Social Listening: Behind the Counter at Dutch Brothers

As someone who’s been working at Dutch Bros for a minute, I thought it’d be good to share a behind-the-scenes take on what it’s like here and what people are saying online. I'll break it to you now, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. It's a job and there are always going to be things I don't particularly love, but it is a very fun and enjoyable job. I chose Dutch because I can see it from all 3 sides - the consumer, the employee, and overall marketing. It’s interesting to see how people react to what we do.

Customer Reviews

First off, if you’ve been to Dutch Bros, you’ve probably noticed we try to keep things upbeat. Whether it’s chatting with customers in the drive-thru or promoting drinks online, we’re encouraged to bring energy and make connections. But I’ll be real - it can get a little exhausting. Some days you’re just trying to get through the rush without messing up an order, let alone keeping the “good vibes” going.

@Haleypham (left) and @lovemymonkeysx3 (right)

The company’s goal is to serve good drinks and keep things light and fun, but let’s be honest—not everything is perfect. For example, the lines can get ridiculously long. @lovemymonkeysx3 on TikTok said, "I just waited 25 minutes in the Dutch Brothers line, just to pull up to the window and see the nice young gentleman at the window pour open a can of what looks to be an energy drink and pour it over some ice." We’re working as fast as we can back there, but when the line’s wrapped around the block, people are going to get frustrated, it's just the way that it is sometimes. Another thing is the sweetness of the drinks. A lot of people love the sugary stuff, but others think it’s way over the top. @haleypham on TikTok said "I was expecting all of these to be way too sugary. It's still definitely sweet if you like sweet coffee which I do." We’ve got options to customize, like cutting the sweetness, but not everyone knows about that, and it’s something we could communicate better. On the other hand, people like u/IWannaWakeUpButIDont (below) on Reddit say that it seems like there's no flavoring in their drink. While this could very well be the case, I've also had customers accuse me of forgetting their flavor when I made the drink and know that I didn't. It's all up to preference and taste.

Dutch's Social Media

Example of how Dutch Bros promotes new drinks

Social media is a big part of how Dutch Bros interacts with customers. They’re constantly sharing new drink announcements, stand openings, and customer/employee shout-outs through both posts and story reposts. That part is pretty cool because it feels like people actually care about the brand and that the brand reciprocates that. But sometimes the focus on being trendy and upbeat feels a little disconnected from the day-to-day reality of working there. Don't get me wrong, giveaways are so fun, the look of excitement on a customer's face when I hand them that sticker or bracelet or what have you, is simply unmatched. But when we’re slammed and running out of stickers by 9 am, it’s not easy to keep up the energy while we disappoint customers for the rest of the day who just wanted their sticker.

One of the challenges for Dutch Bros is balancing growth with what made the brand popular in the first place, staying true to their value proposition, and gauging content to their target audience. As they expand, it’s harder to keep that small, personal, and young feel that a lot of customers love. Not many people know this, but Dutch Bros started relatively true to how they are now - a tent in a parking lot with a speaker and a coffee machine. For employees, keeping that vibe means maintaining energy and engagement while managing busier and busier shifts. It’s not always easy, but it’s part of the job. Dutch Bros' social media pages, specifically Instagram keep relatively true to that value proposition as well by being active on their social platforms and responding to customers in the comments, both good and bad. They take criticism and use it as a chance to promote even further. I think this attributes to their overall goal to feel youthful and it's good that they do this but I do think they can go about it better to achieve their goal even more than they are now.

Criticisms

    If I were the brand manager, I would try to make it feel less forced when trying to be relatable. I understand that the company is trying to capture a youthful vibe, but it can get a little corny. It feels a little too corporate right now, I think that having someone on the branding team who is the age of their target demographic (young adults/teenagers) and having them be vocal in the creation and output on social media or even having them be the social media manager as a whole is a good idea. The youthful corporate responses are a little tired, I feel like other companies do it well, they give the person behind the screen a personality - rather than emulating the personality of the company. One of the main reasons people go to Dutch Bros is to be embraced by the personalities of the employees - so why is it any different on social media? Why is it that every barista is encouraged and even trained to embrace their quirks and be relatable as a person rather than a company asset, but the social media manager isn't held to that same standard?

    Maybe it's the emoji uses, or the seemingly forced youth slang but it feels like the person behind the screen isn't being their true self, like they're trying to change who they are to "fit the brand" but that directly contradicts what Dutch Bros is all about. The social media interactions should feel like a barista is right next to you, chopping it up with you in line. Not a big corporate entity with a whole team picking what emojis will go in the caption.  

    Using the comments from above as examples, how exactly do I think Dutch Bros should respond true to their value proposition? Comment: "It would be great if your company stopped charging a fee for vegan milk. Vegan milk is better for the environment than cows' milk." Response: "Preach!! Our new years resolution is no upcharge for alt milk (starting on new years eve🤫)". Comment: "I just tried the Cinnamon one and omg it's AMAZING. It's not super sweet like a lot of other drinks, very balanced." Response: "Out here doing the marketing for us. LOVE!" There is a way to respond professionally while retaining the youthful edge they want to achieve without making it corny like they are.

Final Thoughts

    At the end of the day, Dutch Bros is still a job. It still has its good days and bad days, just like any other workplace. Some customers are amazing and make your shift better, and others can be a lot to deal with. One thing that I've learned through this assignment and the research that came with it is that a surprising amount of people are not comfortable sharing their complaints with the baristas. They may take it online after the fact or just keep it to themselves. But please, if you’ve got feedback, whether it’s positive or critical, we’re here to listen and we want to help. We have no issue remaking a drink if it isn't what you ordered or hoped for, we can't do better if we don't know. We all know that we aren't just serving you a drink, We're serving you an experience. 

    We talk a lot at the stand and something that we are passionate about is acknowledging that, yes, our drinks are expensive. We remember how it was being a customer. A lot of customers (reasonably) don't have the funds to justify getting a treat like Dutch all the time. If you walk away unhappy for any reason, we aren't doing our jobs correctly. The last thing we want is for you to spend $5-10 on a drink that you might not even finish because you don't enjoy it.