Starbucks — Restaurant in Stockport

This Starbucks location leaves much to be desired, exhibiting a severe lack of urgency, care, and respect for customers' religious beliefs, allergies or medical conditions. The incident we encountered here highlights a critical issue: the importance of ensuring that food is prepared and served according to a customer's dietary restrictions, especially when dealing with sensitive matters like religious beliefs or allergies.

My wife had placed an order for a drink and a Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich through the Starbucks app in an attempt to avoid the always excessive in-store queue wait times. Initially, she patiently waited for her drink, which was slightly delayed but acceptable. However, the situation took a turn for the worse when we waited an additional 20 minutes for her food.

As we began to consume the food, my wife noticed that it didn't taste as expected for a "plant-based" sandwich. Upon unwrapping the sandwich and inspecting its contents, she discovered that she was, in fact, eating a meat-based sandwich that included large pieces of bacon – an ingredient she is allergic to. This oversight led to a severe allergic reaction that lasted for days.

Concerned and frustrated, I promptly drove back to the store and queued again where I requested to speak to the manager. Upon explaining the situation to the manager, I was asked to move to a corner of the store in an attempt to keep the incident discreet. It's quite concerning that they would prefer to avoid drawing attention to the fact that they had mistakenly given pork-based products to a customer.

The manager, as expected, offered an apology and explained that the individual responsible for the mistake (James) was new. She admitted that this particular store frequently receives complaints. While she offered to refund me my money but since we paid on the app she could not complete this as she would need her manager to action the refund, who wasn't around, she also offered replace the food for me, which I agreed, but to be honest it wasn't eaten as my wife started to feel unwell by the time I got back to the car due to her allergies.

While we understand that new employees might be slower and less experienced, their lack of understanding, care, or even awareness of what they are serving to customers is simply unacceptable. This issue goes beyond just inexperience; it speaks to a lack of proper training and oversight, which is inexcusable.

Following this incident, we submitted a complaint to the Starbucks head office, but regrettably, we are yet to receive any communication or resolution. In light of these issues, we strongly advise against purchasing food from this Starbucks location. The potential risks to your health or religious beliefs and the inadequate customer service make it a subpar choice for any type of food.

Just...

Our visit began on a positive note. The bearded gentleman who took our order was courteous, professional, and an example of how customer service should be conducted. Polite, attentive, and efficient—he deserves recognition.

Regrettably, the experience deteriorated the moment our order moved to the hands of the blonde woman behind the counter. Her attitude was not just indifferent—it was openly hostile. She made zero effort to acknowledge us, avoided all eye contact, and carried herself with an air of visible contempt. It was as though serving us was an inconvenience she could barely tolerate.

There was no basic courtesy—no "hello," no confirmation of the order, not even the most minimal attempt at politeness. Her demeanour was rude, disengaged, and entirely unprofessional. It was clear she had no interest in her role or in treating customers with respect.

Frankly, if someone cannot even muster the most fundamental standards of decency and service, they should NOT be working in a customer-facing role. Behaviour like this not only reflects poorly on the individual but damages the reputation of the entire establishment.

A frustrating and needlessly unpleasant experience—one I hope management takes seriously...

Considering this is a new store it’s absolutely disgusting and dirty Starbucks need to employ some one to clean the tables and especially the floors - I was unfortunate enough to go as my wife wanted to go for Mother’s Day we also had our 2 daughters with us, I was shocked to see how filthy the establishment was when spending £40 on drinks and cakes the least you can offer is somewhere suitable and clean to sit I had to clean my shoes when I left the store - will definitely not be going there again it a shame as Stockport really needed...