Cashier Basics

Your interaction with guests at the register sets the tone for their experience in our cafes.
Good hospitality is obviously a big part of that, but accuracy and attention to detail when
taking orders and handling money are equally important, as that sets the rest of the team
up for success and ensures the guest is getting exactly what they want.

Taking an Order
While we don’t want you to necessarily follow a script (no Coffeebar robots, please), there
are certain elements that are important to cover with each guest to ensure you’re getting
all the information you need and they are getting the food and drink they actually want.

1. Always start with a greeting! And feel free to let your personality show through, find a
greeting that fits your vibe.
2. If the guest looks like they’re still deciding (are they staring at the menu or browsing
the pastry case?), ask if they have any questions about our offerings or would like a
recommendation.
3. As they start placing their order, make sure you’re asking clarifying questions and
offering add ons as needed.
a. ALWAYS double check what kind of milk the guest wants in their drink. A
simple “Are you ok with whole dairy or would you like an alternative milk or
2%?” is an easy way to do that.
b. Check drink size, and if need be clarify that our iced drinks come in one size.
c. If someone orders a hot chocolate, ask if they’d like it kid’s temp and use the
correct modifier if they do! Otherwise the baristas will make it latte temp and
some poor kid will burn their tongue.
d. For food items, learn which mods go with which items for easy upsells! For
example, adding avocado to burritos and paninis or a poached egg to the
avocado toast.
e. If someone only orders a drink, ask if they’d like any pastries or food. And vice
versa, if they only order food, ask if they’d like anything to drink.
f. Ask if they’d like the order “for here” or “to go.”
4. Repeat the order back to the guest! This will help you catch any errors before the
tickets make it to the kitchen or bar, and ensures the guest is getting what they
want.
5. If there are a lot of pastries on the order, grab them before you move on to taking
payment. That way you can refer back to the order and make sure you get
everything.
6. Ask the guest what name they’d like to put on the order, and if they’ve ordered
for-here food don’t forget to give them a number too!
a. If they pay with a credit card, Square will sometimes auto-populate a name,
but you still need to ask if that’s the name they want on their order. If it’s the
same you can leave it, but if not make sure to change it to their preferred
name.
 7. If they’re paying with cash, make sure you repeat the total and how much they gave
you, and count back the change.
8. Communicate clearly with the guest where they’ll get their food and drinks.
a. For anything you (the cashier) will grab, let them know to wait near the
register. This includes pastries, batch brew coffee, iced and hot tea, cold brew,
and bottled beverages.
b. For drinks from the bar, let them know we’ll call their name and where the
pick up area is.
c. For to-go food, let them know we’ll call their name and where the pick up area
is.
d. For for-here food, remind them to take their number with them and that the
food will come to their table, but they’ll still need to listen for their name to
pick up any drinks from the bar.
9. Make sure to say “Thank you,” and some kind of goodbye or see you later to send
them off.

How We Talk About Our Products

How you say something can be just as important as what you say, and in an industry like
coffee where people say things lots of different ways, it’s important that we communicate
as clearly as possible with our guests about what we serve without crossing the line into
sounding like unbearable coffee snobs.

When talking about our batch brew options - Always refer to the coffees by name! We will
always have both the Giuseppe Italian Roast and a rotating single-origin available, and
particularly with the single-origin it’s critical to identify which single origin you’re serving on
any given day. It can be as simple as saying “Would you like our house Italian roast or our
single-origin from [insert country/region here]?”

This is important for a couple reasons. First, at any given time we’ll have between four and
six different single-origin coffees available, and they’ll all taste different, sometimes
dramatically so. If you just say “medium roast” or “single origin” without specifying which
coffee it is, and then you change coffees, guests will be getting a different flavor with no
indication that something has changed, which can be very off-putting. Second, if you’ve
told a guest the name of the coffee and they like it, they can then turn right around and
grab a bag of it off the shelf to take home. Think of it as subliminal salesmanship.

That all being said, many of our guests will ask about the roast level of the coffee options.
The Giuseppe is our dark roast, and the single origins will all be medium to light roast. It’s
important info, just make sure it’s not the only way you identify the coffees.

What’s in a name? - The “Quick Drink Menu Definitions” guide will give you detailed info on
our menu and some other common things you may hear at the register, but it’s important
to remember that these names and terms aren’t necessarily universal. As specialty coffee
has grown and changed around the world, different regions and businesses have
developed different interpretations of certain drinks, so your job is to find out what it is the
guest wants, and then communicate that to the barista as efficiently as possible.

The most important thing is that if someone orders a drink differently or has a different
name for something, they aren’t necessarily wrong, and shouldn’t feel like you’re judging or
correcting them when you ask for clarification. Be as polite and clear as possible, and
remember that our only goal is to make a beverage the guest will enjoy, no matter what
they call it.

Say no without saying “no” - Even though we do our best to have something for everyone,
we can’t have everything, so sometimes we have to tell people no. But how we say no can
have a big impact on a guest’s perception of us. Here are some tips for saying no with a
positive twist:
● If someone asks for something we don’t have (like non-fat milk or decaf drip coffee),
instead of just saying “We don’t have ____,” start your response by saying what we
can do for them instead. Using non-fat milk as an example, you could say “We have
whole milk (or 2% depending on location) as our dairy option, or we have oat,
almond, (or coconut in Reno/Tahoe) as alternatives.”
● Don’t use the word “unfortunately” unless we’re out of something we shouldn’t be
(i.e. one of our alternative milk options is 86’d). Using “unfortunately” sets people up
to be disappointed instead of putting a positive spin on a solution.
● If we are out of something we normally have, like bacon or honey almond syrup,
totally ok to apologize for the shortage, but instead of making a big deal of it or just
leaving the conversation dangling with “I’m sorry we’re out of…”, make a suggestion
for something they can substitute instead. Maybe a new seasonal drink if we’re out of
their favorite syrup, or extra sausage instead of bacon in a Keto Bowl.
○ If the kitchen or bar tells you they’re 86’d on something and you’re not sure
what to suggest as a substitution, just ask!
● It’s always easier to say no or tell someone we’re out of something while they’re
ordering than having to go back and say we can’t actually make what they ordered.
You will have an 86 list at the register, so make sure you’re keeping track of what’s on
it and communicating with the guest proactively. It’s also the cashier’s job to
maintain the list, so don’t be shy about asking the kitchen or bar if you have
questions!

Cash Handling & Cash Drawer Management

Even though we live in an age of much technology and most of our guests will pay with
card or contactless, we do still have some folks paying with cash. Each store will have 1-2
cash drawers in use each day, and you will be expected to follow proper cash-handling
procedures to prevent loss from inaccurate cash transactions.

Counting in the Drawer - Before the cafe opens each day, the opening cashier is responsible
for checking that the correct amount of cash is in each drawer.
 ● Grab a drawer count slip for each drawer - these will either be in the FOH binder or
there will be a stash near where you count the drawers. If you can’t find them, ask a
manager or lead.
○ Put your name and the date at the top of each slip.
● Take the pouch(es) with the drawer cash out of the accessible part of the safe.
● Count both the bills and the change, noting the totals on the appropriate count
sheet.
● Each drawer should have $200 total starting cash.
○ If you have more than $200, put it in an envelope with a note with the overage
amount, the date, which drawer it’s from if your store has more than one, and
your name. Drop the envelope in the safe like you would a deposit.
○ If you have less than $200, alert the MOD when they arrive (if they’re not
opening with you) so they can make up the overage. If the difference is less
than $2, you can use change from the change cup (if your store has one) to
make it up.

Taking Cash Payments - Square has a handy feature that does the math for you when
taking cash payments, but in order for it to work you still have to make sure you’re entering
the cash received correctly and counting change accurately.
● Always repeat the order total and the amount of cash the guest gave you out loud.
For example, “Ok, so that’s $4.75 out of $10.”
● On the Square payment screen, you will see some options for the cash payment, if
one of the suggestions matches what you received, then you can just select that
amount and Square will tell you how much change to give.
○ If the guest gives you a different amount, you can select the “enter custom
amount” button and type in what they gave you, then Square will do the math
on how much change you owe.
● Even though Square will tell you how much change to give, it’s a good habit to count
back the change to double check that you got it right.
● If you accidentally hit the wrong button for how much cash you were given, don’t
stress! As long as you give the correct change for the bill(s) you were actually given, it
will all balance out. You’ll just have to do the math yourself.

Closing the Drawer - Daily Deposit & Tips - The closing cashier is responsible for counting
each drawer at the end of the day, ensuring the correct deposit amount is pulled and the
drawers are reset to $200 for the following day. You will also consolidate and deposit cash
tips in the safe.
● Pull the cash tips. Change out the coins to the closest full dollar amount, and leave
the rest in the tip containers for the next day. Consolidate small bills by changing
them out with larger bills from one of the drawers BEFORE you start the drawer
closing procedure. Then put all the tip money in one of the labeled tip drop
envelopes that live near the register and drop the tips into the safe with the date on
a piece of paper.
 ● On each register that was used that day, go into the “Reports” section of Square and
find the “Amount expected in Drawer”. Note that amount on the count slip that
should be in the drawer from the morning, and then enter it in Square in the field
that says “Actual in drawer.” Yes, you will do this before actually counting. Your
manager will take care of any discrepancies in the actual cash when they check the
daily deposit.
○ If you notice that the “Starting Cash” is anything other than $200, make note
of that too. Since you’ll be counting your drawer back to $200, if it wasn’t
actually at $200 in the morning your deposit will be off by that amount.
● Close out the drawer in Square by clicking the “Close Drawer” button.
● Write your name and the date at the top of the count slip, then count each drawer
and note the totals of bills and change on the count slip.
● Pull the deposit based on your actual count to get the drawer back to $200 for the
morning. Note the difference between your count and the amount expected on the
count slip.
○ If there is a large discrepancy, make a note and the MOD will look into it when
they do deposits the next day.
● Put the count slip, the deposit money, and any receipts from the drawer in the
deposit bag/envelope for the appropriate drawer.
● Drop both the tip envelope and the deposit envelope in the safe.

Important Cash Handling Miscellany

● Don’t change out coins/small bills from the tip jar in front of guests. Take the money
into the office or back room to count it and then come back and change it out.
○ At most stores, only Store Managers or Leads are allowed to count and
exchange tips from the tip jars. Check with your MOD for your store’s rules if
you’re not sure.
● It’s fine to make change for a guest even if they aren’t paying with cash. There is an
“Open Drawer” button on the Square register that will allow you to open the drawer
without a transaction. Just make sure you’re counting everything back for accuracy.
● It is not ok to pull money from the tip jar to make exact change or to cover a guest if
they come up short. Technically that’s stealing.
● We keep a ‘bank’ with extra change and small bills in the safe. If you’re running low
on change in your drawer, ask a manager or lead to get you more and give them the
appropriate amount to exchange.
○ Ones = bundles of $25
○ Fives = bundles of $100
○ Quarters = $10
○ Dimes = $5
○ Nickels = $2
○ Pennies = $.50