Starbucks Reserve® Store - Ginza Marronnier-dori Street — Restaurant in Tokyo

Extremely Disappointing and Discriminatory Experience

I have been to Starbucks Reserve in Ginza multiple times and always had a pleasant experience—until today. What happened was not only unacceptable but deeply humiliating.

Due to a non-visible disability, I am unable to climb stairs. While I understand there was a queue on the stairs (which I have no issue with), I took the elevator as I physically cannot use the stairs. However, when I arrived, the female host treated me as if I were trying to skip the queue. My husband, who is Japanese, politely explained the situation to her in Japanese, thinking this would clear up any misunderstanding that I was happy to wait in a chair until is my turn.

Instead of being understanding, she insisted that I must queue at the stairs reiterating that I should use them since I wasn’t in a wheelchair.

This level of ignorance and discrimination was shocking. Not every disability is visible, and the way I was treated was not only insensitive but also completely inappropriate for a brand of this stature. I felt humiliated, unwelcome, and completely disregarded as a customer.

If you are not fully able-bodied, I strongly advise against visiting this Starbucks Reserve in Ginza. Clearly, accessibility and respect for all customers are not part of...

The food was actually pretty tasty (I got a spinach+sausage pizza and a pistachio croissant).

The service, however, was not great. You need to get a seat first before lining up to order which is fine. My sister got the seats for us, and I lined up.

Once I got to the counter, I was asked if I had a seat. I said yes and the staff member asked me where, I pointed to my sister who had her bag on one of the seats for me. And the staff (named Hinata) then loudly told me I couldn’t order until I got a seat by putting a bag there and I explained my sister got a seat for herself and her bag was on another one for me. She spoke to a second staff member deciding whether I was telling the truth or not.

Hinata then told me again, that I couldn’t order unless I had a seat and I pointed AGAIN at the seat. She finally took my order, but was still looking at the direction of where I pointed. I moved along the line to pay, and the second staff member asked me AGAIN, whether or not I had a seat. And I said yes pointed to my sister yet again, and she smiled and nodded and took my payment.

The cafe wasn’t busy at the time, so it wasn’t like it was hard to see where I was pointing to - and the staff members both spoke decent English, so there shouldn’t have been any...

...it's the best out of all the ones that are in its vicinity...is what I said since first coming here in 2004--when it didnt have the corny, overpriced 'Reserve' concept. Steps away from the *very first Starbucks in Japan, this was (is) supposedly the upscale showcase from the Starbucks Japan arm...that clearly know how to generate revenue. Then again, the standards are quite low.

There was a mix-up in the seating today (Jan.27th, 2024, twenty years later) and they have ZERO facility to make good of the situation. Workers are hesistant to make a decision and even consider a decent atmosphere...upon reading previous reviews, it's not an isolated incident.

The corporate and administrative management should shoulder more responsibility and incentivize so-called 'partners' that are enslaved in Un-Fair Trade blend of: long and arduous tasks and a lack of compensation for the nature of their work. It's clear that this so-called prestigious job of wearing the coveted 'Reserve' apron is the only compensation--and no doubt the merits and background of management is as if not lower their most of their 'inferiors'. ..the usual ボンボン types that come highly regarded and know little about building a...