An Unpleasant Experience - Barista Capital One Employee Review

2.0
Apr 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Employee meals, ability to make more money on MLB Mondays, good coffee and tea. There were a few individuals that showed me grace and kindness.

Cons

My schedule was changed without notice multiple times. I took an Uber a few times because public transport problems, my boss said it wasn’t a reasonable excuse being 10 minutes late, so I paid extra to make sure I got in on time. I still had to show up on time while others could come in way later past the grace period. I did the work the shift leads and ambassadors didn’t want to do while simultaneously being thrown under the bus for not working. There was clear favoritism. I scrubbed the floors and under the cooling units, which helped pass the health inspection. I took the trash out that the ambassadors were supposed to take out. I did shift lead work, stocked inventory, prepared for rushes, and made sure we were prepare constantly. I still was treated like dirt. Merit isn’t really a thing here. I was the store’s best barista, being the only one who could do proper latte art. Every drink I made was a work of art, I cared about the craft and it didn’t seem to matter. I still felt like I was designated to a lesser role. GM went on the floor and stared at me for about 7 minutes one day because someone told her I wasn’t working. The Ambassador Manager assumed I just walked out of the store when I was going on break or the bathroom. This individual would snarkly mock me for working too hard too, it really didn’t make any sense. Constantly having management hover over me was stressful. Being thrown under the bus for not doing anything is not just conflicting, but a great way to mess with an employee’s head and sense of self worth. The Cafe Manager was unable to run the place; couldn’t handle a rush, properly stock, or even make drinks at an acceptable level. The GM was strictly administration, but getting paid like they were actually doing the heavy lifting. Some of the ambassadors were cool but a lot of them said the most out of pocket things to me. It was belittling and it wore me down. They went out of the way to belittle me. I would come in most mornings to be stone walled with a silent treatment. I never got anyone’s contact, to this day this is the only job where I got zero coworker’s numbers. There were just way too many red flags. It’s like they made their minds up about me before I even started, they didn’t even give me a shot. I think they assumed I was something I wasn’t. I honestly thought I was a bad person and I realized they were just bad people. They were wrong about me and they knew it. Tips should be way better but it’s a bank first and a cafe second. A lot clients and security will come through during rushes, order a lot, and not tip at all. This is encouraged by the business model.

Explore other reviews about Capital One

5.0
Jul 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

Great place to work, people are nice

Cons

stack ranking is tough all the time

2.0
Jul 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Salary, benefits, mobility for internal transfers

Cons

I have been a part of Capital One for more than 20 years, most of my career. It was an exciting growth culture in the early years. Our team culture was very strong. People looked out for each other and worked toward a collective good. Around 2019 a shift began in leadership. Politics became more important and forced distribution, stack ranking, and performance management targets became more prevalent. When the pandemic hit, it broke the strong in person culture of this company. Many left for the lure of FAANG and other companies offering remote work for promotion and higher pay. It was a chance to jump the line and come back later. In the meantime COF hired people who tired of the relentless pace of Amazon, Google, and other tech companies. We also hired in big bank culture of JPM Chase and Goldman. This has resulted in a toxic, political, cutthroat culture with constant reorgs. I’m planning to leave this organization in the next 12 months. It is sad what it has become. I know tenured leaders, great people who look out for others and have helped me succeed over the years, who are miserable here. DFS colleagues from the acquisition are leaving in droves.

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