HOME | CALENDAR |  33133 STORE |  AD RATES
Welcome to the Grapevine

News you can use. - Sunlight is the best disinfectant

Monday, February 01, 2016

She's a terrible barista

I am too embarrassed to return to the Starbucks next to Monty's because I had to open my big mouth and tell one of the girls there that she doesn't make good coffee. I held it in for months. Every time she makes the coffee, it is horrible. I usually order a cafe mocha, what I get is warm milk, there is never any mocha or coffee in the drink. This happened to me at Panther Coffee once, so I just assume they forget to put the ingredients in, but this is a daily occurrence by this one barrister at Starbucks. Just this one person.

Over the past six months or so, whenever she's making the coffee, I just get out of line and leave. I have done this maybe six or seven times already. But this past Sunday, there was no one in the store except the three people behind the counter and me and she was the one making the coffee. I guess since there was no one around and I don't know why else, I blurted out, "I don't want you to make my coffee!" I guess I since I was the only customer, I couldn't sneak out and I just blurted it out.

I thought to myself, "Did I just say that out loud?"


The three people behind the counter just stopped what they were doing and looked at me. I then explained that every time this one girl makes the coffee, it comes out as warm milk. I have thrown it out after a few sips. She said that I should have returned it, but I didn't, and I just kept hoping that she would either be switched to taking the orders at the register or something else.

The manager suggested that I probably had picked up someone else's order. Many times and only when this one girl is making the coffee? And it's always warm milk? Who orders warm milk at Starbucks anyway?

I explained that I didn't want to start trouble or embarrass anyone and that I don't know why I just blurted it out, but I guess I was holding it in for so long and it just came out.

I told her that there is a guy there that makes perfect coffee every time. I love his coffee. She asked who it was, but I said I didn't know his name, but I said that he's a nasty guy with a shaved head. When I said that, they knew exactly who I meant. "Oh that's xxx," she said, without missing a beat.

So if you want good coffee at Starbucks on South Bayshore Drive, you gotta get it from the nasty guy. He's nasty, but is an excellent barista. There's a Janet Jackson song in there somewhere.

As for my coffee that day, the three of them behind the counter held baited breath until I took a sip to see what I thought. It was terrible - same as always - warm milk - but I said it was great, and I left. Probably never to return.


YOU MAY NOT LIFT THE PHOTOS & TEXT. IT'S COPYRIGHTED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. YOU CAN HOWEVER SHARE A STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY USING THE LINKS HERE.
For linking to this one story, just click on the time it was posted & just this story will open for sharing - only through social media. Not copying and pasting.

10 Comments:

Blogger Brian Breslin said...

Tom, you should have told them what you were expecting and if the store was empty they could have remade it for you. That's helpful to them to train their staff. Did panther people learn to make you a proper mocha ?

February 01, 2016 8:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom, grow a spine. There's not much time left. This could have been a learning experience for them all, but instead, you insulted, and then didn't help them. It could have been constructive criticism, but instead, just remained a passing dig without purpose.

February 01, 2016 12:57 PM  
Blogger Tom Falco said...

Huh? I didn't give them a passing dig, I explained the problem and I was quite embarrassed about it and their solution was that I must be wrong and I must have picked up the wrong cup (4 times). WTF are you talking about?

February 01, 2016 12:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think what 12:57 meant was that you should have said something about that last one being terrible as well

February 01, 2016 3:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah, I agree. Once you set it all in motion then you should have seen it through. There was a nice way to pursue it by saying it still tasted the same so perhaps it was your own fault and you weren't ordering properly. Then tell them what you want in the coffee instead of what it is called. That would have allowed them to save face and for you to get the cup of coffee you expected. They obviously wanted to please you.

February 01, 2016 7:07 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Life's too short to drink bad coffee. Go to Panther or Pasion Del Cielo

February 02, 2016 7:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To rich for my wallet, what, 3/4 to $4.50, for a cup of Joe "A rose by any other name is still a rose' i.e., cup of Joe. Funny though, on the same day I got two cups of Joe at our Burger King and it too, tasted like weak milk, but what the heck, I drank mine and took the other to my friend at Shell Lumber.

February 02, 2016 9:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes Tom, the point of the comment was clearly that once you started down teh path of pointing out that she couldn't make coffee, you need to see it through. letting her/them off the hook helps no one. Leaves everyone worse off. Hence the not being "constructive criticism."

February 02, 2016 10:42 AM  
Anonymous Jeffrey said...

Tom,

We are so sorry to hear about your experience. Please feel free to send your contact information to executive@starbucks.com, referencing case# 21655811 in the subject line. The local leadership team would like to connect with you and try to make things right.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey
Starbucks Coffee Company
Executive Support

February 02, 2016 1:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sure, right, okay, right on Mr. Jeffrey @ Starbucks Coffee Company w/Executive Support, I mean good gosh, how many stupid, dumb, ignorant names can you greedy corp., execs come up with to make the average dim-witted citizen THINK they are cool when they roll of their toughs some stupid name you've invented to get their bucks!? FRANKLY, it's disgusting, both from you and those who buy into this stupidity!? Just call it a JOE -Jobie Steppe

February 02, 2016 7:05 PM  

<< Home