Starbucks — Restaurant in Gaithersburg

I’ve been a loyal Starbucks customer for over 20 years, consistently ordering the same drink — a decaf coffee Frappuccino — without issue at numerous locations nationwide. Unfortunately, my recent visit to the Potomac Valley Shopping Center location in Gaithersburg, MD (on 08/09/2025 at 8:22 AM EST) has made me question that loyalty.

After placing and paying for my usual order, the store manager (name beginning with “J”) interrupted the barista mid-preparation to inform me I would now be charged extra for the espresso shots in my drink. She stated that “no such drink exists” and claimed other stores — including this one, which I frequent — had been preparing it incorrectly for years.

Despite calmly explaining my ordering history, the manager was dismissive, argumentative, and unwilling to listen. She did not offer an apology when I requested and received a refund, and later approached me again, insinuating I had been rude. She then insisted on reviewing my Starbucks app history to verify past charges, which clearly showed I had never been charged extra for this drink. The conversation continued to be confrontational, so I chose to end it and leave.

When my family’s drinks were ready, the barista who originally took my order apologized directly to them for the situation — a courtesy I never received from the manager.

As a former manager of a large-scale company, I found multiple areas where this interaction fell short of acceptable customer service standards:

Once a drink has been ordered and paid for, staff should not intervene in a way that disrupts the transaction without a critical reason.

It is unprofessional for a manager to debate with a customer in full view of other patrons.

Managers should prioritize empathy, active listening, and resolution — none of which were displayed in this encounter.

For contrast, on 08/10/2025, I visited the Kentlands Starbucks, where my drink was made exactly as ordered — without hesitation, extra charge, or issue. The barista there confirmed, “three shots, of course,” and provided exceptional service. This demonstrates the inconsistency between store practices and the significant impact leadership has on customer experience.

I hope Starbucks will review this feedback seriously and consider additional customer service and leadership training for store management. This incident has been disappointing and disheartening, and it will influence my decision on...

I " ever write negative reviews. I love being positive and giving businesses praise, but todays trip to the Darnestown Starbucks was really disappointing. I've never been to this Starbucks. The first thing I saw when I walked in the door is overflowing trash from two trash cans as soon as you walk in. It was 4 in the afternoon on a Friday and there were only three people in the restaurant so it wasn't like it was crowded. I walked up to the counter to order. The young guy sweeping looked as if I was interrupting him to have to stop andctake my order. He walked up and did not even greet me. It felt very unwelcoming. I stood there waiting for him to say something . He finally said in a very low and under his breath way , "What can I get for you?" It was cold and unfriendly and overall just not a good vibe. The barista came over and took over and she was very pleasant and made me a delicious drink. I'm only writing this for the sake to let people know that when you work for a business. You are the face of the business and you can either uplift someone's day or take it down a notch. Starbucks is generally a place where the workers are friendly and warm and i'm sorry that this was not the same experience as I get in other locations. I do sincerely wish the best for the young man hope and I hope he has a better day. We all have bad days and maybe this was out...

Been going to this Starbucks for over 15 yrs. Lately, they can’t seem to be bothered to read drink labels. I always sub sugar free vanilla in place of the regular vanilla. The two taste very different & it is obvious when they don’t use the sugar free syrup. I was also a barista at a different store for a number of years so I understand that sometimes things get overlooked but this has been happening constantly. Most recently, my order included a drink that specified sugar free vanilla & only 3 pumps. The first drink definitely used the regular vanilla & far too much milk. I attempted to drink it but it was too gross so I went back inside & asked for it to be remade. The barista was pleasant, but told me that drink comes with regular vanilla but he’d use sugar free just for me. He used more pumps than I asked for & still used too much milk. I double checked my drink label to make sure I had made the right customizations & I did. If a barista makes a mistake, I understand they are human but don’t try to act like the customer is making a special request bc you can’t be bothered to read a label. People asking for sugar free aren’t necessarily counting calories, they may be diabetic & you would be drastically messing up their blood sugar & insulin dosage. Please...