Rachel Green’s time at Central Perk hits hard.

The short skirts, impeccable hairstyles and impossibly uncomfortable heels for a role in hospitality, there are many reasons I scoff at Rachel Green working as a barista in the early years of the television show, FRIENDS.

However, after recently watching the early seasons of the famous show, I came to realize how many things rang true in her time at Central Perk, and how this may have contributed towards me taking up the job myself in my late teenage years. Maybe I should have taken more notes whilst watching and realise that it wasn’t as glamorous as I first believed…

1. Her friends take advantage.

I used to love how seemingly popular I was whilst working as a barista. I used to also find the support from my family of my workplace surprising and refreshing. Turns out they were using me for the free coffee and end of the day pastries that come as a perk of the job.

As Chandler says on Rachel’s last day: “does that mean we’re going to have to start paying for coffee?”

2. She has a creepy manager.

Gunther: you either love him or hate him. Sure, it’s sweet at first that he always seemingly wants the best for Rachel, but some of his actions as manager of Central Perk were…questionable, when involving his favourite team member.

For many baristas in the field (particularly women), we’ve dealt with an inappropriate male manager/owner at least once. I, sadly, can tell this story more than once, and I know others who are similar in their experiences. These behaviours can range from a crush and overly-friendly behaviour from management, all the way over to the other side of the spectrum of abuse and assault.

It’s probably worth noting that, to me at least, Gunther always meant well, and is never meant to be seen as predatorial or taking avantage. However, the inappropriate infatuation held to Rachel (and her unprofessionally short skirts) would scream lawsuit in real life. That, and his inability to communicate constructively to her (think when she has to be retrained), means she was with-held information regarding her role that would have made her grow.

3. No one takes her seriously in her job.

It’s strange to think how many people depend on their silky smooth flat white at the beginning of the day to coax them out of bed, yet there’s still such little regard for those who work in coffee shops.

‘Just’ a barista. ‘Just’ being thrown about casually at family gatherings whilst your mum discusses how you’ve wasted your college degree and instead turned to the world of milk frothing and hand brewing.

Turns out it’s not a job you’re meant to stick at, or aspire to (even though heavy training is required) – it’s a job you get to make money whilst growing your ‘proper’ career. Of course, myself: aka the person who actually worked (and enjoyed) the job didn’t come to the conclusion of that – it’s everyone around me who made that decision. Cue difficult family and friend conversations about the fulfilment you get out of the role, and the many paths of progression you can now take in the coffee industry.

I no longer work as a barista but have remained in the coffee industry through ‘professional’ job roles (that made me shiver). Although I do freelance every so often to reunite with an espresso machine, milk jug and tamper, I don’t do it enough to justify being known as a barista, however that remains the job that my family decide to describe when asked what I do. Turns out they really can’t comprehend this multi-billion dollar industry could be a great place to work in.

Sure, this huge development of the specialty industry was nowhere near that the stage it is now (hell, I don’t even think specialty coffee existed in the 90’s (and I doubt Rachel would have wanted to pursue a career in coffee anyway). This inability and ongoing joke of Rachel’s down-and-out job and her constant struggle to escape it proves that the coffee shop job is viewed by many as the ‘gateway’ to something much better.

Rachel infamously joined Central Perk as a ‘waitress’ after breaking free from the pre-determined shackles of her life and aspiring to make something of herself. On separate occasions, when explaining to her old friends and family what she did for a living, a huge level of disapproval – and even concern – would cross their faces.

“You look like you’re in a play!” – one of Rachel’s old friends after reuniting with her.

4. She actually doesn’t make that much coffee.

I know, Rachel is seen as more of a ‘waitress’ and all-rounder than the new-wave barista, but that didn’t mean she didn’t make coffee. For the fact she seems trained on the ‘cappuccino maker’ (as per what they call it – let’s not tell they can use the same machine for a variety of beverages), Rachel spends minimal time stood at the bar and serving.

I get it, she’s a television character, and Jennifer Anniston needed her share of screen time. Hollywood aside, it proves a great point in the coffee industry: for someone who loves making coffee, your job is definitely not just making coffee: not even close. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and get cleaning.

5. She is seriously underpaid.

Oh boy, this one probably hits the hardest. Rachel is shocked out how much tax has come out of her pay check in her first week, and I feel like anyone on a low-paid job can relate.

Hospitality and retail pays horribly. For what is a divided world, we all like to come together in an equal disrespect to these services and our inability to pay service workers much (if anything) above minimum wage.

Let’s be honest, Monica’s central Manhattan apartment would not be affordable for a middle-class earner in reality – let alone a barista working in a local coffee shop running off tips. This translates to baristas working in the capital, who usually have to live far from their places of work as they cannot afford to live in the areas that they serve coffee.

Sure, television sitcoms are a lie: it’s there, for the most part, to make you feel better about yourself. It’s no secret that an ‘entry-level’ job like Rachel’s barista gig is purposefully portrayed in a way to emphasize her growth as a character as the seasons continue. With such a shift in culture since the airing of FRIENDS, it’s surprising as to how many parallels we can find in the television show, and how little the world has moved forwards in their treatment of baristas.