A pretty strange location to find a Starbucks in a supermarket, I do think they'd be better located within the main shopping area of Altrincham as this store is limited due to its' size and location, but it does have the benefit of parking right outside and the fact you can get a drink during your supermarket shop if your supermarket of choice is Sainsbury's.
I've had a few bad experiences here over the years, from poor service to being given the wrong beverage, but this store has improved of late, it has been refurbished since my last visit and it now supports Mobile Ordering, which at the moment is more useful than ever given the current situation, in regards to the pandemic.
At the time of writing (February 2021), Starbucks is not letting people into their stores at most locations which includes this one, meaning they have a table at the door, I found this to be really awkward and uncomfortable especially here, as not only was I forced to wait outside in the cold, there wasn't a designated queuing area, it just seemed a mess. The barista who was dealing with customers seemed friendly, but he was obviously struggling with the demand of going back and forth to the till to put orders through, make payments etc. This meant there was a delay in placing my order and even asking questions.
I was pleased the store still accepted reusable cups, for ease I placed the order via the app and handed the cup to the barista, service was pretty slow and I did have to wait a while for my beverage, again I don't understand why they can't have a table to serve customers at the other entrance, which would be inside and sheltered from the cold/rain, as customers are allowed in Sainsbury's, my guess is they don't want people crowding inside Sainsbury's, but surely if they're crowding outside, right by the supermarket entrance, it doesn't make a huge difference?
I was pleased with the quality of my drink, I ordered one of the current specials, a Venti iced Double Chocolatey Macchiato, it was fine, although I did prefer their previous macchiato range which includes hazelnut and vanilla varieties, sadly in 2021 they only brought a honeycomb and the double chocolate variety.
There isn't much of a seating area, even when allowed by the government, again down to it being a small kiosk-style location within Sainsbury's.
3* - OK, slow service and would be better located within a more central location within the main shopping area of Altrincham town centre, but not too bad. read more