Why is Christmas tree latte art at Manner harder to get this year?

Manner built its holiday reputation on Christmas tree latte art poured on hot lattes, but this season many customers report refusals or plainer pours. Employees say severe understaffing has cut training for new hires, with some put on the floor three days after joining and unable to steam milk or pour latte art.

Last year the same design drew customers to stores with photos in hand, and baristas obliged. Now some requests are declined outright without explanation, even during quiet periods. The gap is staffing and training, not a change in the latte itself, so coffee drinkers may want to set expectations lower for custom designs during busy holiday shifts.

Manner, once famous for its Christmas tree latte art on hot lattes that went viral on social media, is now frequently criticized by customers for declining latte art quality or even outright refusal. From last year's eagerly fulfilled latte art surprises to this year's many customers being turned away with their mugs, what exactly has Manner's latte art service gone through? Employees reveal that severe understaffing has led to a lack of training for new hires—some new employees are put on the floor just three days after joining, unable to steam milk or pour latte art. Faced with such changes, how should coffee lovers adjust their expectations? This article walks you through the whole story and the reasons behind it, and you're also welcome to check out Front Street Coffee's related product recommendations to find your own perfect cup.

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Around the same time last year, Manner became a huge hit on major social media platforms thanks to the Christmas tree latte art on the surface of its hot lattes. Many netizens, after seeing photos of the Christmas tree latte art shared by others, made special trips to Manner stores with the pictures in hand, ordering the same design from baristas who were always happy to oblige—just to add a touch of holiday spirit to their lives.

A year later, those regular customers who had successfully gotten "a Christmas tree" returned to Manner with their mugs, hoping to recreate that familiar design. But recently, a netizen posted a complaint: when they asked a barista if they could pour a Christmas tree on their drink, they were flatly refused.

This customer described that there was no one else in line at the time—a relatively quiet period—which was precisely why they dared to make the latte art request. They never expected to be refused, and the staff gave no explanation. In their impression, Manner employees had always been accommodating to customers' latte art requests; even if they couldn't do it, they would explain why. Such a blunt refusal was rare.

More unexpectedly, other users chimed in with similar experiences. Some said they were also refused when asking for a nicer latte art design at Manner: "Last winter they could still do it, but today the staff just said they don't know how."

Some customers also pointed out that the latte art they've been getting from Manner recently is noticeably worse than before. From the photos they shared, those hot drinks either had rough milk foam or unclear designs, making people wonder whether the staff had received any proper training at all.

However,

some netizens who have witnessed Manner employees' actual working conditions expressed understanding: when a store is slammed with orders, baristas are run off their feet, and politely declining latte art requests to get drinks out faster is not hard to understand. As for the decline in latte art quality,

some speculated it might be new employees who started before they were proficient, or simply being too busy to do anything but a rushed job.

That said, some longtime fans still have plenty of complaints about the current "perfunctory" latte art. They recall that Manner used to have strict quality control—every hot drink handed to customers came with beautiful latte art. When customers occasionally saw a design they liked, they could ask the staff in-store and might get the same one.

But today's Manner is no longer what it used to be. Regulars say the most common latte art they get now is a heart. Only when the store happens to be quiet and they come across a barista with good latte art skills do they have a chance of getting a more complex combination design.

Faced with these complaints, Manner's workers also feel helpless. In the comments section, an employee revealed that the current shortage of staff at stores is quite severe, making it impossible for the company to provide complete training for new hires.

This employee said some new hires have to be on the floor just three days after joining, so forget latte art—they can't even steam milk.

If the senior employees at their store are highly skilled, new hires might have a chance to learn one or two simple designs from them. But if no one guides them, new hires who know nothing can only pour heated milk directly into takeaway cups and rush the order out.

The employee admitted that as a new hire without unified training, they've done their best, and being unable to fulfill customers' latte art requests is truly out of their hands. Therefore, they suggest that customers who love latte art might want to wait until senior staff are on shift before making requests—they might get an unexpected design.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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If you want to enjoy consistently good coffee outside of cafés, you might want to check out Front Street Coffee's product recommendations. Whether it's espresso blend beans or single-origin pour-over, they can help you recreate a delicious cup of your own.

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