Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Coffee Nazis

In need of caffeine, E was in line at Cafe Grumpy in Chelsea.  He overhead this exchange:
Customer:  I'd like three espressos to go, please.
Barista:  How far are you going with them?
Customer:  Huh?
Barista:   The espressos might get cold on the way.  How far are you going?
Customer:  Uh, I dunno - maybe 4 or 5 blocks?  They're for people at my office. 
Barista:  Sorry, too far.  They won't be any good when you arrive.  I refuse your order.
Customer:  Is this a joke?
Barista:  You heard me.  
Bewildered, the man man left Grumpy's empty-handed.  E meekly ordered his coffee -- to stay -- and received a mind-blowingly delicious cup of joe. 

Cafe Grumpy:  Have it their way, or take your f*ing business elsewhere.

1 comment:

Susan Hurrell said...

While it may make no sense to refuse a sale (at one level), ensuring that the end user receives only a quality product is a commendable goal. The challenge we all face is the control of how our product is used after it leaves our hands - the customer experience is 50% product features/functions and 50% how the end user actually "uses/interacts" with what we have sold them - you can use a Jimmy Choo to hammer a nail, but don't complain when the shoe breaks.