Starbucks — Restaurant in Atwater

I stop here nearly every weekday, as my lunchtime iced coffee is a bit of a requirement at this point in my life. I would have given this location 5 stars, had I not just dealt with the extremely unpleasant manager.

A short, dumpy, soccer-mom looking woman who apparently only shows up when she feels like it, as this was the first time I'd ever seen her (I've been coming here for well over a year now), and she doesn't wear a name tag or apron - so I don't know her name. She is obsessed with cream, which is to say that she was so driven to lecture me on Starbucks' corporate policy regarding ounces of cream, that she felt the need to bring it up not once, not twice, but three times.

I order my coffee a particular way. I order it at several different Starbucks throughout the valley, mostly in Modesto and here in Atwater. I order it way too much, and spend far more than is responsible in this current economic climate for a man in my income bracket. At all these other stores, including this one (until now), the price is the same. $4.25 for an iced coffee, with minimal ice.

Now, $4.25 is an exorbitant and ridiculous price to pay for a coffee, no matter how you attempt to justify it. I know this, they know this, it's a fact. I spend the money for the convenience of not having to make it myself, and because we don't keep straws at the office. I'm a pragmatic person. I am willing to waste thousands of dollars for coffee if it's easier than spending hundreds to make it myself. Call it addiction if you like, I just call it coffee.

This woman was so off-putting that I really may not return to this location. I may overshoot my lunch and spend more in gas to hit the store on the other side of the freeway, or I may just stock up on extra coffee supplies at the office. I really shouldn't have to entertain these thoughts just to avoid confrontation with this horrible, wound-up little woman. But I am, and all over 1.5 ounces of cream.

IF you do stop by and she's absent, then you've lucked out. The store is clean, well-staffed (so they move pretty quickly despite a huge lunch rush), and everyone there is very friendly. Their drive-thru can be a bit of a quagmire but it's not their fault - the parking lot is simply way too busy.

Picture included of the offending drink. Don't let the shade fool you, it's literally about 1.5 ounces more cream than usual, because I...

Don't get me wrong, Starbucks is amazing but this place's employees aren't always amazing. I have came here multiple times over the last few years and sometimes this place is good while other days it isn't. I recall a day when I came inside this Starbucks and there was a lot of customers who seemed to be waiting for their items to be ready. I stood inside for what felt like forever as I watched the employees. They were understaffed this day and 2 of them were not doing their job correctly. I watched these two girls joke around about how a frappuccino was literally just flat out milk and coffee of some sort. There was NO ice in this FRAPPUCCINO, and these girls laughed about it as they gave it to A CUSTOMER in the drive through. Extremely disappointed in the service this day as it made not only the customers unhappy, but the only employee actually working. The working employee seemed stressed and those 2 girls ended up giving me my frappuccino basically the same as the one in the drive-through. Extremely upset but still came here more and it seems like they...

My husband went through the drive-thru on Saturday to pick up an order I'd placed through the app for the 2 for $10 or 4 for $20. I ordered 2 Venti iced coffees and 2 Trenta iced teas. After what he said was a wait forever, he finally got to the window. They had the drinks in one of those flat cardboard things. As the guy handed it to my husband, 3 of the drinks tumbled over and spilled them all over my husband, seat, center console, and floor. The guy didn't even apologize! So he pulled around, parked went in and told them inside what happened and reordered thinking the drinks would be no charge because it wasn't his fault. NO, he had to pay for the drinks and not even ONE apology for him being soaked by coffee and iced tea. If this is how your customer service is like, we will from now on going to another location than this one....