Starbucks — Restaurant in Holly Springs

I am not a fan of writing bad reviews, but I have called this store previously to verbally express my concerns, to no avail. The food and beverages are almost always timely and fit the mold for a “good establishment “. However, today was my second time being treated unkindly in this particular store. The first was at the window, to which the representative did not even deliver a proper greeting- rather, they said nothing other than have a good day. To which I then said I was missing a part of my order. They again said nothing to me but looked at the nearest colleague to retrieve the remainder and didn’t say anything after handing me the rest of the order. This was the first time, before the remodel.

The second was today. I always order online in hopes that the items will be ready when I arrive. My order was ready but they have stopped placing sleeves on hot coffee but they are located close to the pickup counter facing the baristas. Not so much that I would have to uncomfortably reach but enough to be out of the way. I have retrieved one before from this location, but today I was told that I have to ask for one. I will say the representatives words were professional, but their attitude and delivery were extremely disrespectful. Almost as if customer service was not the business they were in and I don’t think I stand alone by saying true customer service is the experience-not just what I’m consuming/purchasing. Both experiences left me feeling as if I did something wrong-but I was kind, and considerate in both instances. I laughed and smiled today and said thank you to this individual for their wonderful attitude on this Good Friday. Their response, “it is a Friday”. I refused to allow their attitude to dictate mine, and I will say this holds true in both instances. There is no debate about Starbucks prices, but I am paying 6$ for a cup of coffee, to be greeted by someone who may have been having a bad day and decided they needed to share that with me. Nevertheless, it is customer service-and the expectation is kindness even when explaining a NEW rule to an unknowing customer. Everyone has a bad day every now and again, and maybe I just caught these particular people on those days, as I do frequent Starbucks- and 2 out of 200 isn’t that bad. I guess I just don’t think I should ever have to share in someone else’s bad day when they sign up to work in customer service. Is that unreasonable? Maybe Starbucks should put the sleeves back out for the customers before someone burns their fingers😯. Or maybe simply remind ALL of Starbucks personnel of the duty they have as customer service representatives. It’s not their job to make my day better, but it is definitely their responsibility to not make it worse.

“To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time”- these interactions were the exact opposite of this...

This morning I basically threw $10 in the trash—not one drink, but two—at Starbucks locations in Cary and Holly Springs. Both times, my shaken espresso was just a cup of milk.

I’ve been coming to these locations for years, and the staff is always friendly, but the drink quality has become frustratingly inconsistent—especially for a local college student paying high prices. More and more often, I end up forcing down a drink that’s not made right, or just throwing it away. I hate asking for remakes because I work in the service industry and know it can be irritating, but I shouldn’t have to choose between wasting my money or risking negative relations with staff.

A properly made shaken espresso has a clear visual contrast between the espresso and milk. What I received looked like a bubbly glass of milk—something that should be obvious before it’s handed to a customer. If a drink doesn’t look like what it’s supposed to—whether that’s color, layering, or proportions—it’s a strong sign it also won’t taste right. That’s exactly the kind of quality check that should happen before it ever leaves the counter.

Whether it’s lack of training, being too busy, or not caring, none of those are acceptable excuses. Mistakes happen, but they should be caught and corrected before the drink reaches the customer. Over the past few years, I’ve probably thrown away close to $100 in drinks, and that’s...

This is my go to Starbucks - my coworkers and I order from here multiple times a week and it is also my local one on the weekends. Usually the drinks are great and service is fine. However, on this past Sunday my family and I had a terrible experience.

I ordered 4 drinks and 2 food items. Two of the drinks were identical - an iced triple shot with cherry cold foam and mocha drizzle. 3 of the drinks and the food were placed together. One of the cold foam drinks was off on its own back by the baristas. It also had maybe a centimeter of cold foam on it and the grande cup was half full. The other cold foam drink (identical order) had a 2 inch cold foam and a full cup. When asked about the difference we were told they could not add more to the sad drink and the one that looked good was made in error but they gave us it anyways. I have never not had enough foam in my drink or been told there was nothing Starbucks can do. This employee rolled her eyes multiple times and basically refused to help or make the situation right. Finally another employee came over and just said fine give them more cold foam. I know I’m paying a lot of my drinks so I won’t complain about the cost but for the cost the ingredients should not be skimpy! Just upsetting and makes me rethink...