Starbucks — Restaurant in Colorado

First, let me give credit where it’s due; the staff at this location are wonderful. They write the sweetest notes on my drinks, their kindness makes my mornings better. I genuinely enjoy chatting with them as I go inside for my mobile order instead of using the drive-thru. Unfortunately, my low rating is warranted due to the so-called "drink trays" of which I’m convinced would lose a durability contest to an umbrella made of tissue paper in a hurricane.

The moment a drop of condensation or a slight spill from the poorly fit lids hits the tray, the tray corners disappear faster than free samples at Costco. If there were an award for bad ideas, congrats! You win first place for the worst idea.

One thing has remained consistent: the price of your drinks continues to rise, while your drink carriers have the structural integrity of a toddler’s sandcastle at high tide. That said, there is a bright side, hear me out Starbucks. If you want to invent the world’s first dissolvable drink coaster, mission accomplished! (Cue cool music.) And since I’ve just given you a million-dollar idea, I expect fair compensation (think six or seven zeros after any number). Feel free to reach out, I’ve even brainstormed some fun names for these coasters. (..."The Mocha Mirage" or "See You Latte-r" .... to name a couple).

If you need a visual, let me set the scene. One second, I’m holding a functional tray of four drinks, and the next, I’m staring at what can only be described as a caffeine crime scene. (By the way, I call dibs on that podcast name.) Three cups have vanished into gaping holes, their support system betraying them faster than a secret alliance on reality TV.

The last drink, however, put up a fight and could have made me some money if I had been able to figure out how to use my dash camera to record this disaster. The cup broke free, unleashing a cascading waterfall of molten lava coffee that immediately soaked through my clothes like I had just lost a bet. Gracefully, I jumped around like I was being chased by a swarm of bees, wildly waving what remained of the tray in one hand while the lid clung on for dear life. I can only imagine the stories people shared on Nextdoor: "Yeah, I saw this crazy girl doing some weird coffee dance in the parking lot—10/10 entertainment."

Meanwhile, my internal monologue was in full crisis mode: Do I go home and change? Do I yell at Siri to find the nearest car detailing service? Better yet, is there one conveniently located next to an open bar? Hopefully there was no one awake enough to operate their phone camera or video.

So, if you made it to the end of my saga, here’s the moral of the story: I bought a drink carrier off a handy site called something like "Jeff's Prime Time Deals", that I now refuse to leave home without. I even ordered extras for my family as Christmas gifts (surprise!).

And if I may, perhaps Starbucks should hold a Kaizen event to re-think and re-structure their baffling decision to cut costs in the one place that literally hurts the most. Because getting third-degree coffee burns from a disintegrating drink tray should not be part of anyone’s morning routine.

At least one of my drinks was iced, so I guess there was a bright spot. Or maybe that was...

Since this new location has opened I have tried giving them the benefit of the doubt many times. I can't do it any longer. The lobby is never open but the drive through gets so backed up I've waited in line for my mobile orders for 25+ minutes. There have been countless times I've waited so long in line that it's now faster for me to go to a different location outside of my route to work just so im not late. Unfortunately there have been many times my drink is wrong as well. Again 9 times out of 10 I use the app for mobile orders. I get the same 3 generic drinks that are saved on my app and other locations don't have any issues following the ticket but this location has made them wrong to many times to count. I usually just leave it be because I'm running late already. The staff is a mix, some days they are pleasant and others act as if it's the last place they want to be. It is definitely a bummer being that this location is a block away from my home and I won't be coming...

The location is shut down all the time - go across the street to Ground Up Coffee!! I live down the street and have been here 3 times, but 2 out of the 3 times, they have been closed for various reasons. Once for being short staffed and on August 9th, a “medical emergency” where both the store and the window were closed. That’s absolutely ridiculous and if you read the reviews, this happens often. I’ve been going to Starbucks for all my adult life and I’ve never encountered a store closure until this brand new location opened. If your staff can’t open your store, you need new staff. We biked here for my husband’s birthday for his free coffee and because of the closure, we went to Ground Up across the street next to Safeway and had non-burnt, delicious coffee and...