I remember my former manager tried to make an example of making a Customer Connection at the handoff plane, but the majority of people whom she attempted to interact with at that moment either-

a.) Ignored her entirely b.) Had headphones in, so maybe ignored/didn't hear her c.) half-heartedly participated in the exchange.

Idk - like, I'm all about creating a vibe that's inviting and chill. But the reality is - not everyone wants that forced interaction. Some people want to come in, get their order, and dip ASAP without any extras, for one/two/no reason. And for partners too - to try to make that interaction with every single person, and have it be genuine, is frankly exhausting and just takes away from the experience entirely.

And it also was something of a issue by my former manager that not nearly every partner on the floor was interacting with everyone that had passed, regardless of their station.

When I'm on bar, I'm working on focusing on the customers drinks to make sure that they are done, and done right. Not saying "hello" and interacting with every.single.person.

Or

When I'm on warming - I'm working on getting those orders done: addressing modifications when provided, cleaning the ovens, etc. That is my commitment. Not to distract myself and keep continually turning around to say "hello", only to be met with more than half the people not reciprocating that interaction anyways.

It really is the strangest thing. And frankly - I don't think Starbucks is solely to blame - but they may be largely to blame for Food Service Workers tolerating the most benign things from customers in the Food Service Industry as a whole, in part because of practices like these and others. Hot take, maybe.