Coffee knowledge behind the Luckin ice and ordering debate

Luckin baristas are complaining about the ordering guides circulating on Xiaohongshu. Drinkers ask for exact ice cube counts, no sugar and no milk, or ice-free frappes, and stores say these requests slow output and strip the drinks of their intended taste. The issue grew from a March post showing a no-ice Luckin cup filled only about two-thirds, which customer service acknowledged was on the low side.

The guides spread because customers wanted more drink for the same price after the ice complaints simmered for two years. Baristas report that counting cubes, removing flavored syrups, and unusual additions such as cilantro in a latte all add steps at the counter. The result is a gap between what the brand sells and what frontline staff can realistically make during a rush.

Recently, the issue of Luckin iced drinks containing too much ice and the portion shrinking after removing ice has continued to simmer. Many consumers have started sharing "high cost-performance ordering guides" on platforms like Xiaohongshu, from specifying the number of ice cubes to asking for less milk and less sugar, no sugar and no milk, and even requesting cilantro in a latte. These seemingly meticulously calculated notes have left baristas at stores complaining endlessly: counting ice cubes slows down output, removing flavored syrups makes the taste completely lost, and requests to remove ice from frappes are even more absurd. This article compiles the real complaints of frontline baristas and also reminds consumers that seemingly difficult demands on the brand ultimately put pressure on frontline workers.

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Not long ago, Luckin iced drinks sparked extensive online discussion due to the high proportion of ice and the noticeable reduction in drink volume after customers requested no ice. Although complaints about Luckin drinks having too much ice have appeared occasionally over the past two years, they have never received enough attention.

The turning point came in March this year, when a netizen posted a photo showing that after ordering a Luckin drink with no ice, the beverage in the cup only filled two-thirds of the cup, and complained to Luckin customer service based on this. In its response, customer service also admitted that the amount of beverage in the photo was indeed on the low side. After that, how to order a more cost-effective iced drink at Luckin quickly became a hot topic among netizens. Many people began exchanging their ordering tips on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu.

However, the baristas at Luckin stores are on the verge of breaking down. Many baristas admit that with the order requests they later encountered, they wished they could take off their aprons and hats in front of the customer, hand them over, and say, "Why don't you make it yourself?" What gives them the biggest headache is counting ice cubes. After the too-much-ice incident fermented, many netizens said they could specify the exact number of ice cubes in the notes, so more and more orders began to specify the number of cubes, and sometimes even one cube more or less would lead to complaints.

Faced with the attitudes of some consumers that are hard to understand, baristas also explained: Luckin's brand positioning is inherently convenient and fast, and once things get busy, counting ice cubes seriously drags down production efficiency, especially during peak hours. In addition, various flavored milk coffee products also make them complain endlessly. Various low-calorie ordering methods are circulating online, such as less milk and less sugar, or even directly no sugar or no milk.

But the problem is that the flavor of many products comes precisely from flavored syrups. Reducing milk cannot fill the cup, and removing milk is even less feasible. Even if baristas explain the situation to customers, they still receive complaints for "not making it according to the notes." Some baristas also complain that for frappe-type products, some people actually ask for less ice—who taught them that?—and some even note no ice. Do the people ordering forget that they chose a frappe?

The most troublesome thing is that consumers' requests are all over the place, and many stores have already received notices from above that non-standard operations are not allowed. Baristas worry that if they do not make the order according to the customer's request, they will receive bad reviews and complaints, while at the same time they must produce according to standard procedures. Some consumers also see secondary DIY methods shared online, such as adding fresh fruit, cake toppings, or even cilantro to drinks, and mistakenly think this is an official brand product, so they ask in the notes for extra fruit, or order a latte but note that they want cilantro flavor. After the store informs them it cannot be done, it still receives bad reviews.

Seeing the tearful outpourings of Luckin baristas, many netizens also said that unreasonable demands should stop. Everyone thinks they are making things difficult for capitalists, but in reality, the ones being put in a tough spot are those working on the front line.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.