When we set out to make “Shit Baristas Say“, it was a joint collaboration between two writers who’ve experienced a panopoly of snark from shitty baristas, from both behind and in front of the bar. Technical skills, latte-art skills and pour-over skills don’t mean anything if your customer service sucks.

Read Sara Deseran’s 7×7 article about Four Barrel, Sight Glass, Blue Bottle and Ritual. While we don’t agree with the author’s main point – we think that web sites like Twitter, Four Square, and Yelp have made the service industry more self-aware and accountable – we do agree that customer service needs to be the primary focus for third wave shops worldwide.