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Next time you're ordering your daily Caramel Macchiato, stop to notice what color Starbucks apron your barista and cashier are wearing. If you assumed it will always be that signature green shade, think again.
It turns out that there are hidden codes in the different colors the baristas wear. (Mystery! Intrigue! Dan Brown, can't wait to read your bestseller about it.) Although most employees don the green, there are also black, orange, red, or even purple aprons behind those coffee counters. So what does it all mean??
According to a new blog post on the Starbucks website, any employee can wear the green Starbucks apron, but employees who have served in the military also have the option of getting their aprons embroidered with an American flag. In addition, those baristas who have graduated from the Starbucks College Achievement Plan receive an apron embroidered with a mortarboard. If you're a deaf barista, the company will embroider the word "Starbucks" in sign language on the fabric. If you're looking to find the Holy Grail, you get an apron painted with The Last Supper. Yes, that was a Da Vinci Code joke in 2017. Please go with it.
More on those little-known color schemes: Some Starbucks apron colors are one-time specials, like the orange aprons in the Netherlands to celebrate King’s Day or the pale blue aprons for the launch of Frappuccino Happy Hour, and a rare purple apron for "barista champions" (every year, only 26 baristas worldwide win one). The black apron is more common than the rare colors and is reserved for Coffee Masters, a.k.a those who are "certified in expert coffee knowledge." In 1997, when the now-infamous holiday cups were created, two red aprons were given to each store—making them almost as rare as a red cup design.
The more you know.
Related: What Happens When Starbucks Wants to Sell Your Baked Goods?