Ethics in the cafe: what’s the purpose of the condiment bar?
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
Exactly what’s the purpose of the condiment bar in a coffee shop? What’s the intended use? What should be a customer’s expectation?
Here’s a story about a cafe owner going berserk over a customer ordering a “double espresso poured over ice.” It turns out this is a way for people to save money / rip-off a cafe on the purchase of a latte. For example, by ordering espresso+ice and then filling up with “free” milk at the condiment bar, one can save a buck or two on the cost of the drink.
I’m so clueless … err, I mean ethical … I had no idea.
There’s a whole slew of interesting ethical questions here. But then I was shocked to realize that I might be one of them: I like a lot of milk/creamer in my coffee. Up to and including making it a full-on cafe au lait. I frequently pour out a half-inch or more of my coffee (even after I ask for “room”) to be able to put more milk in.
I had never thought twice about it. But sometimes I’d wonder why they never really give me “room” when I ask for “room”! Hmm. Am I violating some kind of implicit contract between the establishment and myself? If so, then what should I be ordering? “Cafe au lait” usually is not what I’m going for. What’s half-way betwen that and black coffee? Is a “latte” what I’m describing?
I’ve always intentionally avoided learning all of the froo-froo names of the various coffee drinks. “A man’s drink has a name which is a list of its ingredients”, you know. Maybe it’s time I start — for all I know, I’ve been drinking back-alley lattes for years.