Tucked away on the third floor of a Fifth Third Bank in East Lansing is a training center for Beaner's Gourmet Coffee employees.

It's there that they learn to work the cash register, make well-known drinks and deal with the hassles of being a barista. It looks like a real Beaner's, but without real customers.

"The training center is only different in that it doesn't have any restrooms," said Jeremy DeRuiter, who runs the mock café version of the franchise. "You have a lobby, retail bins, hand sinks and the back of the house with the walk-in cooler and office."

DeRuiter, who is also Beaner's training director, said the center is completely functional and stocked with supplies.

The center is used to train new franchisees, managers and store trainers. The process involves learning the history of coffee and different procedures for steaming milk and making drinks.

"It was a lot more overwhelming than I thought it would be," said Audrey Kuhn, an employee at Beaner's, 1331 E. Grand River Ave.

Becoming a barista requires more skill than some job applicants think, DeRuiter said.

"The expectation is they know the entire standard menu, which is a lot of drinks," DeRuiter said.

The store carries recipe books to guide new trainees for creating personalized drinks.

"There are four different kinds of flavor rules, which tells you how many pumps of flavors goes in the drink," DeRuiter said.

The amount of syrup used changes the flavor of the drink, particularly the thickness. The amount used also depends on whether the drink is hot or cold.

If you know what goes in one drink, then you can figure out what would go in another similar drink, said Tiffany Titus, assistant manager of the Beaner's in the Union.

"After you've trained, there's a lot to know, a lot to pull from the memory bank," said Kuhn, a business sophomore.

She added that customers also could confuse new employees by using Starbucks Coffee Company lingo to order a Beaner's drink.

But making drinks is not the only thing that keeps new employees on their toes — they must know how to interact with customers.

"During the interview, (managers) make you go up to customers and ask them questions," said Ginger Franklin, a shift leader. "It's a very important part of Beaner's to interact with customers, plus it's fun."

Johanna Gavin, an employee at the Beaner's at 270 W. Grand River Ave., talks with customers about drink changes or how their day is going.

"We are supposed to when working on the (coffee) machine. You get to know the customers and hold real conversations," she said.

Learning the ropes doesn't take long, Titus said.

"Looking back from when I started, it seems like a lot," she said. "But it makes it a lot easier working behind the bar."