Starbucks

Best Starbucks location ever! I’ve been a pretty regular customer here for a while, and the service is always top notch, friendly, and fast! Today was the icing on the cake. The power was out, shutting down the stores systems, so they couldn’t even ring in an order, much less accept payment. Instead of shutting down until everything was fixed like every other establishment would have done, Starbucks was manually taking and processing orders for free. The guy who took my order said, «you can’t help that Starbucks is broken». That’s classy!

I work for a licensed company that has merged with Starbucks for all of you turnpike users, so although my work environment is more chaotic than an actual Starbucks the consistency or product and customer service should be the same across the board. Yet this was not the case when I visited this location.
I had taken my client here after a bad day at work (my second job: a job coach for individuals with developmental disabilities) to treat him to lunch. I was disappointed by the lack of friendly customer service, the cashier was clearly more interested in whatever was being said on her head set and exchanged between her & another coworker. She said hello but was clearly annoyed. the cheese danish I got was warm even though I watched her take it out of the refrigerated case.
The barista never even looked up from the counter, said hello, or called out my clients drink. When I picked it up and said «Thank you, have a good day» I got nothing. It’s no secret I hate people, but I always say hello so…
And trying to pull into & out of this location is an accident just waiting to happen! So if you can, go down the street to the location on 59, it’s safer and friendlier.

This Starbucks consistently has awesome customers service. I battled the Saturday before. Christmas traffic to get a soy latté at the drive thru at the Howe Rd location in Cuyahoga Falls only to discover that as I’m driving and drinking it it just doesn’t taste right. It tastes like the barista used cow nipple juice instead of soy milk like I requested. I went vegan this year. I don’t consume anything derived from animals. I stopped at this Starbucks to ask if they’d be able to remake my drink for me at which they happily obliged and apologized for the other stores negligence. I wish this Starbucks was closer to my house or on my way to work or I’d stop here more often.

Like any other Starbucks location, except this one is new and a nice reprieve from the perpetually-​busy Kent location. There is an upstairs but it isn’t open yet («If we get enough business and corporate notices, maybe» said one employee). The wi-​fi is constantly cutting in and out and there is a very annoying fly problem going on that hasn’t been addressed.
Seating arrangements (something I’m oddly keen on) are almost entirely geared to just two people per table, unlike the Kent location that has large tables that can seat up to seven people. This suits me fine, but may deter others. There are four leather club chairs and tucked in the back is an elongated sort-​of booth that can seat 6 – 7 people.
I’m really hoping that they make the upstairs area furnished and open to the public. I would’ve given a higher score but the wi-​fi being so unreliable is very annoying, and the fly outbreak is just as bad, especially for a place that serves food and drinks. I mean, consider that few people sit in Starbucks just to drink a coffee by themselves. Nay, often people hang out there either to socialize with others, read, or do homework on their laptop. The first two instances are disrupted by flies, and the third instance is disrupted by flies AND unreliable wi-​fi. So!
So…
UPDATE: I’ve begun going back here, and my two gripes (flies and unreliable wi-​fi) have been fixed, so yah! Higher rating.