On the morning of August 7, 2025, I visited the Starbucks drive-through at Store #65678 in Livingston, Texas, to order my usual customized drink--a Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade--which is not always visibly listed on the menu. As such, I was being careful in how I ordered it, speaking clearly through the intercom. The partner taking drive-through orders--an unidentified female voice--interrupted me sharply mid-order. Her tone came across as rushed and impatient, as if I was bothering her simply by clarifying the drink. She made me feel that I was inconveniencing her, which was jarring considering I was still mid-sentence. I paused to gather my thoughts to ensure I was speaking correctly, but her tone continued to suggest annoyance, rather than support or patience. At that time, I happened to be on a Bluetooth earpiece call with a friend who is also a Starbucks manager in another state. I often discuss service standards with her, and this situation prompted us to speak in real-time about what was happening as I pulled forward to the window. When I reached the window, I calmly asked the young male barista who handed me the drink, "Is the woman on the intercom having a good day?" He replied, "Yes, why do you ask?" The tone of his reply, again, lacked any sense of customer engagement--it felt defensive and dismissive. My question was reasonable and civil. As I continued to speak with my friend on the call, I made a remark about how I felt the interaction had gone. I was not directing any comments or profanity at the barista or the store staff, but rather was engaged in a private conversation with someone on my own Bluetooth headset. The barista, however, interrupted me and stated that "we have a policy that customers cannot cuss." I was immediately taken aback. I asked him, "Excuse me?" I clarified that I was not cussing at him or even speaking to him. I then explained that I was speaking to someone on the phone via my headset, not to anyone inside the store. At that point, I respectfully reminded him that Starbucks does not own my vehicle, nor do your policies extend to controlling private conversations between customers and their passengers or callers inside their own personal vehicles. I reiterated that I was not speaking to him or any employee, and even if I had used strong language while venting to a friend privately, it was not directed toward staff and was not aggressive. His continued insistence on "policy" and the way he interrupted my private call further escalated the discomfort of the situation. I then asked for a receipt so I could provide formal customer feedback. He appeared to hesitate and held the receipt in his hand as if withholding it. When I reiterated my request, he handed it over. He then asked if I wanted to speak to a manager. I said yes. The shift manager then came to the window. I explained to her, very calmly, that it was inappropriate and intrusive for staff to try to police what customers say in their own vehicles--especially when those comments are not even directed at Starbucks staff. I told her I was on a call the entire time with someone who heard the entire conversation from start to finish and confirmed that I never raised my voice or insulted the staff. At this point, they seemed to realize that my call was with a fellow Starbucks manager. Once that was understood, their tone shifted, and the shift lead offered me the name Melissa Mouton as the Store Manager. I was told I could follow up with her directly. I called Melissa Mouton that same morning at 9:17 AM, left a voicemail explaining what happened, and requested a return call to discuss the issue. As of the time of writing, I have not received a call back. Concerns Raised 1. Rushed and dismissive tone at intercom - I was not treated with the patience or respect expected from a Starbucks experience. 2. Inappropriate assumption about profanity - A barista wrongly assumed my private phone call included offensive language directed at them, which it did not. 3. Violation of personal boundaries - Staff should not interrupt or attempt to control private conversations occurring inside a customer's personal vehicle. 4. Unprofessional behavior - The barista's handling of the situation escalated unnecessarily and was not in line with Starbucks' training or customer values. 5. Delayed or absent manager follow-up - I was given a name and phone number for a manager (Melissa Mouton), but my outreach has gone unanswered. read more

To the wonderful n kind staff here in Livington, have a pleasant day. Each person there has been so understanding and helpful.

Hales and her morning crew were amazing and friendly. This morning they were very busy but managed to keep the customers happy and feel appreciated thank y'all for doing an amazing job. As a DoorDash I love that I don't have to worry about the order being wrong or late 5 stars to all of y'all and have a great holiday. read more

Mobile order placed before we arrived. Sat in drive thru line 25 min due to issues in front of us. When we got to the window and complained that our drinks were no longer hot the girl just stared at us No offer to correct or remake the order. As we travelled down the road after getting our drinks they don't even taste correct. read more

I'm glad that there's Starbucks now in the Lake Livingston area. I'm being basic, but when you're away from a big city and still need my caffeine addiction fed, I would take Starbucks any time of the day. This place gets a lot of business, and they're super busy. I have never had any bad experience ordering my drinks here, and I've been here plenty of times. I either stay in the coffee shop to do my work or order coffee through the drive-thru. The staff are nice and attentive to my orders, too! If you stay in the shop to study or work, this place is passable with its ambiance. There are plenty of seating areas and wall outlets for charging your electronics. read more

Options are limited, service is not great for an established known for good service, it is clean, food is okay. Should have full options for sugar free as every other Starbucks does but they do not, it is disappointing. That is why they are getting 1 star, not every person wants 5 cups of sugar in their coffee. read more

I usually love the ice coffee hand crafted drink I always order, but this one did not taste right, i waited a long time for this drink and barista never even looked at me, store was filthy too read more

If I could give zero, I would. The wait was 45 mins of my life I will never get back! I would say screw it and leave but I'm pinned in the drive through line by other cars. I will NEVER do this again. read more

We got there before the rain started and yet they refused to serve us because "Their roads started flooding" They told everyone else except us. read more

they suck we tried to order three different things and they were out of all three. we ended up having to sit in line and wait. I would NOT recommend going to this starbucks at all. read more

This is the worst Starbucks I have ever been to. To be fair, I went to it a few weeks after it opened so it was probably more chaotic and busy than usual but still. The drink I ordered (my usual) tasted different and poorly made and the staff at this location seemed sort of incompetent like they weren't trained properly and didn't know what they were doing. The worst part was the place was just swarming with customers and so hectic... I am scared to go here again and will be trying other coffee shops in Livingston such as The Bull Shack. - written by Daniel's girlfriend read more

I assumed the young lady was off work because she wasn't in a uniform and had her purse on. She got behind the register where I assumed she was clocking out. I looked at her and she looked at me then gave me the teenage sarcastic head wiggle. Maybe a little better training on the management's part in customer service would go a long way. This girl never said one word to me, wasn't wearing a uniform to indicate she even worked there. read more

Honestly one of the best brown sugar oat milk espress drinks I've ever had from Starbucks and it's my favorite! Thanks!!

I've been buying from Starbucks for years and I do know the difference between a venti and a grande. Apparently your staff doesn't. I am writing this one off to an obviously inexperienced staff but I won't pay for a venti and get the grande again. Teach your staff the sizes and names of your drinks. read more