Starbucks — Restaurant in Emerson

My Wife and I came in to order 3 coffees. The most simple item they did not have which was pike - said they already cleaned the machine so had to get cappuccino. Second drink i ordered was a shaken expresso with light cream which specified twice to the cashier. And not to mention this is my drink everyday. When the girl (Zaara) was making my drink i could see her over pouring the cream which I softly told her please stop. And that's when she gave me the worst attitude face like I made her drink incorrectly. She perceeded to put my drink on the counter saying my name like that was my correct drink...told her that is not what i asked for at the register and she said "what"!? And still with such a horrible attidude to make me feel like i did something wrong. So i told her to please redo my drink the right way and if she feels like to make it easier to put my cream on the side. No answer so thats when i asked her what did i do to her to create such an attitude towards me? And she just ignored me and gave me my drink without even shaking it! Thats when i had enough and asked her, her name. She refused several times and said she did not feel comfortable, but i was supposed to as a customer with that kind of attitude from a store that i come to all the time and such pleasant service. Several times asking with no name i asked for the manager - really nice guy at the register said his name is Joseph and he was the acting manager. Finally gave me her name which is Zaara. I am a Starbucks customer who stops in every day and all I wanted tonight was my feel good coffee. Obviously that was not what I received here tonight at the Emerson store at 7:40pm on Kinderkamack rd. Made me feel so upset and not one person apologize for her attitude and unnecessary behavior I received at Starbucks. It's really a shame that I actually drove 30 minutes to feel this unpleasantness. This should be addressed and corrected because after almost 5 years of going there never had anyone treat me as awful...

A Starbucks Experience We’ll Never Forget

My fiancé and I visited this Starbucks in Emerson, NJ on a particularly difficult day after receiving some heartbreaking news. We stopped in hoping to decompress over a couple of drinks, and what we received was something truly unexpected — kindness, compassion, and humanity.

We ordered two tall drinks and found a quiet table at the back of the store. Within moments, the store manager, Rupak, kindly upgraded our drinks to grandes, brought them to our table with napkins, and even returned 10 minutes later with two venti waters and more napkins. He didn’t say much — he didn’t need to. He had clearly noticed how upset we were, and his quiet gesture of support meant more than words ever could.

As we were leaving, I offered him a tip as a thank you, but he humbly declined, saying that this Starbucks is his “second home” and that he believes in serving the community. He told us that if we ever come back, he’d take care of us — and then sent us off with two free cake pops and another venti water for the road.

We live over two hours away, but we left with full hearts, reminded that even in the toughest moments, there are still people in the world who truly care. Rupak didn’t just serve coffee — he showed compassion, and he made our day better in a way we will never forget.

Thank you, Rupak, for being the kind of person who restores faith in humanity. This world needs more...

Intra-Pandemic Starbucks has become a beloved occasional treat for me. This Starbucks is maybe a mile from my home, so it's an obvious choice every week, or 2, or 3, to get my iced tea on. Pre-pandemic, I would ask for "Very Light Ice". I would get half a cup of ice (see photo, it was my 3rd order asking for that). I once tried asking for the drink to be shaken with ice and served without ice. That was actually perfect, but then I felt guilty. Like I was asking for too much labor. That's on me, not on anyone who works there. But other stores seem to get the idea of very light ice.

Intra-Pandemic has been perfect. Lines are still long long long (guess I'm not the only one that needs to just get out of the house and enjoy something I've missed), but now I order 2 of my drinks with no ice. I get home, put them in the fridge, and enjoy them over the next 1-3 days (sometimes I'm good, sometimes before I know it one of the drinks is already gone).

I'm almost going to miss Intra-Pandemic Starbucks, but maybe post-Pandemic Starbucks will see me ordering one drink with this Starbucks's idea of "Light ice" and a second drink with no ice to enjoy perfectly...