Starbucks

After grabbing dinner in Town Center, I needed a place to study for an exam the following morning. Starbucks is my first choice because I get free refills on hot/​iced coffee or tea, plus I need all the caffeine I can get for an all-​nighter.
After ordering my first drink, an iced sweet green tea, I scouted the place for a table near an outlet so I could charge my laptop and have all my notes out. This location is fairly small, and I only noted ONE table with an outlet nearby. The rest of the outlets are bunched in a corner by the comfy seats. Good thing I had charged my laptop beforehand…
After a couple minutes of downing my first drink, I went up to the register to ask for a refill, but for cold brew this time. The lady at the register said in a snarky tone that their policy on refills called for an equally or lesser priced drink to be qualified for a refill. I’ve never had this problem at other locations, and it says nothing about it in the Starbucks terms and conditions *trust me, I’ve reviewed it plenty of times.* But luckily she let it slide this time.
While she was preparing my cold brew, she was holding a conversation with the other barista and accidentally poured iced coffee into the cup. What irritated me was that she asked me «How do you feel about iced coffee?» I ordered cold brew, so it’s implied I wanted cold brew. I stated I liked the taste of cold brew better, and thankfully, she tossed out the contents and started over with my drink.
Good drinks, but iffy service.

Very good Starbucks. Sometimes can use some more staff, but overall shows one of the best professionalism, accuracy, friendliness and hospitality in the area.

Very intimate, friendly Starbucks. Since it’s one of the more inaccessible Starbucks in the area and doesn’t have a drive thru it’s nicer for a hang out spot. Quiet enough you can actually pay attention to the ambient music and only one barista is needed. I personally like this climate a little more than the herd busting Starbucks elsewhere.

The staff and management at this store is absolutely AMAZING!!! I always breeze right though the line and can always expect on a great drink! Love this Starbucks ;)

This is, without doubt, the best Starbucks location on planet earth. I spend LOTS of time here. The staff is AMAZING!!!

Was in the neighborhood so came here on a Tuesday at 2:30. It was busy and the staff was not friendly. Parking lot was busy and tight and so was the seating inside. I should expect that since it’s located at one of the busiest intersections in Virginia Beach. Won’t be back.

I haven’t been to this Starbucks in a while, because the parking lot can be hectic on busy Independence Blvd. We stopped by after lunch today and the cashier taking the order was pretty rude to my friend, who ordered. She took the cards handed to her from my friends hand, then set them on the counter along with the receipt. It seemed rude, like she didn’t want to touch people or something. Our drinks were made quickly enough by a pleasant barista (different than cashier), they were just so WEAK. My lime refresher was watery and immensely-​full of of ice while my friend’s frappachino was also not that tasty. Won’t be back here.

THEY MADE MY DRINK THE RIGHT WAY!
They made my drink the right way. I don’t care about the crappy parking lot. My drink was great and I didn’t back up into someone else.
It happened. A venti iced green tea latte with soy milk made perfectly.
This is the type of excitement to expect from someone who has a complicated, but not really complicated, drink order. Constantly having dry pockets of matcha powder at the bottom of your cup is never a good thing. Kinda gross, actually.
I watched the way the barista made it. He put in the soy milk, ice (I know, I got ice), and then put the powder on top and swirled it around. NO DRY POCKETS! I was so excited. The powder distributed all over. Not a little bit of green tea here, some milk here, maybe some syrup over here. That’s how it usually it, but not this time! Thanks!
…The cake pops were good, too. ^_^

This is my absolutely favorite Starbucks. The customer service is AWESOME. It’s definitely a pleasant EXPERIENCE and that’s what we are paying for. Otherwise. We can get coffee anywhere but not the Experience!

Let’s get something out of the way right now.
Here is a link about how to make a Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice. It isn’t all that complex, but just in case, here is the link:
Or to make it even easier for you:
Tall = 2 shots of espresso, 2 pumps of classic syrup
Grande = 3 shots of espresso, 3 pumps of classic syrup
Venti = 5 shots of espresso, 5 pumps of classic syrup
Add 2% milk and ice. Place on counter (lovingly), and call out, ‘Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice for James.‘
If you are at the register, ring this up as an Americano.
You’re welcome.
Once upon a time, Starbucks was known as a Third Place. With the hustle and bustle of ‘modern living,’ people had:
1. Home
2. Work
But no place to go and hang out, meet friends, linger, spend time. Meet new people. Have intelligent conversation.
Starbucks was initially formed to be that 3^rd place. And it was wildly successful. I’ve Third Placed at The Green Lady locations all over the world. Even made a pilgrimage to Pike Place to see the original (where The Green Lady is actually Brown). The people that I’ve met while Third Placing are off the charts vibolicious. We were all there for the same reason (hint, it really had very little to do with overpriced coffee) and always seemed to leave just a little bit smarter/​more attractive/​more informed/​better human being than when we arrived.
Fast forward to this century, someone (probably a Board of Directors composed of mostly White Old Greedy Males) decided that the PE ratio and ROI were not commensurate with Leading Indicators. In an effort to Right all that was Wrong with their Pocketbooks, the Drive-​thru was invented. So I guess the idea is go inside and linger, but let’s slam people through the Hole in the Wall as quickly as possible. Extra discounts apply for anybody driving a mini-​van.
Now that isn’t even enough to pacify the White Old Greedy Males. Before they decompose a bit more, they have decided that what the world needs is a mobile app. Yep, place your order ahead of time from your phone, then waltz right in and scoop it up from the counter and leave. Hopefully without having to utter one single word. Get in, get your drink, get out.
They should probably hang up an up to the minute ticker to show what the stock price is doing. Who knows, it might inspire conversation among the White Old Greedy Decomposing Males, the ones who are Constantly Seeking Alpha.
In the meantime, though, me and my buddies, we are back in search of The Elusive Third Place. The Green Lady used to preside over one at the East Foot of the Lesner Bridge but some White Old Greedy Male had it ripped to shreds.

Good for your pretentious coffee fix at a premium price
This is a good branch. Only had on staffer act like a snob before. Use caution due to traffic. heavy traveled road and some dont make the good choices in driving and juggling their lattes at the same time.

I tend to look at this particular Starbucks as «The Death Trap». It is a nightmare to get in and out of this little shopping strip –thus, when I have a hankering for SBux, I usually just ride it out down Independence heading toward Baxter to get to the other one near InnTown Suites (which is a wee wittle bit less of a nightmare).
On the inside, this SBux is pretty impressive. It has ample seating and an awful lot of gift boxes, coffee makers, etc. to fulfill your home-​based coffee needs. It’s clean and well-​maintained. I ordered my usual Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher, which is a mix of juice, water, berries, and some other magical crap. I always ask them to sub the water for lemonade, it makes it taste even fresher (thus, I have no idea why «the beards» of SBux corporate don’t change the recipe; whatever).
My drink was good, but I always specifically ask for light ice. If you do not ask for light ice, they will seriously give you about 20% drink/​80% ice. Unfortunately, my request was not met here. Fine. I’ll crush this drink in two sips, then.

The cupboards are usually bare. If you’re hoping to find your favorite pastry, go to another Starbucks. If all you want is a beverage, you’ll be happy at this Starbucks.
Staff is nice.
Restaurant is clean.
Coffee is good.
But by noon more then 70% of the pastry choices are gone. The staff at this Starbucks regards empty cupboards by noon as a sign of good business. I see it as a sign of poor planning. Starbucks doesn’t bake their own goods. They receive almost everything in bulk so there’s no excuse for running out.
2 starts because I’ve experienced MANY better Starbucks stores.

Wow. Really. «Dry» cappuccino 3 shots to you is the same as a caffe latte? I gave up after it was remade wrong 3 times. I had not been at Starbucks in months, I have a Livia Pasquini at home and make espresso and capuccinos daily. Grew up in Europe, so I do know the difference between an espresso, a macchiato, a caffe latte etc… Non ci devo pensare.[ It is not something that requires much thinking.] By far this was the worst cup of swill I have ever overpaid for. Seriously. And the rudest «barista». Just for your own info Starbucks… watching someone wipe the steam nozzle with a rag so dirty that I would not wipe my floor with… was the cherry on the Sunday of disappointment. The really sad part was that this I ordered two dry capuccinos… not just one. Both went into the trash. I will not ever step foot in there again, and my friend who was with me has a new nickname for Starbucks… and it is not pretty.

This is a busy little store, but is is clean and the service is quick and friendly. The pumpkin bread is pretty darn good. The parking is a little tricky.

The friendly staff is an incentive to check out this location (aside from the Starbucks products). I can’t give this a full five stars because some days, the deli/​bottled drink shelves are disorganized and out of place. They also don’t always clean up the tables right away after customers leave (but then again, I believe that should be the responsibility of the customers… Common Courtesy!).

If you can manage to get not get your ass run over on VB Blvd or Independence Blvd trying to head over to this Starbucks then your day is already getting better. This parking lot is tight so if you get in and out without a fender bender you might as well play the Mega Millions. Get past all the ish and you’re at a nice coffee shop that seems to hustle people in and out all day. This particular location does not have a drive thru.
I know I should probably be giving my business to a local joint but the convenience of having a 20 – 30 minute meeting close to the interstate with relatively easy parking (minus the crazy people in parking lots) makes going there a compelling. This is not the type of Starbucks people go to for hours of hanging out. I’d say 75% of the people are in and out and there are a few of us who will crash for a few minutes to talk business or quickly catch up with a friend and then off to the next thing.
The dude behind the counter recognized me from yesterday and is SUPER friendly with everyone. Chain, mom and pop or whatever… you always want this type of customer service wherever you go. His hospitality alone is worth going there.

This location does not have a drive-​thru, which is a bummer. But overall the service is friendly and quick, unless someone in front of you has ordered a complicated fru-​fru drink with twenty different steps. But overall, it’s Starbucks and if you want to pay $ 5.00 for some coffee then I guess you don’t mind waiting either.

I just want to say that upon my visits here in the mornings I didn’t find an unorganized staff. Instead they were quick, fast, prompt and ready to please.
My visits were the weekend of 7÷13−7÷16÷2012.
Coffee was hot, fresh and just like you would expect from Starbucks. Plus, I didn’t see a lot of these near my hotel. It is very small inside but they have outdoor seating as well. Since we were there for a concert and the beach we didn’t try to hang out or anything so seating or the size of this place meant nothing to us.

Smaller sized Starbucks with a smaller sized parking area. No drive-​through. They still have all the usual (overpriced) coffees and pastries, there just aren’t as many seats as other Starbucks locations.
I might actually be able to like Starbucks now that the wifi is free!