This new Starbucks location opened just a few months ago, and I drive past frequently on my way to and from my weekly grocery pick up order. This morning I had an extra 20 minutes, a birthday gift card and a hankering for a holiday beverage. The drive-thru line was 12+ cars deep, so I assumed it would be faster to run inside since I had the time and no toddler in tow.
There wasn't any wait at the counter. I placed my order for a spinach feta wrap, and a tall peppermint mocha with the "coffee expert" at the register. We concluded our transaction when she handed me a reusable Starbucks cup - I didn't realize it was Red Cup day - so that was a nice surprise.
I proceeded to the lobby area to wait on my items, and my breakfast wrap came up within the first couple of minutes. I grabbed it off the bar, sat down and began to eat while I waited for my drink to be ready. I watched the guy at the handoff bar assembling a couple of mobile orders into carriers as they came off the bar, but noticed that anytime someone asked him a brief question, he responded with a bit of attitude. He definitely wasn't friendly at all.
After about 10 minutes of waiting, my breakfast wrap was all gone, and I still had yet to receive my drink. I noticed the woman who had ordered ahead of me got her drink straight away so I wondered if mine had been forgotten. I made my way to the handoff bar and stood with a couple of other patrons, two of which had ordered after me, and their drinks were already being delivered. We exchanged a glance and one of them said, "I'm sure yours is coming up next...."
I hovered awkwardly by the bar, waiting for the right time to ask the unfriendly barista about the status of my drink, and I know he saw me, but he never attempted to make eye contact. I looked at the sticker on the paper bag that had previously contained my breakfast wrap, and it was time stamped 9:11am and by this time it was 9:27 and my drink still hadn't appeared.
Just as I was about to woman up and ask Mr. Unfriendly about my drink, it finally appeared on the bar, over 15 minutes after ordering.
I should add, I worked at Starbucks for several years at a very busy location next to a movie theater and dealt with hordes of different people and personalities but it was always of the utmost importance to deliver a positive experience. This location is brand new, so I'm surprised there isn't more effort being put into the customer experience. Needless to say, if I return anytime soon, I will just use the drive-thru because if I'm going to have to wait over 15 minutes, I might as well be in the comfort of my own car. read more