Making A Mocha-ry Of The Drink

(I’m a barista, making drinks for customers at a pretty popular coffee chain. Store policy is to remake drinks if a customer has a complaint, even if we know we’ve made the drink correctly. One woman has ordered a mocha frappuccino. I make the drink and put it on the bar, where she’s waiting. She takes one sip and makes a face.)

Customer: “This isn’t right.”

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am. What’s wrong with it?”

Customer: “There’s chocolate in this.”

Me: “Did we add too much? I can remake the drink for you with half the amount of chocolate, if you’d like.”

Customer: “What? No! A mocha’s not supposed to have chocolate in it at all!”

Me: “Um… Mocha means coffee and chocolate, ma’am.”

Customer: “No, it doesn’t! I’ve gotten a mocha plenty of times before, and it didn’t have any chocolate in it at all!”

Me: “So, you just want something coffee-flavored? I can make you a coffee frap, no problem!”

Customer: “NO! I don’t want a coffee frappuccino. I want a mocha frap, no chocolate!”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, our recipe guide includes chocolate in the mocha frap. I’m not sure what you’re asking for.”

Customer: “It’s very simple! You make a frappuccino! You put the coffee in it! You put the mocha in it! You do not put the chocolate in it!“

(Rather than try to explain that our “mocha” syrup is, in actuality, chocolate syrup, I simply nod and take the cup back. I end up making her a coffee frap with a half-pump of mocha syrup.)

Me: “All right, ma’am, I think I got it right this time. Please let me know if it’s not what you’re looking for.”

Customer: *taking a sip* “This is much better! Honestly, I don’t know what was so hard for you to understand; all you had to do was put in the mocha and leave out the chocolate.”

(She filed a complaint with my manager.)