Most cafés have separate lines for placing your order and picking it up. After you order, you move to the next line, and since drinks come out in more or less the order they were requested, the barista usually announces your drink around the time you get to the front of the second line.

However, for simple drinks like drip coffee, all the barista has to do is fill the cup, so they can often hand it to you right at the order counter. This also applies to pastries. If you are a rule-follower and immediately move to the second queue after ordering one of these items, it can actually slow things down, because your drink will typically be ready before those of the people ahead of you in line, and you’ll need to elbow your way to the front.

Advanced combinations such as “coffee and a hot croissant” are marginal. This could be a one- or a two-queue order. Such situations require careful planning and deft execution.