You’ve hit a nerve with your barista story. We hired a college kid 9 days ago who worked as a barista at one of our competitors for an entire year (confirmed) prior to going off to college. It’s amazing how little he knows/understands/applies in making drinks with his background. It’s even more surprising the apathetic passive approach he takes in TRYING to learn our recipes, or figure out our systems, that are all in writing. We explain all baristas are on a trial period upon hiring, and their continued employment will be based upon their ability to demonstrate & execute our systems that we feel we go overboard in teaching & demonstrating.

I believe personality traits IE ambition, ability to conform to standards, ability to get along with others, are all set in their behaviors by the age we may employ them. I’m not sure any more of our cojoling or coercion will motivate him to try. Like the infamous words of Popeye: “I y’am what I y”am!”.

As an employer, I feel once we’ve articulated the goal and timeframe to accomplish the skillsets baristas need to acquire/develope/master to remain employed here, we’ve done our part. When we take him by the hand and try to engage him in studying recipes or systems, that he refuses to learn, we’ve done all we can, and we need to accept we’re spinning our wheels. I have no remorse in telling him it’s time for him to move on to another employment opportunity, more of a sense of dissapointment that we couldn’t go further with him. Dave