Starbucks

Not all sbux are the same. I am reminded of this every time I walk into this store. As a veteran of the Howard Shultz army of baristas, my purchase goes as follows:
I greet the person taking my order, they usually don’t respond in kind. I call my drink to them properly. They slowly and in a backwards way call it back, often incorrectly. We sort out what I really want, with the least bit of dialog on their part, including confirmation that my transaction is complete.
I go and wait in hopes that they’ve got a fairly simple coffee order correct.
This store seems to employ some of the least communicative, or efficient staff in Cambridge stores.
Upside? They have a bathroom and there is usually plenty of parking in the (somewhat chaotic) plaza parking lot.

This is the best Starbucks within 6 miles of Brighton. The staff are young, friendly and upbeat. Service is quick. The view of the Charles River is beautiful and there is ample parking in the large parking lot. My new favorite joint.

Pros: tons of parking, close to the river for great views of rowing clubs practicing, friendly baristas.
Cons: small shop (not much seating), infuriating Starbucks system dynamic of making every drink in order– so my double shot of espresso that can be made with the push of a button is queued behind a triple venti orange mocha frappechino extra hot, or what have you. Not this location’s fault though, just corporate Starbucks being all egalitarian.

My iced coffee ends up in the barista’s queue. 10 minutes later I’ll get my iced coffee that normally takes 2 seconds at any other Starbucks.
Not impressed

This place is nice, cute and quiet. Its definetly a place to get things done. Its just a little small and not a place to sit long term to work but overall wonderful. Its never too busy either.

First of all, what is the deal with Unilocal and listing this 14^th on the list of Starbucks in Cambridge, MA. I mean… the Starbucks at MICRO CENTER is higher?! There isn’t even a Starbucks in there, it’s this one across in the same parking lot!
Second, why two reviews only? Is Cambridge and all the faithfuls of this location too busy in their day and lives to give kudos? Hmmm… wait, it did take me a year and a half to getting around to writing this. Touché.
Either way, lets get serious here. This Starbucks is FANTASTIC. When I say this, I mean it because after years you still have mostly the same staff. This speaks volume to the management and happiness of the employees at this location. I also am 100% truthful when I tell you lines to the bathroom is normal, but never bad. I’ve seen people come in and almost walk out and I’ve shouted to bring them back in, «It moves fast! Come back!» The staff and skill in this place is incredible.
You can go from 0 to 15 in two minutes, and every time the service and execution is flawless. You don’t wait long, and you get your drink and service all in one. I absolutely love everyone in this place. I have seen some go, and come back, and I’ve met some new great people and every one of them have been friendly, sweet, and sassy!
I work very close, and my staff absolutely adores this Starbucks crew too. I never know who is the manager or supervisor as this place never seems to have an employee/​manager distinction and that is because everyone does everything. I have seen each and every one of them do every single job.
I don’t know where this location places on the ranks in Starbucks location, but I bet it’s one of the highest. You can’t find a better group of people who genuinely seem like they love and respect each other behind that counter. These guys are always on go time whether it’s 3 — 6 people behind the counter.
The store front is always swimming with collateral, merch, and holy moly the display is a work of art no doubt from the morning crew who is always full of win. I’ve been there at all hours, and consistency is the word that comes to mind. I can’t say enough about this place. It’s almost sad, no other Starbucks will ever come close. The parking is ample, and plenty of outdoor seating.
You can’t go wrong with anyone you get, but if you get the pleasure of being served or helped by one of the veterans make sure you tip well or add that $ 2 from your app because you know you’ve been truly taken care of by all of them.

This is without a doubt the slowest Starbucks I have ever been to. They are never able to manage the morning rush and the line is frequently out the door. They have a few great employees who do their best but they need to learn to staff the morning shift to adequately meet demand.

Seriously this is the slowest Starbucks ever. Your business is in the morning. So why wouldn’t u be staffed I really don’t get it. And some of them need to learn to smile. You choose to work here. I think I need to write to corporate.

This is my go-​to Starbucks for a quick drink, but I don’t find the physical facility to be all that comfortable. It’s a tight space which attracts lots of worker bees. They’ve done their best to pack in plenty of seating, but it’s often taken, and even when you find a spot, I find that the closeness and foot traffic make it a loud and sort of uncomfortable place to work.
That said, the staff are friendly and reasonably quick and the place is always kept clean, so it’s not a bad place for a coffee run.

Personally if I’m going to hold them to the highest standard then it is my duty to take a sip before I walk away from the counter.
With this in mind I have never had a negative experience at a Starbucks.
If most people applied similar methods to their experience, there would be far less unhappy customers.

Best feature? It’s right by the nearby hotel I happened to be staying at. Otherwise it’s a Starbucks. I have no strong feelings about the service (it was standard), and the seating felt sparser than normal. If you’re hungry for something a little more substantial, there’s a Trader Joe’s next door for your munching needs.

The baristas here are a lot slower at making drinks than I’ve experienced at other Starbucks. Also, my americano tasted a lot more bitter than normal. I’m not sure if they burned it or what, but it wasn’t very good.
Pros:
It seems to be a clean store with friendly service and they were very fast with getting hot food out.

And just waited over 15 minutes this morning… ludacris

It’s a Starbucks. They make coffee. Some staff are too chipper, some look like they want to put you in a wood chipper.
Whatever.

I visited this particular Starbucks for the first time yesterday. It was a nice place and was like most of the other Starbucks I’ve visited in the past. As this place is popular, there was a line to order and there were no seats inside the store. Fortunately, they have a patio area with extra seating and this area also provides a good view of the river. It’s nice to just sit out here and enjoy the view.
I had the Kenya Tana River yesterday as I saw a sign on the counter that recommended it. It took awhile for the drink to be prepared so I assume that they must be doing something for it in the back. The drink itself was decent and was certainly different from generic coffee. However, I wouldn’t quite describe it the way it was described on the sign.

This was a fast and friendly Starbucks experience. They have plenty of parking and outdoor seating. Yummy iced coffee on a very hot morning.

This Starbucks location and Caroline, who runs the place, have increased my devotion to Starbucks — and that is a strong statement from a Boston guy who grew up on Dunkin’ Donuts!
I recently hosted a leadership conference, and Caroline and her location of Starbucks provided the coffee and munchies for the entire conference. The service was extraordinary in terms of friendliness and reliability. When I stopped by the Memorial Drive location to thank her again, I experienced the same feel from Caroline and her staff.
A real plus is their commitment to sending Starbucks VIA to troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
This is a Starbucks location worth going out of your way to visit, because they will go out of their way to serve you with a smile!

You know, not all Starbucks locations are created equal. Some of them have bad flow, some have rude customers, some are dirty, some of them smell… I have to say, this one in genuinely nice and I always have a pleasant experience here. I am not afraid of ordering a drink out of fear of getting an off tasting drink, and I am always greeted with a smile by the girls working the counter. The quality and commitment to quality is definitely there, which isn’t always the case when going to a chain.
My visits here have a lot to do with Dorian’s Starbucks habit, which draws her there pretty much daily. All the girls know what she wants, and always are very focused on getting what she, and other customers, need or want and getting them out quickly. They often have samples out, and the café is always clean. What more can you want?

I quit drinking coffee a month ago because I couldn’t think of myself as a free person when I was making a pilgrimage to Starbucks, standing in line, and giving my order two times a day. I started to feel a little bit like a Muslim doing my required several daily prayers kneeling on a rug along with a huge mass of fellow coreligionists. I wanted to break out of this mass behavior pattern so I quit coffee. Also, if an enemy wanted to take over America, the easiest way would be to have their agents infiltrate Starbucks store staffs and sneak biological agents into the coffee. That would incapacitate like two thirds of our population in a single stroke.
Yes, I joke, but it is still unsettling to have so many people making a hajj to one corporate chain destintation every day.
But even after I quit coffee, this place is still nice to walk to and sit at just for a change of ambience and people. I just buy a Pelegrino or Chocolate Banana smoothie. It’s a little crowded but after 7 pm or so, it’s a nice place to sit for a few minutes to study an article or go over your notes.

It’s open! This Starbucks occupies some of the space formerly held by Strawberries Records & Tapes. They have a small patio area on the front side, facing Memorial Drive. I got a small decaf, it is burnt but that’s Starbucks for you.
I live too close so I’ll be back.