Starbucks — Restaurant in Carlsbad

So, I walk into this Starbucks for a venti iced green tea latte. From what I can see, they aren't terribly busy (at least compared to other Starbucks I've been to) and I was able to place my order relatively quickly. I wait for a few minutes (I'm just goofing off on my phone, not really paying attention) and my name is called. The gentleman who took my order is holding my ersatz green tea latte in his hand. I can see that it's milk on the bottom, a layer of ice, and dry green powder sitting on top. I'm not so foolish as to think that they are drying green tea leaves out back and mixing the ingredients by hand, but I am also not expecting this kind of IKEA make-it-yourself product either. The gentleman gives it a half-hearted swirl and then hands it to me. I undo the lid and try to mix in the green powder with my straw, but if you're at all familiar with trying to dissolve a solid in a cold liquid, you know I'm not having the best luck. I turn to the barista and ask, "Can you mix this for me, please?" I foolishly assume she will pour the contents into one of those faux cocktail mixers they use for other drinks, but instead, she grabs a wooden coffee stirrer and begins to try and mix the green tea powder into the cold milk. Seriously? I know Starbucks isn't paying these people $25 an hour with full benefits and a 401K, but this isn't...

As far as Starbucks go I'd say I quite like this particular store! They recently reopened to the public and they were more than prepared! You don't go into the store and instead use the app to place your order and then an employee will walk it out to you. I was picking up food from somewhere else in the shopping center and decided to pop over to get a coffee, not knowing this was the first day they had reopened. The lady who was walking the drinks out was explaining to everyone how the system works now. Because it was the first day she was taking orders to people who walked up, and they had pamphlets out explaining how ordering works now along with hand sanitizer. However I wanted to order on the app as to not be the only person waiting who didn't get my drink that route. After placing my order the app wasn't letting me select the store so I did end up having to order by telling the lady (I know- it would have saved much more time to just have done that in the first place 😂) my order verbally. I kept apologizing because I felt bad but she was very sweet about it and I was extremely happy with my experience. Of course the drink was delicious as always too. 5 stars for...

After ripping into my egg white bites and downing my grande iced americano, I took a company wide zoom call from the outdoor patio here. I was a tad nervous as you never know how wifi will be at coffee shops, but this was lowkey better than my wifi at home. My head nods, subtle laughs while on mute to show I'm engaged, and the 30 seconds where I actually had to talk were all peak Zoom performance.

The egg white bites were surprisingly delicious, but $5.25 for 2 is CRAZY work. You can get them at Costco for $2.83. Price gouging at its finest... but that's really not this location's fault, sometimes I just gotta vent.

The employees were actually hella nice and seemed happy to be there. One of them even informed me I had enough points to cover the egg bites, so shout out to him. I would've had no idea.

This really was one of the best Starbucks I have ever been to. Must have just been remodeled, as the floors were squeaky clean, the interior is beautiful, and they have a digital board with order status for ones in progress and received. I was like "DAMN, AM I IN AN APPLE STORE X STARBUCKS COLLAB STORE!?" Really makes you wonder...........

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