Ristretto: Tha Hook-up

-A peaceful pre-rush experience at Alterra Bayshore was sullied only by my witnessing a server giving one of his friends the hook-up.  It was a cold drink or, even worse, a blender drink (I say "even worse" because blended drinks have the highest profit margin, so the employee theft is worst in this case).  I don't claim to have never stolen food or drink when I worked in restaurants, whether by giving unauthorized freebies or what have you.  Still, I can't lie and say that I don't find this obnoxious when I am putting thousands of dollars into this business (my own business, not Alterra).  Maybe if employees didn't steal, they could offer free Wi-Fi at all cafes, which would be very helpful and probably increase company profits over the long run.

-In a hook-up of a distinctly different variety, I got a free Red Bull from the little car they drive around this afternoon.  That'd be a clever marketing idea for some coffee company to borrow.