Starbucks Coffee Company — Restaurant in Durham

I mean hey, it’s a Starbucks. I’ve always thought that Starbucks across the country (and the world) do a decent job of drew brew coffee and despite what many people think, they actually know what they are talking about when it comes to beans. That being said, they have machine-run assembly line espresso and most people go there to get a sugary desert that happens to have caffeine in it for that extra boost. If “I want a Chai vanilla latte” is something you’ve said before then this is the place for you. If “I’d like a wet cappuccino please” is you then... well I probably don’t need to tell you that they will look at you funny because they aren’t aware that the amount of foam is tweakable (corporate doesn’t teach them that) and they will just probably say “do you mean a Latte?”

As far as THIS Starbucks is concerned, the staff is always helpful and friendly of course. It’s THE place to grab coffee on your way to work in the triangle and also apparently the place to have a work meeting on neutral grounds. You will see lots of folks in business attire and lots of well-dressed young professionals. If you go here in the morning or around lunch time, you will end up waiting about 15-20 minutes for your Chai. This is not a reflection of the staff, who are very prompt and cheerful, but just a result of SO many triangle professionals having had too many beers, slept through their alarm clock, and don’t have time to brew a cup before heading into the office (been me on more than one occasion).

I do have to knock them for having lost my order in the chain of events 3-4 times. I think it was because I was the only person in line not ordering a sugary, complicated drink that involved the espresso line. In the summer, when I’m hungover but need to get to a 9am meeting, I’ll get an iced coffee with milk. Due to the simplicity of this recipe, they are focused on the Chai Lattes in their queue and I seem to get forgotten. I’ve also had it not have milk or have skim milk or not be iced. Again — they are working HARD here so I don’t blame them so much. But if you are finnicky about your drink order (which is most people at Starbucks)...

It’s too bad there isn’t a zero star option. I have been a loyal Starbucks customer since 2010, and I mean multiple times a week, all over the world. This morning I ordered 2 lattes and 4 food items. $40 later and half-way through my ham and cheese baguette, I spotted something green in my cheese. Yes in, not on. After all, this wasn’t blue cheese, so I was a bit confused. Thinking it was a random piece of chive or parsley, though odd, I tried to get it out. Well, it wasn’t a chive or parsley, or anything edible for that matter. It was MOLD! Yes, MOLD! I called the store and they apologized and offered zero concern for my health or even a refund. I had to request a phone number to contact corporate. I contacted corporate, and again only got an I’m sorry this happened. Again I had to ask what Starbucks would do about this. I was then offered a refund of the $7, and a call to the store to offer feedback. They later offered $5 as a credit. After being transferred to a different group, I was offered $25, inclusive of the refund. After further discussion, I was offered $40, the same amount I spent. Later the representative asked that I consent to $40 as a final resolution including if I get sick and need medical attention. Thanks Starbuck. Nice knowing you. Your customer service for actual issues is trash. I’ll also add that my sister threw up immediately after having her latte and both of us had upset...

• ALLERGY SUFFERERS BEWARE!!! I was given the wrong order in the right cup. The label on the cup literally coincided with my order. I didn’t think to look inside the cup to see if it actually contained my tea because it was labeled according to what I ordered. Unfortunately I didn’t receive what I ordered. I took one sip and knew something wasn’t right. It tasted just how almond milk smells. It was, in fact, almond milk… I’m highly allergic to tree nuts.

Thankfully, the tea was still so hot that I hadn’t taken a gulp, I’d hate to know what would’ve happened if I did.

My lips and throat became agitated and began to hurt and I know what tends to follow those symptoms… swelling of tongue and throat. I had to rush home and take oral antihistamines.

The employee who made the drinks admitted to mixing up the orders somehow.

What all of you need to realize is… someone could die from such a careless mistake! All it takes is one missed step for someone to lose their life when it comes to food allergens.

My friend and I visit different Starbucks locations in our area almost daily. I now second guess if I should order from Starbucks at all… let alone order a drink and double check to make sure it’s correct.

Needless to say it was an unfortunate and very frightening experience. Undesirable to say the least.

Hope you guys reinforce the importance and dangers of cross contamination across...