RULE 35

The snotty barista trope is real—for a reason.

It can feel to the baristas we’ve talked to that the question is always looming: “What do you really want to do instead of this?”

Now that we’ve established the degree of difficulty it takes to be a great barista and why this should be respected, it’s fair to talk about what happens when it all goes wrong. The snotty barista trope has been portrayed in film and TV for decades, and we think it has some legitimate root causes, which we’ll elucidate below.

Being exposed to an endless stream of social interactions is exhausting, and that exhaustion can present as an aloof or snobby attitude. Baristas have not traditionally been respected the same way one might respect a craft bartender or chef. It can feel to the baristas we’ve talked to that the question is always looming: “What do you really want to do instead 
of this?”

The portrayal of snobby and condescending baristas in the media and cafes that reinforce these stereotypes with the behavior of their own staff, creates a sort of feedback loop that impresses 
these stereotypes on the next generation of baristas. It really is a hard, underpaid job that’s demanding in terms of emotional labor, physical labor, early morning shifts, and unprofessional environments. Many cafes are the smallest of small businesses, run without a clear hierarchy, often owned and operated by people without much experience. It’s a milieu that can breed resentment, which feeds back into that snotty trope.

Basically, we’re saying that if this were the environment you found yourself in, you might be snotty too. A little compassion and empathy goes a long way, and we’re happy to follow this bummer rule up with some good news to cleanse the palate.