On Sunday mornings, we usually walk to breakfast. The restaurant is next door to a Starbucks, so I buy my wife a latte to drink with her breakfast. Because their coffee is somewhat weak, I order a tall double latte. The tall latte costs $2.70. Add a second shot and they charge an extra $0.55—total: a whopping $3.25 (for a cup of coffee!). Some time ago a young man who takes my order charged me only $2.70. I mentioned that I wanted a double and it should cost $3.25. He said he was only charging me for the single because they only throw the second shot away. I was incredulous. This happens every time that young man is at the counter--$2.70 for a tall latte with a double shot.
Since then, however, I’ve been asked several times (at a different Starbucks) if I wanted an extra shot at no extra cost. Of course I accepted, wondering at their generosity.
But then I got curious. So the next time I ordered a latte, I stood off to the side of the barista’s station and watched. Sure enough, the machine makes two shots of espresso. The barista pours one into the cup for the drink and dumps the other one down the drain. I’ve seen that several times since.
Amazing. If they can’t make $0.55 on the shot, they throw it away.
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