Starbucks — Restaurant in Gastonia

Very friendly staff! I enjoy coming here to do some work and am always greeted with a smile. Sometimes they will forget to place orders in the mobile spot and I will need to go to the register to ask where my order is. This does not happen often, but it has happened more than a few times.Wish there were more outlets to hook up devices. Not a lot of solo seating options near an outlet which makes work difficult.

EDIT Unfortunately I feel the need to deduct a star from my original 4* rating. The reason?

When I use the order ahead they lately (within the last couple months) forget to fulfill it. For example, I will order a drink and food. I get the drink, but they never have the food out. I usually have to go to the counter and ask about it and I get a "Oh! Here it is!" reaction.

BUGS You need to do something about the gnats! The corners of the shop is the worst! There are gnats everywhere. Lately, in addition to the gnats, are huge flies. I cannot sit and do my work because bugs are constantly flying around the tables. It is gross.

Train your staff... The baristas I am used to seeing are no longer here or not there when I come in. The new staff, while absolutely friendly, do not know what they are doing. I do not want this to be a reflection on them, it isn't their fault if training isn't sufficient.

Not sure what has happened here...

SECOND EDIT I come here A LOT. I mean, A LOT. Each time I come here it is getting worst and worst. Many of the baristas are super sweet, but it is no longer saving the problem.

The bug problem is getting worst. It is disgusting and makes working impossible.

As I type, I have wait over an hour for my drink and protein box. I was told soon after I ordered that it would be a 5 minute wait as they brewed the black tea. It is 3:54pm and still nothing. This is even after I inquired after it.

Also, no protein box. Even after I asked about my order they did not even offer to let me have my sandwich at least.

I think it is time to find a new place to drink and do work. This...

Terrible experience. Placed a drink order inside and proceeded to wait 20 minutes for 1 drink (that I ultimately didn't get). There were not very many patrons in the store so didn't expect it to take longer than usual. The 2 people who had ordered ahead of me were still waiting for drinks as well. It appeared there were 3 people total making drinks and 1 cashier. Unable to wait any longer as I was on a schedule, I asked for my drink to be refunded so I could leave. I was told by the cashier there were 2 drinks ahead of me if I still wanted to wait. I needed to leave at this point so just got my refund. I asked the staff at the cash register (it was 2 team members and presumably the manager) if in the future, they could please inform patrons when ordering that there is an extended wait time because not everyone has 20+ minutes to wait for their drink or cares enough to wait that long. In response, I was told that mobile orders come in and delay in-store customers. That a 7 drink mobile order was the cause of delay for all of us in-store. Instead of apologizing for the long waits, the staff seemed annoyed that I even said anything. While I understand the mobile order concept, I feel it is good customer service to advise your in-store customers of extended waits due to heavy mobile order volume. I would have liked to known this before I paid and waited so long because I wouldn't have ever ordered. Also, I work in customer service and am well aware of staffing struggles these days. However, if a business does not have adequate staff to run the drive-thru, in-store, and mobile orders simultaneously -- then maybe said business should re-evaluate and stop taking mobile orders...

Here's the thing... the Starbucks product is great. No complaints about the coffee, beverages, or food items when properly prepared. However, the big issue with this particular location, is consistency. Depending on the time of day or people working they either have all options for drinks or they don't. For instance. One day they said they were limited in the ability to make a popular drink sugar free. The next day, there was zero problem making the same drink sugar free. The next day, In the morning my fiancé and I had a great experience and were told about a protein smoothie that they had begun making that day. We went back in the evening to order it and a different barista said they didn't have it... then while waiting on our order the barista who took our order and another employee were loudly complaining about being warned from a manager about being fired for making their own food and beverages. It was wildly unprofessional. 3 stars is likely too much credit for this location, but those are given because the products, when ordered at the right time from the right people are provided, are always good. Fingers crossed whenever you make your way to this store. You never know how it's...