Starbucks Coffee — Restaurant in Portsmouth

They thought I was a homeless person!

Spent 5 hrs in Portsmouth waiting for ferry after travelling on trains for 7 hours. Used to live there 30 years ago so explored the town a bit. I see the carbuncle has gone.

Not familiar with Starbucks & unlikely to cross their threshold again. Ok, I was wearing travel clothes and carrying a rucksack but ….

The assistant didn’t check my order back to me, gave me my cake plate into my hand, didn’t explain it was self-service when I asked if they would bring my coffee over to me as they left me waiting and didn’t start making it. I had to go back and chase. Gave me a grande not a medium (my 62 year old bladder doesn’t deal well with a grande). Didn’t give me a receipt which meant I didn’t have the code for the loo, not that I knew this was the system. Was trying to get in there when the woman who served me came to put her mop back and said ‘soz’ as I moved out of the way. She told me about the receipt system so I went back to get the ‘receipt’ for my coffee. Tried the store code. It didn’t work. So I asked her if it was the right number. She said that wasn’t a receipt so I pointed out I didn’t get a receipt. She seemed to sigh but used the code to let me in. Had to leave my rucksack on my seat as loos usually can’t cope with them, though it turns out this one could have done. As I went back to collect my rucksack, I got puzzling looks from the younger customers near me. Only after I left did I realise that they were all thinking I was homeless.

Some labels I’m wearing: Meindl boots, Osprey bum bag, Thought organic cotton t-shirt. I am so middle class I vote LibDem, and I sound middle class.

Can’t help thinking if I’d been twenty something they wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. Are the staff trained to treat older women different to younger ones? And why did I feel the need to apologise on three separate occasions? Was it because I couldn’t work out what the problem was, but I knew there was one?

I appreciate lots of homeless people hanging around all day doesn’t make for good business, but why would you think a woman dressed in her hill walking gear, sporting bank cards and openly using her iPhone and iPad near a ferry terminal would be homeless? Was it just the rucksack?

My next thought: what are Starbucks doing to help support homeless people in Portsmouth?

Oh, and my lemon drizzle cake is a lot better than yours, Starbucks. My family will vouch for...

Nice place. I popped in late one day and they informed me that they would close soon and asked me what I wanted to do, coffee in cup or beaker, just in case. And they heated up my scrumptious wrap but did not make it super hot so that I could dive right in, which I really liked. Very considerate. Thank you. Friendly and willing to chat, too.

The above is my previous review, from a few years ago. There are still many friendly and courteous normally human employees, but there are also one or two who greet you with contempt written all over their faces, for whatever reason. They can make a person feel quite uncomfortable. No idea what the issue might be, however, and I learned to shrug about it.

More importantly, my tablet got hacked into here last week. On 8 September 2022. I...

The Starbucks situated in Guildhall walk has nice enough staff with a respectable time off service. From my trips there I have never been served an incorrect drink so can not complain. Solo or small person seating is less than what you would find in Starbucks in Cascades, with long tables in Guildhall Walk Starbucks which is far better for groups due to less detached seating. If your choosing between Guildhall Walk and Cascades I'd say Guildhall walk is better for groups and is student populated, whereas Cascades is more solo friendly with the whole shop consisting of tabled seating and bieng less...