Queue System Analysis at Starbucks Stores (2021) [pdf]

TL;DR:

- if there's only one worker.

- and a worker immediately makes the last order they took.

- people wait less to get their order taken.

- when the worker consumes the entire "needs to order" queue before starting to make anyone's drink.

Also in general people actively do not like being called by their first name when they did not give their first name. This is a broad but not universal social norm and I don't see any benefit in pushing to change it. I certainly don't think retail food service is the correct front for it.

A good barista is already doing this in their head, and also building and maintaining a human relationship with those customers.

Part of the appeal of a good coffee shop to is that it feels like a friendly place to spend time with people you know, and it makes it feel special when you've got that one place where everyone knows who you are and how you like your coffee. Coffee being an important daily ritual for many builds this shared understanding and empathy around the craft - I'm here because you know this specific subset of me intimately and I can get something valuable that isn't just "the screen says your name is X and your drink is Y is that right?"