Dutch Bros Training and Menu Vocabulary

Shop Culture, Expectations, and Onboarding

• Environment & Community at Sky

  • The Sky stand opened in January with the goal of fostering a high-culture, fun environment centered on community, connection, and employee support.
  • Employees operate as a cohesive family, depending on one another while holding each other accountable to high personal and operational standards.
  • Recent crisis response: During a local fire, team members provided temporary shelter, emotional support, and emergency solidarity to stranded coworkers and displaced regulars.

• Onboarding Resources & Study Guidance

  • Practice Manifesto Quiz & Manifesto: Accessible through GPU (Dutch Bros University). The official Manifesto is being updated from $81$ pages down to approximately $40$ pages for ease of access and streamlined learning.
  • Manifesto Change Log: A tracked ledger documenting every operational and recipe update, historic policy states, and exact reasoning for updates.
  • Study Tips:
    • Rely on designated trainers and peer support during shifts.
    • Do not use pre-made third-party Quizlets; they frequently contain outdated information that conflicts with recent Change Log updates.
    • Take detailed notes and actively practice knowledge checks within the New Hire Barista Bundle on Dutch Bros University.

• Strategic Anchors vs. Core Values

  • The company shifted terminology from Core Values to Strategic Anchors to distinguish operational, business-focused priorities from person-focused values.
  • Strategic Anchors (Business Focus):
    • Speed: Priority number one is maintaining a consistent sense of urgency. Physical speed demon execution is not strictly required, but active presence and immediate initiative are non-negotiable.
    • Quality: Consistency in drink construction. Every product must be made up to standard to ensure a high-caliber experience even during high-volume rushes.
    • Service: The defining anchor of the brand ($90\%$ of customer satisfaction). Staffed window and outdoor ordering positions build genuine, unscripted relationships with guests.
    • Product Knowledge: Trainees are encouraged to sample new menu items every shift (e.g., trying unique items like Wookie Spice) to speak credibly from personal experience.
  • Core Values (Person Focus):
    • Radiate Kindness: Spreading genuine positivity. Staff act as safe spaces for customers going through severe life events (e.g., regulars evacuating fires or visiting for a final pup cup before putting down a pet).
    • Get Up Early, Stay Up Late: A growth mindset defined by commitment, curiosity, initiative, and the operational standard of "leave it out the door" to maintain a supportive workplace.
    • Change the World: Giving back through gratitude and local action. Employees receive $8$\,hours of paid volunteer time per year to serve community organizations such as local food bank warehouses, UNR events, and the Renown Foundation.

• Operational Benchmark Testing

  • Bar Flow Testing Standard: Trainees are timed on bar drink construction following onboarding. To pass, baristas must achieve an average drink completion speed of $1$\,minute or less over a $30$\,minute sustained window.
  • Periodic flow checks and Knowledge Checks are required every $6$\,months (Spring and Fall) to maintain consistency.

Operational Safety, Procedures, and Career Progression

• Emergency & Safety Protocols

  • Robbery: Always comply fully and hand over cash immediately. Human life is infinitely more valuable than daily drawer receipts or inventory.
  • Power Outages & Fires: Power failure during local fires resulted in the loss of $\$10{,}000$ in spoiled milk and inventory over a $4$\,day outage. Restocking required deep cleaning and manual load-in after missing regular Monday/Thursday shipments.
  • Injuries & Workers' Comp: Triage contact and formal workers' compensation claims are initiated immediately for workplace injuries (e.g., collisions, concussions).
  • Food Handling Attire: When executing the Chef role handling hot food, baristas must wear a bandana, hairnet, or approved hat. Beards exceeding $0.25$\,inches require an absolute beard cover.

• Applicant Statistics & Company Growth

  • Applicant selectivity currently yields acceptance rates statistically lower than Harvard University.
  • The Sky location alone processes between $100$ and $400$ job applications per week, reviewed directly by shop manager Zach.
  • Company expansion: Over a $2.5$\,year period, Dutch Bros scaled from operating in $7$\,states with $700$\,shops to spanning over $20$\,states with nearly $1{,}300$\,locations.
  • Sky Stand Metrics: Sky ranks as the highest-volume stand in the Reno region (including Northern California, Nevada, and parts of Oregon), holding top-$10$ status enterprise-wide for its first $12$\,weeks and top-$20$ status for the subsequent $16$\,weeks.

• Career Pathways & Corporate Structure

  • Standard progression: Barista $\rightarrow$ Shift Lead $\rightarrow$ Full-Time Shift Lead $\rightarrow$ Shop Lead / Assistant Manager $\rightarrow$ Manager $\rightarrow$ Operator $\rightarrow$ Business Coach.
  • Moy: Manager who stepped into regional roles; Chris: Shop Lead at Pyramid and Sparks filling in as manager; Tessa: Manager pursuing TLA Operator training in California; Matt Deacon: Regional Business Coach conducting random quality audits.

Coffee Bean Sourcing, Espresso Types, and Cold Brew Options

• Dutch Bros Private Reserve Beans

  • A proprietary $3$-bean blend sourced hand-picked from Brazil, Colombia, and El Salvador.
  • Sourcing Ethics: $\$0.03$ from every box of beans purchased is routed back to origin farms and bean harvesters, generating over $\$500{,}000$ annually from the Sky stand alone.

• Espresso Processing Options

  • Private Reserve (Standard): Used in $90\%$ of coffee beverages; rich, balanced profile.
  • Decaf Espresso: Sourced $100\%$ from Brazil. Heavily roasted to remove caffeine; yields a $99\%$ caffeine-free profile (minor trace caffeine remains).
  • White Coffee: Sourced $100\%$ from Brazil. Lightly roasted, leaving the bean blonde in color with a dense, nutty flavor profile. Light roasting preserves high caffeine content, yielding significantly higher caffeine per shot than standard espresso. Pulls with a light green/tan appearance.

• Cold Brew Formulations

  • Standard Cold Brew (Limitless): Traditional steep brewed product offering a bold, acidic finish with standard caffeine concentration.
  • Nitro Cold Brew: Packaged in cans and activated by shaking prior to pouring. Nitrogen infusion creates a smooth, velvety texture without the acidic burn of standard cold brew, paired with enhanced caffeine density.

Milk Base Options, Energy Drinks, and Toppings

• Energy Beverage Lines

  • Rebel Energy: Proprietary energy drink available in Regular or Sugar-Free formulations. Servable Iced or Blended.
  • Mist: Plant-powered energy beverage enriched with antioxidants. Delivers lower caffeine content ($47.45$\,mg per unit metric) for moderate energy needs.

• Milk & Dairy Bases

  • Chocolate Milk: Whole milk base used as the default fluid for all mochas.
  • Kick Me Mix: Proprietary half-and-half breve base used for standard breves.
  • 2% Milk: Standard intermediate dairy option.
  • Nonfat Milk: Skim dairy base (transitioning to shelf-stable cartons).
  • Protein Milk: $2\%$ milk base enriched with lactose protein, delivering $20$\,g of protein per $8$\,oz serving. Note: Protein source is lactose-derived, NOT whey protein. It cannot be added into alternative milks, but bases can be split half-and-half.
  • Sweet Cream: Thick, heavy dessert cream added to sodas ("dirty sodas") or Rebels.
  • Alternative Milks: Pacific Foods Coconut Milk, Califia Farms Almond Milk, and Califia Farms Oat Milk.

• Toppings, Floats, & Upcharges

  • Popping Boba: Available in flavors such as Strawberry and seasonal options (e.g., Honey, Blue Raspberry). Incurs an additional upcharge.
  • Soft Top: Heavy whipped cream foam. Incurs an additional upcharge. Flavored soft top is available.
  • Free Toppings: Whipped Cream (Ready Whip) and Sprinkles (Birthday Cake, Cinnamon, Raw Sugar) are always free of charge.
  • Drizzles & Floats: Chocolate, Caramel, and White Chocolate drizzled sauce are standard. Other flavor syrups drizzled on top are categorized as "Floats".

Menu Categories: Dutch Faves and Dutch Classics

• The Eight Dutch Faves

  1. White Chocolate Mocha: White Chocolate sauce, espresso, chocolate milk.
  2. Double Torture: Vanilla syrup, espresso + $1$\,extra dub ($2$\,extra shots), chocolate milk. (Small/Medium get $4$\,shots total; Large gets $6$\,shots total).
  3. Kokomo: Coconut syrup, espresso, chocolate milk.
  4. Caramelizer: Caramel sauce, espresso, chocolate milk.
  5. Kicker: Irish Cream syrup, espresso, Kick Me Mix (breve base).
  6. Annihilator: Chocolate Macadamia Nut syrup, espresso, Kick Me Mix (breve base). Note: Does NOT contain chocolate milk.
  7. Golden Eagle: Vanilla syrup, Caramel sauce, espresso, Kick Me Mix (breve base), topped with Caramel sauce drizzle.
  8. 911: Irish Cream syrup, $6$\,shots of espresso across ALL sizes, Kick Me Mix (breve base).

• Dutch Classics

  • Standard coffee house items: Lattes, Americanos, Standard Mochas, Cold Brews, Nitro Cold Brews, Hot Cocoa, and Chai Lattes.

• Non-Caffeinated Options

  • Sparkling Sodas, Smoothies, Fruit Shakes, Decaf Espresso (trace amounts), and Ice Water.

Ask & Educate Protocols, Allergens, and Customization Upcharges

• Ask & Educate Rules

  • Americanos & Hot Teas: Ask "Would you like cream or sugar?" and "Would you like ice?" (Water dispenses at $185^\circ\text{F} - 187^\circ\text{F}$). Clarify exact ice cube count if requested.
  • Mochas & Hot Cocoa: Ask "Would you like whipped cream or soft top?"
  • Sugar-Free Dairy Drinks: Inform guests that dairy milks contain natural sugars; suggest Breve for lower sugar intake.
  • Cappuccinos: Ask "Wet cap or dry cap?" (Wet = more liquid milk/less foam; Dry = dense foam/extremely light weight).
  • Sodas, Chais, Smoothies, Shakes, Freezes, Cold Brews: Ask regarding whip, soft top, flavor additions, or boba additions.

• Allergen & Cross-Contamination Protocols

  • Reference in-shop allergen posters. Always sanitize portafilters, pitchers, and scoops when an allergen alert is noted in register comments. Cinnamon sprinkles are processed in facilities handling wheat and tree nuts.

• Drink Size Matrix

  • Hot Drink Cups: Kids ($10$\,oz), Small ($12$\,oz), Medium ($16$\,oz), Large ($20$\,oz).
  • Cold Drink Cups: Kids ($10$\,oz), Small ($16$\,oz), Medium ($24$\,oz), Large ($32$\,oz).

• Customization Fee Structure

  • No Charge Customizations: Light ice, extra cream, $12$\,oz water cup, splash of protein milk ($2$\,oz or less in Americanos/Cold Brews/Teas), whipped cream, milk substitutions to alternative milks.
  • Upcharged Customizations: Soft top, protein milk used as a full drink base, sour shots, extra tea bags, extra espresso shots ($1$\,dub or single), Rebel shots, popping boba, extra flavor/floats/drizzles, and sweet cream scoops. Note: Extra sweet/extra flavor incurs a single flat upcharge regardless of total extra scoops requested.

Espresso Machine Mechanics, Grinding, and Dosing

• Espresso Equipment Specifications & Costs

  • La Marzocco (Lamar) Espresso Machine: Commercial head units costing approximately $\$20{,}000$ per unit.
  • Grinder Unit: Costs approximately $\$6{,}000$ per unit. Requires target extraction window of $15 - 26$\,seconds for a $2$-shot pull.
  • Taylor Freeze/Rebel Machines: Industrial slush units costing approximately $\$35{,}000$ per unit.
  • Tap Tower System: Integrated dispensing system for Rebels, soda, and lemonade.

• Portafilter & Dosing Physics

  • A full portafilter double shot is called a Dub ($2$\,shots).
  • Each dub contains $14$\,grams of dry ground coffee ($7$\,grams per individual shot).
  • Water delivery: The machine pumps $3$\,oz of water through the group head; $0.5$\,oz is absorbed by the coffee puck, yielding $2.5$\,oz of liquid espresso for a dub.
  • A single espresso shot scoop measure equals $1\frac{1}{4}$\,scoop of liquid volume due to extraction yields.

• Grind Adjustments & Tamping Standards

  • Coarse Grind: Water passes through too fast ($< 15$\,seconds), resulting in thin, watery, bitter espresso. Adjust collar to the Left (shorter arm movement).
  • Fine Grind: Water passes through too slow ($> 26$\,seconds), resulting in dark, burnt, over-extracted espresso. Adjust collar to the Right (longer arm movement).
  • Tamping: Apply firm, flat, level pressure to the grounds. Do not tilt portafilter.
  • Dosing Lever Care: NEVER "slap" the dosing lever by letting it snap back freely. Slapping breaks internal springs, loosens chamber nuts, and alters dosing accuracy.

Shot Windows, Custom Dubs, and Milk Steaming Standards

• Target Shot Extraction Windows

  • Private Reserve & Decaf: $15 - 26$\,seconds.
  • White Coffee: $7 - 12$\,seconds.

• Anatomy of an Espresso Shot

  • Crema: Top frothy caramel layer.
  • Body: Middle caramel-brown transition layer.
  • Heart: Deep dark brown base layer. (Over-extracted or dead shots present an expanded, dark heart with no crema and must be discarded).

• Custom Espresso Shot Modifications

  • Cubano Shot: Pulled with a packet of sugar layered directly between coffee grounds in the portafilter basket.
  • Fireball Shot: Pulled with a packet of sugar AND a shake of cinnamon powder layered in the portafilter basket.
  • Half-Caf Shot: Combination of $1$\,shot Private Reserve and $1$\,shot Decaf espresso.
  • Domino Shot: Combination of $1$\,shot Private Reserve (or Decaf) and $1$\,shot White Coffee. CRITICAL: Domino shots MUST be pulled in separate group heads because White Coffee and Private Reserve have radically different shot extraction windows ($7 - 12$\,s vs. $15 - 26$\,s).

• Milk Steaming Temperature Hierarchy

  • Standard Hot: $150^\circ\text{F} - 155^\circ\text{F}$ (yields $0.25$\,inches of tight micro-froth).
  • Warm: $125^\circ\text{F} - 130^\circ\text{F}$.
  • Extra Hot: $165^\circ\text{F} - 170^\circ\text{F}$. Temperatures above $170^\circ\text{F}$ burn milk sugars, curdle dairy, and harbor heat safety risks.
  • Kids' Temp: Warm to slight touch, approximately $100^\circ\text{F} - 110^\circ\text{F}$.
  • Steam wands MUST be wiped down with designated milk rags and purged immediately after every use.

Recipe Build Formulas, Scoop Rules, and Sugar-Free Standards

• Core Coffee Build Order

  • Order of Operations: Flavor $\rightarrow$ Shot(s) $\rightarrow$ Milk Base.
  • Flavor syrups/sauces are added first to allow hot espresso shots to dissolve and bind viscous sugars prior to adding milk.

• Standard Flavor Scoop Quantities

  • Standard Coffee Drinks (Hot, Iced, Blended): Receive 1 flat scoop ($1$\,oz) of flavor across ALL sizes (Small, Medium, Large).
  • Exception: 911 receives 2 flat scoops of flavor across all sizes.
  • Extra Sweet: Add $1$\,additional flat scoop per "extra" requested ($1$\,extra = $2$\,scoops total; $2$\,extras = $3$\,scoops total).

• Liquid Cane Sugar Ratio

  • $\frac{1}{4}$\,scoop of Liquid Cane Sugar equals $1$\,standard sugar packet.

• Zero Sugar Added (SF) Flavor Rules

  • Sugar-Free Syrups: Highly concentrated/potent. Use 1 flat scoop.
  • Sugar-Free Sauces: Less potent/thinner viscosity. Use 2 flat scoops.
  • "Sauce is Boss" Rule: If a sugar-free drink contains ANY sugar-free sauce, the entire drink gets 2 flat scoops of flavor total (e.g., SF Caramelizer gets $2$\,scoops total split between SF Dark Chocolate and SF Caramel).
  • Exception: Sugar-Free 911 gets ONLY 1 flat scoop of SF Irish Cream syrup due to extreme flavor potency.

• Cream, Soft Top, and Sweet Cream Measurement Standards

  • Standard Cream / Breve Splash: $2$\,oz (Light cream = $1$\,oz; Extra cream = $3$\,oz).
  • Soft Top Standard: $2$\,oz / $2$\,scoops (Light = $1$\,oz; Extra = $3$\,oz).
  • Flavored Soft Top Ratio: Combine $\frac{1}{2}$\,scoop of flavor per $2$\,scoops of Soft Top ($\frac{1}{4}$\,scoop flavor per $1$\,scoop Soft Top).
  • Sweet Cream: Replace $1$\,oz of regular drink mix base with 1 flat scoop of Sweet Cream across all sizes.

Mix Lines, Light Ice Rules, and Cold Pour Standards

• Iced Beverage Mix Line Matrix

  • Small (16 oz Cup): Flavor + Shot(s) + Milk filled to the 8 oz mix line, poured over a full cup of ice.
  • Medium (24 oz Cup): Flavor + Shot(s) + Milk filled to the 12 oz mix line, poured over a full cup of ice.
  • Large (32 oz Cup): Flavor + Shot(s) + Milk filled to the 16 oz mix line, poured over a full cup of ice.
  • Tomming: The process of rolling/pouring the liquid drink mix and ice back and forth between the mix cup and target drink cup once to ensure equal chilling and flavor distribution.

• Light Ice Calculations

  • When a guest requests light ice, cut ice volume in half and increase liquid mix line volume by $50\%$ ($+4$\,oz):
    • Small Light Ice: $12$\,oz mix line.
    • Medium Light Ice: $16$\,oz mix line.
    • Large Light Ice: $20$\,oz mix line.

• Cold Pour Beverage Standards

  • Cold pours are unsteamed, cold beverages served in hot or cold cups WITHOUT ANY ICE.
  • Flavor Scoop Rule: Receives 1 flat scoop of flavor across all sizes (except 911).
  • Cold Pour Shot Count Formula (Cold Cups):
    • Small Cold Pour: $2$\,shots ($1$\,dub).
    • Medium Cold Pour: $4$\,shots ($2$\,dubs).
    • Large Cold Pour: $6$\,shots ($3$\,dubs).
  • Double Torture Cold Pour Exception: Small gets $4$\,shots, Medium gets $6$\,shots, Large gets $8$\,shots.
  • 911 Cold Pour Exception: Receives $6$\,shots across all sizes.