A barista who knows every recipe cold can actually look at the customer. Master the basics so your attention is free.

Attention is a fixed amount, and anything you have not automated is spending it. While you are still working out the recipe there is nothing left over for the person in front of you, which is the part of the job that matters most to them. Mastering the basics is not about showing off, it is about freeing the mind for what the basics serve. Fluency buys you presence.

Pick the routine part you still have to think about and drill it until it is boring. Recipes, scales, the first thirty seconds of a shift. Then spend the attention you get back on the people, and see whether anybody comments.