4. We Change Shifts at the Same Time Every Weekday, And We Literally Cannot Use the Register When We Do
The student workers work three shifts during a weekday. During the times the shifts overlap is when we famously “switch shifts.” During this time, we restock the cups, sleeves, milk, syrups, and other things we need to make our job possible. We also have to count the money in the register to make sure we have enough to survive the next shift. While the drawer is being counted, the register is unable to be used for scanning barcodes or ringing up beverages. This is why we are unable to do either of those things while we are changing shifts. So we aren’t lazy, or too busy, or being mean. We literally cannot ring you up.
Hopefully most of the questions about the inner workings of the Middle Ground have been answered here, but if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask me or any other Middle Ground worker!
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