Starbucks — Restaurant in Altoona

I'm not a huge fan of chain based coffee shops, but this is a Starbucks that feels like more like your nice neighborhood coffee joint on the corner. The vibe is modern, homey, and peaceful. Not too busy but not too dead either. Great place to meet up with someone, work on homework, or just grab and go. The staff are nice and do a good job putting out the expected Starbucks quality of drinks and edibles. The manager Jennifer is super personable and cares about the patrons. On two different occasions while I was just hanging out with a drink and a friend she has come over to make sure we were having a good experience. Even got free Danishes once when they were trying out a new oven with a new product. This location also shares a building with a HyVee Fresh which is super convenient. I have often snagged a salad or pizza from the HyVee and brought it over to eat with my Starbucks drink. One minor drawback is that this is not what I would call a "fast" service location. Since it's pretty relaxed and not too busy, if there is a random influx of people all at once they can get backed up. I recommend ordering ahead if you want to just grab and go. Final note: I have personally appreciated the approach that this location has taken to the COVID pandemic. Located in a locality and state with looser restrictions, they have prioritized the comfort and accessibility of customers while maintaining standards of cleanliness and reasonable precautions. It's hard to find a place right now where you can sit down and truly relax without fearing that you've broken some rule or something. This place...

Well, the only reason this gets 5 stars is because my lady begged to stop here, and against my better judgment, I obliged. The real five-star comes when we walk into the shop, and there's an entire gaggle of blonde haired white women getting their mocca frapachinos. I've only seen this kind of heard on the nature documentaries about African Buffalos. To my glee and enjoyment, I had to snap a pic of my blondie, mingling with the others. Do you need your woman to feel safe? Then bring her here where she can freely roam and discuss other basic pressing issues plaguing the blonde woman society like, hair, nails, and not enough Carmel in the mocca late. Kinda like play dates...

Who doesn't love Starbucks?!? I typically don't get the opportunity to visit Starbucks very often because I live in such a small town surrounded by other small towns that the closest location is 40 minutes away from me so it's a real treat whenever I do spend my life savings on coffee. It's worth it though, who needs to retire when you can have a great cup of joe! I am hopeful one day there will be a location closer to where I currently live and so I can not just visit here when I go on vacations but anytime the mood strikes me like most...