In 1992, the first Starbucks opened on the San Francisco peninsula, in Burlingame. The first San Francisco stores opened around that time, and everyone seemed excited about this coffee chain from Seattle, ready for it to arrive and open for business.
In September 1992, I had a minimum wage job ($4.25/hour at the time) at the local library and had just started at a local community college. When Starbucks was getting ready to open, I saw an ad in our local paper that Starbucks Burlingame was hiring. I was too hesitant to apply. But, a year later when they were opening the Millbrae store, I saw the same help wanted ad again, and eventually worked up the courage to get a job there. They were interviewing people at the Burlingame store while construction was getting completed at the Millbrae location.
One busy Saturday morning I went and waited (in a line out the door) to order my first ever coffee. The menu was such a foreign thing. Coffee didn’t seem to be anywhere on the menu. There were lattes and Mocha’s, cappuccinos, Americano’s, and espresso (I later found out that coffee was at the very end of the three menu boards above the register).
Being a poor college student, I ordered the cheapest thing I could find, a shot of espresso for $1.25 and asked for a job application. The barista at the register asked if I really wanted to order an espresso, and not wanting to look stupid, I replied yes. He said if I wanted to come back that afternoon with my application, it would be quieter and a manager could talk to me.
I worked my morning shift at the library. I slowly sipped that incredibly strong ounce of coffee in the tiny paper cup over the next four hours and filled out the application on my break. Returning to Starbucks, I met with the manager and was told that they had fully staffed the Millbrae store, but they had an opening at the Burlingame location, and hired me on the spot.
I got an immediate raise to $9.25/hour, full health benefits, holiday pay, vacation, stock options, access to a 401k, and a chance to take part in a stock investment plan (buying stock through paycheck deductions at a discount). This was quite a step up from minimum wage and no benefits.
My first month of on-the-job-training was an experience. This was still one of the busiest stores anywhere. I was a deer caught in the headlights. Eventually I adjusted and became indoctrinated into the Starbucks’ way of doing things. I learned how to operate the 10 button cash register (this was before the computer operated POS systems), memorized all the pastry prices, learned how to switch out drip coffee every hour, mixed tub after tub of mocha syrup, cleaned like crazy, unload the order, and eventually learned how to make drinks.
This was before frappuccinos, and we only had 3 flavors of syrup (vanilla, almond, and hazelnut), not counting the chocolate (mocha) syrup. We only had a handful of espresso drinks, and we didn’t warm food up. During the warm summer months, we would simply make iced lattes and mochas, politely telling off the people who wanted iced cappuccinos.
I learned how to taste varietals of coffee, learned how to maintain and fix all the expresso machines and grinders, and settled into that job where I would remain for 7 years.
By the time I left, frappuccinos had become a major thing, and were such a pain to make (the noise of the blenders really got to me). After several career pivots in college, I finally graduate and got my first professional job as a corporate trainer (through one of my favorite customers). I continued to work Sunday morning shifts for a while, but eventually faded away into the background, leaving my Starbucks career behind me.
All of my Starbucks stuff eventually went into storage, where it has sat for the past 20 years. I’m making efforts to clean that out now and thought I’d share some treasures I find with you.