Friday, April 11, 2008

Starbucks, it is just too easy

We visited Starbucks this morning as we left the hotel. It was only my second time at a Starbucks. Cari and I stood at the counter and I asked for a cup of coffee. The barista stared at me. He offered to froth some milk in it or dump three pounds of sugar into the cup. I refused and asked for a cup of black coffee. The barista shifted his eyes to his feet. He looked a little nervous and I thought his head was about to implode. He shuffled off to make Cari's fancy, frothy drink. I wasn't sure he understood what I wanted. I whispered to Cari, "He knows he only has to pour my coffee in a cup and give it to me, right?" She shrugged her shoulders as she watched him sprinkle ground cinnamon onto her drink.

He came back to me and told me he was starting some coffee. Really? It's Starbucks. They don't have a pot of coffee ready to go? It was about eight in the morning and there were people all over the place. How could they not keep a pot of coffee made?

Maybe they felt I wouldn't get the "Starbucks experience" unless they made something special for me. Maybe none of the other drinks they sell actually contain coffee. Five minutes later he handed me a cup of coffee, plain.

As I said, this was my second experience. My first one was very similar. I waited OVER five minutes for a cup of plain coffee. That happened in a different state, so I feel like this is a problem for all locations. Their baristas are over trained. Next time I'm going to McDonalds. They can hand me a cup of hot coffee, black, in about forty seconds.

8 comments:

Poptart said...

Most people get espresso drinks at Starbucks... that's what I go there for. When I want plain coffee, I go to Dunkin Donuts.

I agree though, it is strange that they didn't have coffee made at 8am!

rakethetable said...

White Chocolate Mocha

Farm Girl in MD said...

Spiced Apple Cider. Only decent thing on the menu :) at least for a non-coffee drinker.

RoadRunner said...

eh, not much of a starbucks fan myself. Sure wish I would have invested in them at the beginning though. Who knew a store could be so successful charging $3 for coffee.

Aaron said...

You're only partial to McD's because you can sue them after you burn yourself.

One Scrappy Gal said...

You are as bad as my husband. All he wants is a plain cup of coffee. All he wants is a simple haircut. You can dress him up but you can't take him anywhere...

One Scrappy Gal said...

P.S. I second the white chocolate mocha... venti sized!

Melba said...

Starbucks is definitely not the place for plain coffee...but grits are yummy! Especially with some cheese stirred in, you should try them.