Starbucks

The Starbucks staff is usually consistently polite and competent, which is why I am so puzzled by my experience here on Wednesday afternoon. The barista was a little surly, which is understandable perhaps on a lonely afternoon with few customers in that big empty Benaroya lobby at 3:45 in the afternoon. But I can put up with a bad mood as long as the service is otherwise OK. But it was not OK. It was bad.
I brought my ten-​year old in for a treat. He wanted white, hot chocolate. I ordered a kid’s size beverage, with my kid standing right there. She makes the beverage. I pick it up, and because it is double-​cupped, do not realize that it is scalding hot! As soon as my kid sips it he spits it out and screams and says his tongue is burnt. I go back to the counter to ask why a kid’s beverage was so hot as to scald my kid’s mouth. She flippantly says «that’s the normal temperature, if you want it cooler say so.» No apologies. No concern for my child. Just putting the blame on me for serving my kid a burning hot beverage she made for him.
So, here’s my advice to other customers:
When ordering a kid’s drink be sure to ask for it to be served at a kid-​friendly temperature so your kid’s mouth is not scalded as my son’s was today. I guess this is not part of Starbucks’s otherwise comprehensive training.
Or better yet, walk another block in almost any direction and patronize an independent coffee house where the staff will not patronize you and will be kinder to your children.

The Starbucks on the 3^rd Ave. side of the Benaroya Hall! I can’t believe it hasn’t gotten any reviews yet. It’s always busy when I come in the mornings!
My favorite thing about this particular Starbucks location — and the main reason for the 5-​star rating — is the staff. Every single staff member is bubbly, personable, helpful, and attentive. Once you start being a regular, they remember you, your drink, and your choice of breakfast food! I am made to feel important every time I come, even when it’s insanely packed.
I am no coffee, espresso, or tea connoisseur and don’t have enough vocabulary to pick on what kind of beans or herbs they use for their products, but my shaken iced Teavana green tea (with two Equals and no classic) has been a part of my daily routine for YEARS, and I enjoy the occasional cup of Americano. Starbucks works fine! I feel no hate in my heart for what I get. Food-​wise, their sandwiches and salads are surprisingly good for the most part, even though some of them are unjustifiably overpriced for what they are. If it were genetically impossible for me to gain weight regardless of what I ate, I’d be getting a blueberry scone from here everyday… and maybe even twice a day, when it’s Treat Receipt time!