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At CIA Starbucks, Even the Baristas Are Covert

Posted by samzenpus on from the secret-coffee dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this interesting story about what it's like to work at “Store Number 1,” the CIA's Starbucks. The new supervisor thought his idea was innocent enough. He wanted the baristas to write the names of customers on their cups to speed up lines and ease confusion, just like other Starbucks do around the world. But these aren't just any customers. They are regulars at the CIA Starbucks. "They could use the alias 'Polly-O string cheese' for all I care," said a food services supervisor at the Central Intelligence Agency, asking that his identity remain unpublished for security reasons. "But giving any name at all was making people — you know, the undercover agents — feel very uncomfortable. It just didn't work for this location."

10 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. What's so hard about using the time-honored by Chromium_One · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... tradition of ticket numbers?!

    --
    When you live in a sick society, just about everything you do is wrong.
    1. Re:What's so hard about using the time-honored by toejam13 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Came to say the same thing. How many different restaurants print your order number on your receipt, then call the number when ready? While more impersonal than calling names, it makes it easier since you can display a number on a screen. Also, numbers are more easily pronounceable than some names, and avoids the issue when two or more customers have the same name.

    2. Re:What's so hard about using the time-honored by Jstlook · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think it would have been a great idea on the part of the supervisor to, rather than write their names on the cups, just give them each a name as they order. "Hi! Your name is Fred today, what can I get you?"

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      ---jstlook ---For that is the way of Elves, for they say both yes AND no, and mean every word of it. --- J.R.R.T.
    3. Re:What's so hard about using the time-honored by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Sadly the Socialist Slave Number has taken away that freedom :-/

    4. Re:What's so hard about using the time-honored by tburkhol · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Here's the problem: the person who takes your order is not the person who delivers your order. There needs to be some way for server A to identify you to server B. Possible solutions:

      Assign a number to customer, and expect customer to answer to that number. Problems: depersonalizing, customers forget their numbers, "thirteen" sounds like "thirty"

      Let the customer assign an identifier for his order, providing some illusion of personal service. Problems: customer identifier may be confusing, customers may get annoyed if server A does not use the mystical spelling customer has in mind, servers may spend more time massaging the identifier than actually preparing product, server B may not pronounce the same identifier as server A recorded

      Photograph customers for product delivery. Problems: privacy fanatics, bad pictures, servers turn incidental photodocumentation into DMV-like picture-taking ritual

      In sum, there is no good way to make high-volume service look like personal service. People pretty quickly see through efforts to disguise it. While many people are willing to play along, occasional servers and customers will both manipulate these systems for their personal amusement. Misspelling your name is the barista equivalent of building paper-clip animals. Giving a fake name is the equivalent of painting your stapler purple. Try not to get bent out of shape when they call you "Susquehannah" instead of "Susquanna" or "Todd" instead of "Tom": they aren't trying to annoy you; they aren't trying to learn your name; They aren't likely to remember you next time; the content of your name is irrelevant to the process; and and effort to "get it right" only delays people around you.

    5. Re:What's so hard about using the time-honored by geekoid · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Doing better then an oppressed country does not mean we are doing well.
      That's kind of a low bar.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  2. Typical Government Hypocracy by pubwvj · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yet the government (FBI) objects to our desires for privacy (Apple & Google on-phone encryption).

    1. Re:Typical Government Hypocracy by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Foreign states might try to coerce, corrupt, or disappear you?

      No, as an American citizen, my own government might try . . .

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  3. Yeah So? by p0p0 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Okay, and what? Is that it? Starbucks at the CIA doesn't use names for customers, just like any other coffee shop in the world, or any shop for that matter.

    News for nerds = Nope.
    Stuff that matter: = Negatory.

  4. loyalty programs... by ArieKremen · · Score: 3, Insightful

    but they all use their loyalty program cards tied to their personal credit cards....

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    -- Cave quid dicis, quando, et cui