Starbucks — Restaurant in Ottawa

During a recent visit to the Starbucks location situated at 24 Iber Rd, Stittsville, ON K2S 2R1, I encountered conduct demonstrably inconsistent with the standards of operational integrity, customer service, and lawful commercial practice expected of an international retailer of Starbucks’s repute.

At approximately 8:00 PM—an hour prior to the posted closing time of 9:00 PM—I lawfully entered the premises and purchased a standard double espresso. Upon attempting to access the condiment station to add a modest quantity of milk to my beverage, I found that the entire station, including milk and cream, had already been dismantled. This premature withdrawal of essential condiments, well in advance of closing, constitutes a failure to honour the implied expectation that paying patrons may access the full range of advertised services during all published business hours.

Upon requesting a small amount of milk directly from the barista—a customary and reasonable request aligned with established Starbucks practice—I was informed that such a request would ordinarily incur a charge equivalent to a full glass of milk. I explicitly clarified that I was requesting only a minimal quantity, for the limited purpose of complementing my espresso. The barista ultimately acquiesced, but only after restating that such a charge would have been imposed. This exchange was, in both tone and substance, unduly officious and inconsistent with the spirit of accommodation that Starbucks purports to uphold.

Such treatment, when considered in the broader context of provincial statutory protections, may amount to an unfair practice under section 14(2) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 (Ontario), which prohibits representations or acts that are unconscionable or that contravene reasonable consumer expectations. Charging, or threatening to charge, for a minor condiment addition—particularly where such practice is neither transparently disclosed nor uniformly applied—may be construed as a misleading or unfair commercial act under the statute.

Furthermore, Starbucks’s own corporate materials promote a commitment to equitable and respectful treatment of all patrons. The experience described herein reflects a breach of that representation and has materially diminished the customer experience at this location.

As a long-standing and loyal Starbucks customer of over a decade, I am dismayed by the evident erosion of service standards at this branch. I respectfully urge corporate management to review internal procedures, ensure compliance with both provincial law and corporate policy, and re-instil the values of respect and fairness upon which the Starbucks brand is...

Not a great experience today. Ordered my birthday drink since today is my birthday, went in to pick it up and as I was walking out noticed a long dark hair inside the cup. So I went back in, stood there at the cash for a little while before any of the 3 girls even looked at me. Then when one did come over I showed her the hair in my drink, she took the cup and turned to one of the other girls to tell her, to which she replied “I don’t know I’m not the one who made it”. She then shouted to the girl making drinks and said your hair got in this, so the girl looked up at me and said oops sorry. Then I proceeded to wait until she finished making the other drinks she had, as the two other girls just went back to other things. Thank god the drink was free already for my birthday, but no one even offered anything to me for the inconvenience, nor the gross fact that there was a hair in my drink to begin with. This starbucks is close and convenient for me, but with this experience I’ll just drive to the next closest one to avoid...

Definitely hit and miss with this location as far as getting friendly servers and getting exactly what you ordered. This morning i watched the girl make my coffee and i knew she didn't make it the way i had asked. When i questioned her she very rudely said she made it the way i asked. When i got home i realized it was made wrong. I am not interested in paying $7 to $8 for a coffee in hopes of it being made correctly. I am DONE with this location. I have given them the benefit of the doubt more than once. Today was the last straw. Will drive to another location for friendlier staff and getting what i paid for. Best Starbucks in the one at Tanger Mall always friendly and they always get my order right!! Will drive there for my...