Short Version:
I ordered a quad soy mocha and got a dairy milk latte. I found out when I suffered the lactose-intolerance indigestion issues several hours later. No labels/marks on the cup. It was too late to turn back because I was driving through in the evening, and was already 10 miles away by the time I became suspicious.
Long version:
I don't usually write reviews. When I do, it's typically been when I really like a place or have a strong opinion of some sort. I hate to write this type of review, because it's on the negative side, but I just want to share a word of caution with other fellow lactose-intolerant Starbucks-a-holics, or even ones that like to get the correct drink they order.
I was driving home from LA this evening, and needed to grab something to eat/drink before my way home. I really like the new Collection plaza that's opened in Oxnard, especially the Whole Foods and Starbucks right across from each other. I'd been to the Whole Foods a few times before, but this was my first time at the Starbucks.
First off, the Starbucks is quite big and nice. I was passing through and didn't have time to sit, but it would be a really nice one to stay at if I was sticking around or lived in the area. Lots of seating and tables. The staff is also quite quick. There's another review here that says that they're slow, but it's not the case. There was a line of 5-6 people, and it went by fairly quickly.
Of course they may be quick but not accurate...
So anyway, I ordered a 4-Shot Grande Soy Mocha. Yes, 4 is a lot of shots, but I needed the caffeine for the drive. Anyway, I didn't taste test in the store, and walked out with it to my car. Actually didn't taste until I was about 10-miles away. When I did taste it, I immediately noticed it wasn't a mocha at all, just a regular latte. It also didn't have 4-shots, no way. There's a noticeable difference in the taste as you increase the amount of espresso and this tasted nothing like that.
I was driving on the highway, so I turned on my car light to look at the cup and check the label. I noticed there was no label or markings on the cup. Great. At that point I was fairly suspicious, as I am any time my specially-ordered food isn't marked.
So anyway, I couldn't quite tell if it was soy or regular milk at that point, but I decided I needed whatever low amount of caffeine was in the drink, so I took a few gulps and figured that I'd be able to tell later if I feel bad. Here I am now at 6:15am writing this review, so as you can probably guess, my suspicions were correct - there was definitely regular dairy milk in my drink.
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Moral of the story for this Starbucks:
PLEASE LABEL YOUR DRINKS. I'm giving you 2 stars because I hope you improve. I would love to stop by again and get the actual drink I ordered. Hope you get it correct next time, especially considering that I paid a few dollars extra for soy and added espresso shots and wasn't given what I paid for. read more