i open at work a lot, i’m a barista at a coffee shop inside a fancy ish food market which is basically just an upscale cafeteria for business people who are too hip for sweetgreen. we’re the only booth that opens before 11 am here! and there are only 4 of us baristas now, there used to be more but recent drama has resulted in some serious jumping ship. it really just means our opener options went from 4 to 2, so i come in at 6:50 am a lot more. i’ve been getting to know the morning crowd better and better, i feel quite close to 8 oz americano, he always wishes me a good day, 12 oz iced chai with whole milk and a blueberry muffin is always kind as well, and oat milk flat white (except for one time he was 16 oz cold brew, we both laughed at that) smiles when he sees me. i like to be the smiley barista they get to have a minimal morning chat with, and plus i feel cool saying “just the usual?”