Starbucks

The quality of the coffee at this Starbucks has declined. I ordered a double nonfat latte and it barely tasted like a single. It was not the strong, robust flavor I’m used to in Seattle. I thought they had made a mistake and they made me another. Again, very weak and tasking primarily of milk. I had to toss it. I had a cold brew here last week and it was great. I’ll try again in a few weeks for a latte to see if a different batch of beans helps.

My wife is from Kauai. We spend a lot of time in this Starbucks, and I always have the same complaints:
1) This location takes longer than any location I have ever been to.
No, it’s not just because this location is always busy. I have been to other locations with a constant busy flow like this one, but they hammer out the drinks like crazy. At this location, the baristas are always taking their time about everything. Like a lot of time. If I am in a hurry, I never go to this location. There are others on the island that I will drive out of my way to go to that end up saving me time.
2) The drinks are always barely mediocre.
It would be one thing if I waited all the time it takes them to make drinks and ended up with a phenomenal drink every time. I would wait for that. But when I wait as long as I do, then the drink comes out tasting terrible, I lose all patience.
I will give one compliment. The staff here is always friendly. They may not really know what they are doing, but at least they smile while doing it.
Summary: if you go to this location, you will wait a long time for a drink that is not good, but the people are nice.
Tips: USE THE BETA ORDERING! Order ten to fifteen minutes ahead of time. I’ve stopped waiting in line here. It takes too long.

I would like to share a great customer service experience that I had tonight at the Starbucks at Kukui Grove. As a visitor to Kauai every 2 – 3 years, every moment I spend on the island is precious. This evening my wife was searching for the special Hawaiian Starbucks Christmas ornament. I wanted to find the ornament myself, but honestly, I didn’t want to call all the Starbucks on the island. On the drive back to our hotel, we drove by Kukui Grove and decided to drop by Starbucks to see if they had the ornament. We walked in and didn’t see the ornament on the shelves so one of the senior staff members came by to help us, Noelani. The place was buzzing, just like it was 3 years ago when we went there to get a cup of coffee. Noelani was extremely busy; she mentioned that she was sorry that we had to wait for her to assist us because she was training a couple of new staff members. She offered to help us find the ornament by calling the other Starbucks in the area but asked if it would be ok with us if she could call us later in the evening, during her «personal» break time. We understood that she was busy but appreciated the fact that she was conscientious enough to offer to call us back with an update on the search, which she did 90 minutes later. She had great news, she found the ornaments in another cabinet in the store but apologized for not being able to spend more time with us when we were there earlier. My wife and I were impressed that despite the fact that she was so busy, she continued to search for the ornament for us and made it a point to follow through with the call to us. Much thanks to Starbucks for having employees like Noelani that care about customer service. She is a star in our book.

This Starbucks is always busy. But, no matter how busy the staff is always friendly and takes time for your order.

Mallory is the best barista out of all the staff. She is always helpful. She’s kind. She’s polite and always has a smile. Even when times are busy, she’s calm. She’s awesome.

I love Starbucks. Been to this location a few times. I’ve always had a cheerful person taking my order, even when it’s slammed.
It gets pretty much since it’s right there smack in front of the mall. Its literally the first thing you see when you pull into kukui grove.
Nice to get your peach green tea lemonade and shop!

What I really appreciated about this Starbucks was the available plugs for power were plentiful and working. The Kapaa Starbucks was dismal and plugs were loose. This kuhio hwy Starbucks was classic mall vibe to their merit the staff and baristas were sweet and beautiful.

I don’t know what happened to this Starbucks. Over the last year they have dramatically declined in the quality of its service. Some days the baristas are very cheerful and things go very smoothly but other days the barista taking my order is a complete bitch with unecessary attitude. Like i went in today to get my usual iced drink and off the bat i was greeted with a staight face and a «hi»; like what is the problem here? Are they over-​worked? I honestly love Starbucks and am a total white girl at heart but i’m not to sure about this Starbucks sometimes.

Starbucks! My favorite. The service is great and the staffs are friendly. I always love their mocha frappuccino and hot mocha drinks! Location is ok but the area is so small for me. The chairs compared to the other starbucks outlet are not that comfortable and because of it’s location, it is always busy. How i wish i can enjoy my coffee while relaxing and reading a little bit in a corner of the area but you cannot do that because it is always crowded. Perfect only for grab-​your-​coffee on the go.

Come to this starbucks frequently when I’m on the island. Be aware, it is right in the mall right where the parking lot begins. Because of it’s location it is always busy. So, if you’re a starbucks fanatic like I am be prepared for a wait.

Tall Iced Caramel Macchiato (layered with caramel walls) is enough to zap you back to life after a lazy Sunday!

On vacation and needing to kill some time awaiting my family’s return, I found myself in the Kukui Grove Mall and in desperate need for coffee. Most of the Mall stores were not open yet, but fortunately for me, Starbucks was!
There was a line of customers, but my Iced Caramel Macchiato arrived fairly quickly and was made to perfection. It was a little difficult to find a place to sit, which seem to be at a premium here, but I did find a spot, and the air-​conditioning was a welcome respite from the heat.
As is not unusual for Mall-​located Starbucks, it gets a lot of customer traffic and noise, so this may not be the best location for writing the next great American novel. But to cool off, or get a quick Lihue shopping pick-​me-​up, it’s ideally situated!

Way too busy and slow

The folks that work at this Starbucks are so happy and I had the best service! I went here twice during my trip to Kauai and each time I was greeted with a smile. If you’re in the mood to study there’s a big table inside and ample outdoor seating. Your normal Starbucks experience except everyone is delightful!