Water Water Everywhere...

[Rhania506]

Ok, a few weeks ago a big water valve in our town busted causing the city officials to declare a boil order until they could get it fixed. Most restaurants in town closed, but since we are a cafe in a bookstore we remained open. Due to type of equipment we have, all of the water feeds directly into the machines (none getting hot enough to sanitize the water). This meant we couldn't sell coffee, expresso or fountain drinks. We remained open, selling bottled beverages and bake case items (cookies, sandwiches, etc.).

Well let me tell you, when people are deprived of their coffee, they lose their ever-loving minds. At least six people asked me if I would sell them coffee if they signed a waiver. A whole slew of them acted as if the water ban was entirely my fault. And one lady (leaning over the counter and whispering) asked if I knew of a place that might be "disreputable" enough to sell her coffee anyway. I wanted to whisper back to her "Yeah, go to the blue house on Third Street, knock 3 times and ask for Vinnie."

But my favorite conversation of the day went like this.

DL: dense lady
Me: bored barista

Me: (with appropriate gestures) Good afternoon ma'am. Due to the water ban we are only serving out of the beverage cooler and bake case today. What can I get for you?
DL: A large cup of coffee
Me: I'm sorry ma'am, but we aren't serving coffee today. We are only serving from our beverage cooler and bake case.
DL: Ok, then I'd like a large latte.
Me: (still pointing to what I'm offering) I'm sorry ma'am, but due to the water ban, we are not able to use most of our equipment. But I will be happy to get you anything from our beverage cooler or our bake case.
DL: Oh that's all right honey (she called me "honey"). I'll have a Mocha Frappucino.
Me:

So the moral of the story is: Don't deprive people of their drug of choice. Withdrawl can and will be painful.
~Rhania

[Dreamstalker]

And one lady (leaning over the counter and whispering) asked if I knew of a place that might be "disreputable" enough to sell her coffee anyway. I wanted to whisper back to her "Yeah, go to the blue house on Third Street, knock 3 times and ask for Vinnie."

Awesome. I'll have to pass that on to a favorite coffee-slave.

Ain't people fun? You should have told them something to the effect of "take it up with the health dept"...maybe if they were told they could get sick they'd listen. Or not...

One of the coffee shops in town here was having issues with their espresso machine a few months ago. There were BIG signs up saying basically that no espresso drinks could be made. Milk could be foamed to make a coffee look like a latte, but that was about it.

Yup. People still asked for lattes, mochas, actual espresso, anything but plain coffee (I think my mom and I were the only people in that morning who actually read the signs). One guy demanded to get behind the counter to "see for myself it's not working, I think you're just lazy" ...didn't happen.

[Peppergirl]

"Hello, my name is Peppergirl and I'm a caffiene-a-holic."

Ok, seriously. I'm a coffee-hound. I'd be mildly disappointed if I couldn't get my fix. But, for the love of GOD, I despise people that act like that...giving the rest of us coffee addicts a bad name.

I guess SC's and entitlement whores are the same everywhere, no matter what their drug of choice is, eh?

[Becks]

Well, at least it wasn't cryptosporidium.

[crazylegs]

I feel your pain.

This summer for two weeks we had no tap water supply for two towns (and surrounding villages) which fed around 400,000 people, then for a week or so we had a boil order. THAT was interesting.

(ironically we had no water because we had too much!)

[Sliceanddice]

achem EWWWWWW coffee Tell to go drink do cans of coke they would get the same amount of caffiene

[BookstoreEscapee]

achem EWWWWWW coffee Tell to go drink do cans of coke they would get the same amount of caffiene

Diet Coke is my morning addiction. I can't stand coffee. But I go to the soda fountain at work, fill a cup with Diet Coke, and top off the last inch with regular Coke (to cut that diety taste). Some mornings I stop at Wawa and do Diet Coke topped off with Dr. Pepper. Yum.

[Pagan]

DL: Oh that's all right honey (she called me "honey"). I'll have a Mocha Frappucino.
Me:

This is when you get out the clue-by-four and start smacking her with it.

(I think my mom and I were the only people in that morning who actually read the signs)

Yes, but you and your mom aren't SCs!

Some mornings I stop at Wawa and do Diet Coke topped off with Dr. Pepper. Yum.

It's not diet Coke, but you should try 1/2 root beer and 1/2 cherry Coke. Yummy!

[BookstoreEscapee]

It's not diet Coke, but you should try 1/2 root beer and 1/2 cherry Coke. Yummy!

Hmm...I gotta go to 7-11 for milk...maybe I'll try that...

[smileyeagle1021]

Can I second the votes for soda... I mean, come on people, you can go to 7-11 and get an X-Treme Gulp refil (64 ounces) for between 79 cents and 99 cents depending on location... much better deal than the multi dollar coffees (and I loves my vanilla diet pepsi).

oh wait... you said no fountain drinks... oh well, at least I can still buy the bottle if the fountain isn't available and I don't get all uptight when they tell me the fountain isn't available.

[Eric the Grey]

"Hello, my name is Peppergirl and I'm a caffiene-a-holic."

Amidst the chorus of "Hello Peppergirl"....

I have to admit to being an addict as well, but if I drink coffee late at night, it puts me to sleep. It's weird.

I can get by with a coffee drink, Java Monster is my current favorite alternative. Damn, those are yummy.


Eric the Grey

[karath]

It's not diet Coke, but you should try 1/2 root beer and 1/2 cherry Coke. Yummy!

Ooo, I'm going to have to try that!

On the subject, from personal experience let me say that mixing STRAIGHT Coca-Cola and Root Beer does not end well.

Oh say, this is more than a little (mods, let me know if I should start a new thread for this) but what's the strangest drink my fellow drink-servers have been asked for? I'd mention the weirdest one I got during my brief stay at starbucks but I could barely remember it while I was serving it (and it was written on the cup!) so it's gone now. It was a major pain in the @$$ that I wound up having my manager make, but what's the weirdest one YOU all have ever had requested?

[myswtghst]

Some mornings I stop at Wawa and do Diet Coke topped off with Dr. Pepper. Yum.

I do that all the time at Subway. Also, I sometimes get them to give me half Diet Coke and half Mr Pibb at the movie theatre. SOOOO yummy. But I only do it if there's not a line and the person doesn't seem bothered.

I can get by with a coffee drink, Java Monster is my current favorite alternative. Damn, those are yummy.

I quite like those as well - the Mocha-y one is my fave. And even my brother, who doesn't do coffee, will drink those. Go figure.

[Mikaiyawa]

When I lived in Corpus Christi we had pipe breakage every summer. The last year we lived there we had over a dozen boil water notices in under 14 weeks (we were doing drought/driving rain alternates in a sand soil and BAD erosion = Lots and lots of broken mains)

We got to the point at one office where we automatically did a three minutes at the roiling boil for water for anything (including the CEO's blue Kool-aid) and everything even when a ban wasn't on.

yeah, bitch at the poor sap who's trying to keep your sorry butt OUT of the hospital. We had folks Die from ignoring the bans....

kudos for not murdering the little ninnies.

Mieka

[digilight]

but what's the strangest drink my fellow drink-servers have been asked for?

I'm not a drink server, but my next door neighboor is an AM at a starbucks. He was telling me about a drink they have thats not on the menu called "Crack on Ice". Its something like 9 or 11 shots of expresso, heavy creme, and some other stuff (sorry I can't remember, I'll try and ask him next time I see him). and it sells for like 14 bucks......the hospital visit charges for the heart attack are not included.