How do people in cafés carry coffees without spilling them?

Asked by iphigeneia (6237

) October 13th, 2010

I recently started work in a shop that sells coffees. I’m pretty fine with making them, but have difficulty carrying them out to the tables. We have to fill them up until they are peeping just over the rim of the cup or mug, and then get them to the customers as fast as possible.

I’ve tried one hand, two hands, and on a tray. On a tray has worked best for me, but it’s a little bit inconvenient to have to use a tray to carry only one coffee. Does anyone have any tips about how to hold the coffee, how to walk, etc?

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10 Answers

They walk very very carefully.

Aesthetic_Mess (7894

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Practise.

xxii (3329

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Don’t look at the coffee. Seriously, it works.

And use a tray. It’s just better.

theichibun (2237

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It’s true about not looking at the coffee while you carry it. I’m not sure why that works, but it does.

St.George (5865

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Exactly what @theichibun said.

chels (6788

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What @theichibun said—Also Hum. Humming distracts part of your brain and stops you from overcorrecting (which is what spills the coffee).

grumpyfish (6657

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Practice and good balance. It’s something like dancing.

YARNLADY (46570

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I always suspected that it had to do with the foam acting as a buffer. Because foam makes the cup look full without being something that readily flows over the edge, making it easier to carry. So my unhelpful suggestion is, more foam less liquid! But that probably only applies to cappuccinos or hot chocolate. And you probably won’t be allowed to do that anyway.

genkan (784

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