Starbucks — Restaurant in Long Beach

Went in this morning October 13, 2021 to grab a coffee around 06:45am PDT. I tried to enter the store only for another customer who was just inside literally seconds ago tells me to use the other door. This is important because it speaks to how short the time was between the "threat" and me entering the store. At the other door, the manager (I presume) tells me that in store access is closed at the moment. She provided no clarification to the reasoning. She then advises me to use the drive thru. When I get to the drive thru window, first, there's a unusual pedestrian yelling at the window. Second, I asked the employee why in store access was denied. The gentlemen explains there was a threat of a hostile intruder threatening to use a gun. The reason I am most upset is because the manager made sure her employees were safe and barricaded from all threats, yet she literally just put every customer in danger (if this was a true threat) because the drive thru is barricaded by two curbs and dense hedges. This manager valued her safety and making money, but those customers who made her that money, she could care less about. It's great to know Starbucks only values its consumers as margins to please their share holders. This store needs a serious look in the mirror in how it handles...

Not the Same Old Grind I was waiting for a ride and decided to see if this diminutive Starbucks had a French Press that I wanted to give as a gift. It's small, mostly drive through business... But it had the feeling of The Old Days. The manager stopped stocking shelves and told me that a larger Starbucks might have one, she gave me the address of the nearest larger store. I enjoyed this informal, unplanned chat and spotted another item that was actually a better gift idea than the French Press. We had a discussion about the best roast - a fine talk, free of those words that irritate me so much: "pairs with", "informed by". "hints of" and all those other expressions that seem ripped from the pages of "Palace Gossip in the Days of Louis IV" rather than a glossary of relevant terms for coffee beans. But, I digress. I bought my gift and had a great cup of coffee while waiting for my ride. The store has lots of natural light and appropriately placed chairs. An elderly man who seemed without much money, any clean clothes or a razor was treated with courtesy which is saying a lot where I live. All in all, you don't need to get off the freeway to visit this Starbucks but if you're near the area, this...

Beautiful mural on the wall. The barista seemed utterly confused about how to make the drink that I get every day (it's just a particular iced coffee with easy ice) and when I ordered it the woman at the register asked if I wanted extra milk in the cup to make up for the lack of Ice. I said yes. Later on to try to defend the utterly befuddled barista that couldn't figure out how to make my drink with less ice (I'd already agreed- "YES, ADD MORE MILK", the woman who took my order told me that he was confused because usually they charge you for extra milk because it becomes some kinda "latte" or something. I think she was trying to make him feel better at my expense, because she DIDNT' charge me for the extra milk or give me that speech when she ASKE me if I wanted it that way- again from the high desert to San Diego and everywhere in between- no one has ever charged extra for the extra milk. The guy was trying to give me half a venti cup of coffee and the other half with whipped cream.. FOR A...