Anonymous wrote:I don’t think I know a single Starbucks without seats, and I live in NoVA.

I was in a Philadelphia suburb last weekend and went to my first starbucks that had no seating. Had never seen these. Not only is there nowhere to sit, you also can't order inside. You have to use the App.

I don’t get how they’re going to go back to the cozy neighborhood coffeeshop when they’ve removed most of the seating and made them generally uncomfortable. The one near me had all the seating removed so they could expand the barista station. Now there’s only room for 2 small tables. There is an outside table but it’s usually occupied by homeless people or guys smoking weed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually like the direction they were going - ordering on the app and picking up is so convenient. The prices are atrocious so I don’t do it often, but when there’s an early soccer game for my kids I often grab a matcha tea or shaken espresso to get me going. I’ve never been one to sit in a coffee shop, I don’t have the patience!

What on earth is a "shaken espresso?"

It’s a marketing gimmick that allows them to charge several more dollars.

It’s basically 2-3 shots espresso with a flavor and a milk over ice. So the brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso is espresso, brown sugar syrup, oat milk, iced.

I learned if you order it that way the price is massively reduced. The word “shaken espresso” makes it sound like a fancy thing so they can charge more.

Ugh, this is just expensive candy for adults.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually like the direction they were going - ordering on the app and picking up is so convenient. The prices are atrocious so I don’t do it often, but when there’s an early soccer game for my kids I often grab a matcha tea or shaken espresso to get me going. I’ve never been one to sit in a coffee shop, I don’t have the patience!

What on earth is a "shaken espresso?"

It’s a marketing gimmick that allows them to charge several more dollars.

It’s basically 2-3 shots espresso with a flavor and a milk over ice. So the brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso is espresso, brown sugar syrup, oat milk, iced.

I learned if you order it that way the price is massively reduced. The word “shaken espresso” makes it sound like a fancy thing so they can charge more.

Yeah they really need to pick if they want online to go orders or if they want people to stay and sit with the homeless and the laptops and the crappy food. They can't do both well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually like the direction they were going - ordering on the app and picking up is so convenient. The prices are atrocious so I don’t do it often, but when there’s an early soccer game for my kids I often grab a matcha tea or shaken espresso to get me going. I’ve never been one to sit in a coffee shop, I don’t have the patience!

What on earth is a "shaken espresso?"

It's not stirred.

Anonymous wrote:I actually like the direction they were going - ordering on the app and picking up is so convenient. The prices are atrocious so I don’t do it often, but when there’s an early soccer game for my kids I often grab a matcha tea or shaken espresso to get me going. I’ve never been one to sit in a coffee shop, I don’t have the patience!

What on earth is a "shaken espresso?"

I actually like the direction they were going - ordering on the app and picking up is so convenient. The prices are atrocious so I don’t do it often, but when there’s an early soccer game for my kids I often grab a matcha tea or shaken espresso to get me going. I’ve never been one to sit in a coffee shop, I don’t have the patience!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love that they are going back to their roots as a cafe. They are a hub for community connection in my neighborhood. I hope they keep going in this direction.

Except I’d rather support the local independent coffee shops that have popped up to fill that void.

pp - Had to have been written by a McK tool. No one talks like this about a corporate coffee.

They should open ghost kitchen Starbucks for the mobile orders and rent spots for sit-in Starbucks. The mobile and drive thru orders take precedence so it doesn't feel like a coffee shop anymore. Even the one in my town without a drive thru has a train of Uber eats guys picking up orders.
My Gen Z coworkers will order half a dozen customized drinks from the Starbucks half a mile from our workplace through Uber eats! Since that behavior isn't changing they need to adapt.

Anonymous wrote:The homeless people and work all day at the coffee shop people ruined Starbucks so they got rid of the seating for those of us who stay 20-30 min enjoying coffee and the news before leaving. So…thanks for that. That said I realized I can buy infinitely better beans myself and make espresso at home for Pennie’s..so I guess also thanks.

"Pennie's"

I went into a Starbucks this weekend out of necessity. Im not crazy about their coffees (they’ve been too burnt tasting and mess with my stomach a bit) but I’ll get them if there are no other options around. I have to say I came out the store impressed. My coffee (dark roast, black) was made to order. The beans were ground right in front of me. The taste was better than I remember. Fresher, smoother and not as burnt. My venti was 3.75 and I felt that was fine.

Anonymous wrote:They should stop taking online orders. The baristas can’t mange the tons of mobile orders, plus a drive thru, plus give good customer service to patrons that come into the store.

Plus they need more (comfortable) seating and tables and they need to bring back the creamer station and self serve water.

Online orders is all the money. Most even independent local restaurants would make a lot more money if they downsized their footprint and just focused on to-go orders.

Starbucks is dead. The new huckster CEO is just desperately throwing crap at the wall trying to pump the stock before he retires with a few hundred million. The reason Starbucks is dead is because it’s no longer aspirational. The Stanley mug has replaced the Starbucks cup. Smoothies and premium water replaced sugary fake coffee drinks. And the Starbucks workers are bottom of the barrel. Nobody feels fancy at a Starbucks, the workers are on par with McDonald’s employees and the clientele are often sloppy fat people. Put a fork in it.

Anonymous wrote:I bet they paid McKinsey a lot for this dumb idea

Love this (because it is true)- although it’s always the customers who pick up the increase in costs …