Starbucks serves as fuel for the many Florida State University students every day who show up to Strozier library with tired and baggy eyes, foggy face masks and a burning laptop under their arm. That first sip of a deliciously highly-caffeinated caramel frappuccino can be what allows students to survive the many hours of studying and online classes they are about to endure—all thanks to the hard work of baristas like Briana (Bri) Hale. Bri is a Social Sciences Education major from Melbourne, Florida. She has been working as a Starbucks Barista since June of 2019.
Her Campus (HC): What are your favorite aspects of working at Starbucks?
Briana Hale (BH): I love making the drinks; it is so much fun. I remember when I first thought about applying to Starbucks, I thought there is no way I could memorize all of these drinks and I somehow did. Now I am proficient and fast at it. Also, I love making people happy because of a single coffee drink. The biggest thing I am taught at Starbucks is to make customer connections, make people feel welcomed and make sure [the customer] comes first. When I get a drink right or when [the customer] tries something new and likes my suggestions, it makes me feel good that they have trust in me and that a simple cup of coffee can make somebody’s day. I have so many favorite regulars who are so nice to me.
HC: How are you able to balance working at Starbucks with academics and your personal life?
BH: Time management is critical when it comes to balancing everything. I learned this in high school because I was juggling so many different things. You have to prioritize what comes first—you come first and then school and your job. You have to be able to plan and time manage your schedule.
HC: What Starbucks drinks are the easiest and hardest to make?
BH: The easiest to make are the teas (especially unsweetened tea) and iced caramel macchiatos. The hardest to make are frappuccinos with a lot of instructions; it gets worse when it’s a mobile order.
BH: I am very strict about what I drink at Starbucks. I like to put my favorites into categories. My favorite espresso drink is the iced cinnamon almond milk macchiato. It’s basically like an iced caramel macchiato but you do cinnamon dolce instead of vanilla, use almond milk and sometimes I add a caramel drizzle if I am feeling it. My favorite tea is the iced guava black tea with lemonade with half the sweetener. My favorite frappuccino is the double chocolate chip frappe with white mocha instead of regular mocha.
HC: Are there lots of other college students who work at your Starbucks location in Tallahassee?
BH: There is a steady ratio of those who are college students versus Tallahassee locals. My store has a lot of other college students as well.
HC: Did you work at other jobs prior to working at Starbucks? What was the application process of getting hired by Starbucks like?
BH: I was a tutor at a Kumon tutoring center. It was a great first job experience. For the Starbucks application process, it is a very detailed application and lengthy. Once I finished the application, I called the store I was applying to around midday and said, “Hi, my name is Briana Hale, and I recently applied for a position and I wanted to let you know I finished my resume.” Typically, they will get back to you in a week or so. My hiring experience is always going to be different from everybody else’s; it all depends on what store you apply to and what the store manager is like. I applied pre-COVID and they used to do big interview events where one day a month or every other week they have all the store managers come together to do open interviews for anybody who applied. My store manager actually guided me and said the same day I called, “Hey, there is an interview option. We would you like to come in.” The biggest tip I know when it comes to being in the job market is that you always say yes. I also learned this when I did theater in high school; if there is something you want, then go and get it. If not, you could miss out on opportunities.
HC: Tell me about your role in helping train new Starbucks employees?
BH: I really like the opportunity of being able to train new Starbucks partners because when you get into this job, it is very overwhelming with how much information there is. I was told you will probably get the hang of it within six to nine months. It takes a bit to develop these skills. When you have somebody that helps you go through the process (makes you feel comfortable, helps you grow, learn and make mistakes), it makes them a better partner within our team. Also, as someone who is going to be a future teacher, [training new partners] replicates what it is like to teach and help people learn and grow. I remember being asked the question [to help train new partners] a while ago when I was less experienced, but now I am at a point in my career where I have pretty much mastered the basic things you need to be a Starbucks barista. I feel confident being able to train. I see it as a great opportunity so when I go into the teaching field, I can say I was a trainer and I implemented teaching skills. One thing I learned from being a barista trainer is being able to identify what kind of a learner they are. That is a skill you need to know and there are different types of instruction methods. I always see if I can interlock skills I have from [working at Starbucks] with my career choice of being a teacher.
HC: What was it like for you to get used to working at Starbucks?
BH: My hiring process was interesting because I needed a job to go to college. I was under the impression that I needed to make sure that I impressed my new store manager when I transferred [to the Tallahassee location]. I had to learn from mistakes. It is a stressful job sometimes because people have high expectations. People want the Starbucks experience, for their drink to be correct and to get what they are paying for. When it came to being able to develop my skills to connect with customers, it is a daunting task. We are so used to being closed off and not opening up to [random] people. You have to be able to communicate to your team effectively if something is wrong or if you need help. When it came to learning the drinks, it was a matter of muscle memory. I also remember in training being so scared that I would not be able to memorize all these drinks, so I took notes when I did my training modules. We encourage baristas when they start making drinks to go slow. Once you know the basics, you move faster. Making drinks and connecting with customers are two different experiences. I would say it took me four to five months to get the basics down. When I say partners, it is the term used because we all work as a team together. It is all a big family.
HC: What has changed about working at Starbucks since the COVID-19 pandemic hit?
BH: Customers are not allowed to use personal cups anymore for drinks to be poured into. You have to wear a mask. Recently with the new variants of COVID-19, Starbucks is changing their mask policy. Starbucks does not allow neck gator masks and they encourage doubling up on masks or wearing multilayer masks. They also limit cafe seating.
HC: Do you have any advice for those interested in working for Starbucks in the future?
BH: If you are outgoing and like to talk to people, do this job. If you talk to co-workers, you will have fun experiences with your team; I am even friends with co-workers outside of work. If you work well under stress and if you are a coffee person who wants to learn basic barista skills, I would recommend this job. There are good benefits of this job (like healthcare insurance, bean stock access where Starbucks gives money from their stock, around 23 free therapy sessions and four free headspace meditation sessions for partners). As long as you have a good team to support you, you can do it.
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