Starbucks

The slowest Starbucks I have been to by far. It takes 10 minutes to order your drink and 10 to get your drink the craziest part is there’s only 2 people in line.

Where to begin with this Starbucks. I normally never hate Starbucks because Peet’s coffee seem to be my target of place that give me the shitty vibe. But lately this Starbucks and many others are rounding out the vibe.
Ok. The story begins with hubby went there to get me my drinks while I finish buying gifts for his mom. Oh by the way, this is not the first time this happened. He ordered A Venti ice vanilla latte. Not much of a complex drink. Simple and no unique request. Well… closing time to these employee so that means rushing everyone out the door. That include f**king your drink up for their rushing. My drink was supposed to be a regular vanilla. It became sugar free and this location is notorious to think somehow you don’t know how your drink suppose to taste like. Do they seriously think that in 7 years, I won’t know how the real vanilla and sugar free vanilla taste like??? Besides sugar free crap upset my stomach. I know you want to go home but do your freaking job right. Everyone wants to go home but what is the point of cutting corner because you are too freakin lazy to go and get a new bottle of regular vanilla. My hubby tipped them more than they deserved. I have to tossed a $ 4.95 coffee because they are too lazy to do their job right. Thanks for making us waste money and wasted drink and wasted our time.

I usually come to this location since it is conveniently located in hillsdale mall and all the other places are basically closed for construction. After today I am not sure if I want to even come. The past couple times we came here the drinks have been super diluted and inconsistent. I think maybe new hires for summer? We ordered two of the same drinks and they came out different colors, one with a lot of ice the other with barely any and one was super sour, the other tasted like water…

Where’s the Zero star??? They don’t deserve one star at all! Rude and unfriendly staff!!!

Service at this location is horrible. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s at a mall location but people arnt friendly at all. It just takes forever to order and get the drinks. It’s just slow motion here. Snailbucks that’s what they should be call. I don’t want to put a bad review since I go to Starbucks all the time but this location should change. They have a nice store for nothing. When you come picking up from ordering on the app they still mess up the orders.
Nordstrom café is even better and you get more for the same price.

Very noisy, crowded Starbucks due to its location and hours. I went in this morning at 8:30am-ish on Monday thinking the early morning workers, moms, and students would have left to start their day. Nope. Long line but very fast moving. Many joggers and dog-​walkers that exercise in the mall stop here too.
Many detailed orders. This location is used to fast-​paced and trades quality for speediness. Customers cluster close to the order pick-​up area so walking in from the street entrance can get difficult during rush periods.
During slower periods, the staff sweeps and wipes down the areas. Bathrooms were clean. Many electrical outlets to let people charge but also a lot of people working and meeting (some for more than 2 hours). Didn’t see a newspaper stand. Wifi is heavily used and slow due to customer load. Furniture layout is more for group meetings than single lounging.
Gets heavy foot traffic due to location. Ambience to study isn’t ideal for me (but bf likes white noise like this). Will continue to go due to convenience but wouldn’t drive 5 miles or spend more than $ 10 for. If I had a Starbucks account, I’d order ahead here.

Living in San Francisco, and working in San Mateo I often stop at this Starbucks. This is far the rudest starbucks I have seen. Keysea is consistently rude and surly with orders and drinks and barks orders at employees and workers. I witnessed a slight argument within staff workers here– adds to the tension of the environment. It would be so much more pleasant if the workers were nicer!

This is a high traffic location. Since it’s a mall I don’t mind that it doesn’t have the usual Starbucks vibe. The layout is very open and loud.
In the evenings most weekdays things get much more calm. I’ve meet up with friends to catch up and in the summer the outdoor seating is perfect.

Newly remodeled Starbucks. I’m glad it finally has a opening to Hillsdale mall unlike before where you could only enter from the outside. This Starbucks was packed! Once I ordered I had no place to stand and wait. The service at Hillsdale is really bad so I couldn’t use my Starbucks app. and pre-​order from my phone

This is a chain so it gets 3 stars by default unless they really mess up — and in my 4 visits here, it’s never been that bad. I’ve always come in the morning and the line has been about 5+ deep but on my most recent visit there was nobody in line. What a shock. I’ve never had to wait more than about 5 minutes for my drink. I’d never come here if I didn’t live so close but it’s not that bad, c’mon this is Starbucks not some trendy hipster coffee spot in the Mission so don’t expect much.

This is by far the worst and slowest location I’ve ever been to. This is not based on one or two visits, but I’m unfortunately a consistent visitor here based on my place of employment. The line is always out the door and when they are even slightly busy, there’s a frantic mess going on behind the counter. They seem to have issues communicating with one another. I never see any communication going on. The person I hear is Alex, though he’s usually barking some order or making some snarky comment to not only a fellow employ but even to customers. I’ve seen this in several occasions. He seems really overwhelmed making orders. Maybe he’d be better used elsewhere like in the or dining area which is usually a disgusting mess. Definitely not a place I want to sit and eat or drink my coffee. Order ahead? That’s a joke here too. Prepare to wait an additional 10 min on top of the 4 – 8 that are usually quoted. Trying to get Alex’s attention to pick up your mobile order is like trying to get the attention of a cat. Today I finally got his attention and he says I need to let him know when I get here, which I did. Next time I guess I’ll have to loudly announce my presence. I can’t stand it when he’s working. I know it’ll always be a battle. I come here nearly everyday and he still hasn’t a clue who I am. He chooses not to get to know the customers.
You know who’s great though? Zack. He’s always happy and easy going. He knows my name and always asks how my day is. This location needs more employees like Zack.

Rude rude rude! I went into this Starbucks yesterday around 11:30am and ordered my grande breve latte with 4 agave, I order this drink all the time at every store I go to and they have absolutely no problem doing this.
This rude Supervisor informed me that they couldn’t open up the agave and put it in my drink because it was a liquid and it was against «health code». How is it possible that they are able to pour milk in your beverages then? The supervisor was rude with a attitude and would not listen to me when I tried to explain to her over and over that I have a physical disability where my finger does not function anymore! Therefore I need help opening it!
This was a horrible experience just horrible and embarrassing I can NOT believe this store! Who does that? No regard to please the customer I will be calling corporate.

With my tired self, I got to Hillsdale way too early for my shift for next week when I’m supposed to be opening the regular time today. So I decided to stop by Starbucks, and one of the Managers in training, Kaycie greeted me, «good morning» at an instant. I hung out there for a while soon after she made me the «Kaycie Special».
I noticed how her and her staff greeted the customers and MANY knew of her. She was flinging names here and there and it surprised me how often these people come here and see their go — to chick. I think the staff as a whole was very efficient and they were literally waking everyone up with their upbeat music and lip syncing and clapping. So I think this place is better than what most think.
The drink itself is amazing, I still don’t exactly know what it is except for the base is caramel brûlée.

The slowest Starbucks ever in my life.
I’ve went there this morning just to get ice green tea-​sweeted and ice lemon loaf bread.
Got my snack but service was non existing. So I’ve waited more then 10 minutes to get my drink and only two people went ahead after me…
Finally, got my drink and they didn’t put sweetener on my ice tea. oh well, it is what it is.
I rather go to the one inside of Barnes and noble across the street then this joint. Plus they need to hired more people too.

This could quite possibly be the SLOWEST Starbucks in existence. It’s strange because when the coffee shop was outside, the service was pretty standard. Now that they’ve moved to this larger indoor location, 98% of the time there’s a line out the door and 100% of the time you’re going to have to wait an additional unreasonable amount of time to get your drink. I just can’t comprehend how a Starbucks could be so slow. Are Snow White’s forest animals making the coffee? Do these forest animals also happen to be blind and missing limbs? Seriously, wtf. I just don’t get it.
I’m frequently at Hillsdale and often need a little caffeine boost to get through the day, but this place is such a waste of time that I’d rather pay more to get coffee at Nordstrom. Something really has to be done to boost the productivity of this Starbucks location especially with the holidays right around the corner or else no one’s getting gifts. NO ONE!

Slow and unkempt. I have been waiting in line at the same spot for five minutes just to place my order. Staff members are moving all about around in the back — appearance of a lot of busy work with little getting done — order line is long and beverages are crawling to come out.
While waiting for my drink to be made — one staff member that left 10 minutes ago to empty the trash came back; one staff member at the register; one grump, slow, and lethargic staff member making drinks at the point of sales; and another fussing over packs of sugar.
My ice tea was at the cusp of being finished after two sad shakes (other Starbuck store shake it 6– 8 times) it was poured into the trenta cup. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel — my hopes were dashed for what should have been end to an already miserable service — as it took another minute for placing a lid over the drink because the barista took a side trip to chat with the other employee that was fussing with sugar packs earlier.
Bottom line — this is certainly not the trend at most Starbucks which are run well, which makes this store stand out sorely. Better leadership and/​or training of the staff is much needed here.

Starbucks Horror Story
Once upon a time, there was a quaint and dainty Starbucks located next to the petite boutique floral shop Blossoms. By design, the one and only entrance was through the street. A small operation, hustle and bustle, slanging caffeine to the frequent regulars and occasional visits from the PO-​lice. A scene that draws parallel to a trap house in the Americana suburbia landscape that is the Hillsdale mall.
Fast forward, it was the best of times and the worst of times. Due to the Fed aggressive quantitive easing plan and historic low interest rates to stimulate the economy, in tandem to Venture Capitalists investing in unicorns, the influx of wealth translates to direct increase in spending on consumer goods and services. In a year’s time, Hillsdale has gone from a deadbeat mall for bored housewives to a ratchet hangout spot for teens. As an influx of new consumers hit the market, corporations decide strategically for ways to increase their sales. In this case, expanding Starbucks to the corner store to push their products by the pounds.
A lot of people talk trash about Starbucks, about the quality of coffee compare to otherwise artisanal third-​wave coffee shops. Truth be told, of all the locations I’ve been to Starbucks have always been fairly consistent. For the record, I have been to the «First Starbucks» in Seattle and the latte tastes exactly the same worldwide. The beans are uniform, products cut the same. If you think they taste different, I can only assume you are a coffee sommelier. Do coffee sommelier even exists?! Well, they should because being picky at Starbucks is a bit like being picky about tacos at Taco-​bell.
The main issue at this Starbucks is the staff, while I understand the increase demand and the turnaround time for a cup of Joe, I’ve been to many Starbucks with twice the crowd but way smoother executions. To be fair, the staff at this location all seem relatively young, take it for what is worth. Everyone has a Starbucks horror story, this one is mine.
Just a week ago, September 10^th, 1:45pm at exactly this very moment I walked into this Starbucks. Wasn’t that such a theatrical Hollywood start to a story? Total disclaimer, I just made the date and time up for dramatic effects, only schizophrenias remember things like that. On the real though, I did visit this Starbucks last week. Check my check-​ins, no lie, no lie, no lie-​lie-​lie. Despite the frequent out-​the-​door lines at this location, I never had a «terrible» experience at this Starbucks. People relax, it’s JUST COFFEE. On this particular day however, there were only one cashier and one barista… Hilarity ensues. The end.
Snitches get stitches, y’all heard? This is my local Starbucks so I am trying to help them improve, instead of writing a discouraging useless full blown rant on Unilocal.You all should do the same to your neighborhood Starbucks to help lift up the community, quit acting like you are entitled just because you ordered a cup of coffee like EVERYONE ELSE #basicbetch #pumpkinspiceface.
To end this post, here are some thoughts that crossed my mind that day:
If you missed a person’s name, an alternative is to check their card name. The chance someone ordering iced coffee with caramel syrup is very rare. If an individual orders an extra shot with their drink, the drink ergo cannot be iced coffee. Writing name with black sharpie with iced black coffee is impossible to decipher. If drinks were left for an inordinate amount of time, most likely the drinks were wrong. Barista should communicate with customer first to figure out the issue and then confirm with cashier, not vice versa.
That is all, you know where to find me. Find me in the mall, guarantee it’s going down.

This review is based on my experience over the last 6 months. Used to be my favorite spot.
My hope is that someone from Starbucks leadership team will actually reads this, takes it seriously, and help save our community Starbucks store…
1. Employees should not be able to cook their break food (Chinese food!!!) in the ovens that are for customer bakery goods. Whole store smelled like fish… This was a Sat morning…
2. Store is always filthy… I mean DIRTY!!! condiment bar NEVER checked and empty, floors, windows, etc. No sanitation practices happening at all. Buy a broom n mop for peet sake! Employees need to wash Their hands!
3. employees are really nice but zero sense of urgency and zero training! Be fair to your staff… Train them, teach them… There always confused and lost. I feel bad for them. Very slow service. 5 customers in line at the store yesterday at 10:00 am. 19 min for a tall white mocha. Forgot my whip cream… Again! N again n again.
4. Hire a true leader (GM) that has mgmt presence, works the floor, makes sure your experience is great. Seems to be no GM ever available, either in the office or their off. That’s what I’ve been told every time I ask to speak to one.
5. Pastry case yesterday Thursday ⁸⁄₂₇ had 1 item (pastry) per each sign. That’s being LAZY! All other Locations fill up there pastry cases full. Again, no training and cutting corners as usual. This happens a lot.
6. I would’ve been very happy to share all my experiences directly with the manager but their never around. So now I’m here on Unilocal.
7. Take this location seriously Starbucks! It’s a beautifully remodeled store, a prime location, and we want a mgr or leader to bring that great coffee experience that I receive in other locations.
Sanitation, training, customer service, positive energy and overall execution is majorly lacking at this store specifically.
I’ve been a customer since 92. This is my first complaint. Wasn’t easy for me, but enough is enough.
Hopefully these issue will be addressed immediately. I spend my hard earned money there. You owe it to your customers to look into this. I’m not making this up.
My next review will be to Corporate Seattle and any customer rep if I need to.
Best Regards,
RH

I waited 20 minutes for a caramel machiato.
I felt so bad that I wasted that much time for a lousy, overpriced drink.
I think the starbucks franchise needs to take these wait times serious, as nobody has the time in the day to waste for a beverage. Mobile apps make ordering quick and simple, and you should be able to streamline the process to be efficient. Considering they are raising the prices, and the cost is going down, Starbucks is doing a terrible job!
I would only be happy if this location were to speed it up a bit. Maybe have someone to take orders in line so the cashier can stick to just taking payments.

Recently remodeled, new hires… I got a tall instead of the grande I ordered, and both orders before mine were wrong too. But this is a premium chain, so they fixed everything quickly. This place is usually busy with good seating in a good location. The chargers are pretty sensitive, and ²⁄₅ people at long table were not able to charge.