Barista Fired Over Blog, Promises to Keep Writing, Publish Book
Barista Matt Watson has been fired over the revelation that he was the author of the blog, the "Bitter Barista." In the blog, Watson made critical comments about customers, his boss, and more on the site, but did so anonymously. This week, another website blew the lid off of his operation.
"I like to use a lot of big words when I tweet, that way if my boss ever finds my twitter account, he won't understand any of it," Watson wrote on the blog, according to the Seattle Times. It's just one example of the type of comments Watson wrote on the site under anonymity.
Yet earlier this week, Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman were able to link Watson to the site through their own investigation. Both work at a rival coffee shop and were concerned about the tone of the blog.
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"There's a lot of anger in this blog, and while we love the well-worn barista cliché, it should be the stuff of mild parody, not an all-out assault on whomever walks through the door of your café," they posted to their own website, Sprudge.com.
Once he realized his identity had been revealed, Watson tried to do damage control with his boss, Seth Levy.
"This isn't bad press, it's actually really good press… especially given your customer base and the type of neighborhood that Georgetown has become… I'm just saying… it could turn out to be a fun something that gives the place a little spike in publicity," Watson emailed Levy.
Watson's blog was receiving over 2,000 views per day, which could have been good for business had Watson not insulted the customers he was serving. Many of his comments reflected poorly on his customer service and showed a lack of respect for customers.
"If you remind me four times that you've ordered decaf, guess what you won't be getting… I would remember your usual drink if you were a more memorable person," Watson posted.
Levy decided enough was enough and told Watson he was out of a job.
"He was writing about his boss during business hours. I represent the business, the customers and the staff. I can't endorse what he was saying, whether humorous or not. It puts me in a difficult position, where if I don't respond that means I endorse what he's saying," Levy told the Times.
Watson has continued blogging with even more sarcasm and animosity than usual. He notes that a coffee table book will soon be available for fans of the site.
"My ex-boss thinks the website is gonna stop because I don't work there anymore. Man, I didn't even work there when I worked there!" he posted recently.
