I may be wrong about this but some 'high end' coffee shops have a stated policy of the barista not engaging with the customers so that they can focus on the product that they are producing I'm intrigued though by the new Intelligentsia store in Venice Beach, California - which has four open barista 'platforms' with no benches around them - where each customer id directed to an individual barisa who welcomes them, takes their order, makes it, and takes the money for it - making one drink at a time for one customer at a time Surely this sets a new new benchmark for customer service in the hospitality industry? Cheers, Acg
