Starbucks — Restaurant in Miami Gardens

When writing a review, I prefer to leave glowing ones where I remark on the excellence of a facility, staff or service. But in this case, I'd like to use this as a teachable moment for the Store Manager, Shift Leaders and Regional Manager/Director: HIRE SLOW AND FIRE FAST. Starbucks as a large, popular umbrella brand will never counterbalance for the lack of customer service at the individual properties. I am not only remarking as a consumer, but also as a member of the Miami Gardens community. I remember when the first Starbucks landed in our neighborhood over a decade ago when it was located on 441 & 199th before it moved to this location. That being said, I've had a specific vantage point of watching this store grow and mature over the years. During such time, I have seen so much of the same energy (or lack there of): long wait-times, no sense of urgency and a general disdain for customers, let alone demonstrating excellent customer service. Customer service HAS to be at the heart of your ethos as a store in order for it to thrive. People can choose to be anywhere, but they choose to patron with you, which is a privilege for ANY business, whether you're a mom & pop shop or Fortune 500 company. Which is why the people you hire need to have that initiative IN them. As a business owner in a hospitality/customer-centric industry, I know that the bar of expectation for human-to-human interaction is unfortunately, set low. Customers in all industries are literally, expecting to be disappointed, which is sad - and one of the reasons why so many jobs are being replaced by AI. But machines can't mimic the human experience; experiences that customers TRULY value, want and appreciate. A simple "Hello!" when you walk through the door is considered a 10-out-of-10, chef's kiss interaction to most guests. Yet at this location, you barely get that. My recent experience unfortunately was yet another building block in a series of lackluster experiences here that I have been mute about, until now. Even a simple, "We'll be right with you", or "What's the name on the order so I can get that started?" will put a Mobile or Cafe guests mind at ease, knowing that they are not only "seen", but also being taken care of. How do I know these things you may ask? Because I too once worked at Starbucks and understand the protocol. But it doesn't take all black attire and a green apron to understand the very basic mechanics of human decency. I hate to say it, but when I travel to the Starbucks on 163rd, 183rd @ Skylake or 167th @ Miami Lakes, I never experience this type of service. I should, as a resident of my OWN community, be able to enjoy a top-tier product and service experience while in my neighborhood...and you KNOW what I mean by that. Hire people that are passionate about customer service and even if the lines are long, or something went awry, you'll be able to bounce back from it, because at least the guest would've had a positive touchpoint with a team member at the onset. Some of the people that work here seem like they don't care. If it's hours, pay, lack of retention, consistent call-outs, whatever, the Regional Manager NEEDS to rectify this. After all these years, I should have had at least a modicum of a better experience. So on this last day of 2024, I hope you'll come into 2025 and all the years to follow, with more drive and gusto to rid your store of low performing team members so that the Miami Gardens community can enjoy, like every other community, excellence in product and service. Not during onboarding, but during the interview process, the Store Manager as the leader of the helm, needs to be VERY clear, straight-forward and transparent about the store goals/expectations while encouraging his/her team throughout, so that they unequivocally understand their role and responsibilities before they walk through those doors and put on that smock. There is nobility in helping to shape someones day by offering a warm smile, an excellent product and hospitable service. God bless and I hope you...

I’m going to hope that I just caught them on a bad day but let’s start here. I pulled up to the drive-thru with about 3 cars in front of me. The barista proceeds to tell me through the intercom that magically she can’t take my order in the drive- thru because the screen is broken but if I would like to come inside to be serviced I can. So because my daughter really wanted Starbucks we pull around to order inside. Mind you there is no line inside and I realize they are short staff with only three people working. The bar was very messy and the floor was unsightly. Next It takes her 10 minutes to finally greet me to take my order. Meanwhile she is still telling people on her headset that no one can take their order they must come inside. I give my order and then wait. Then I continue to wait for 30 minutes because she is picking and choosing whose order they can take and fill at the drive-thru. So me trying to do the right thing I come inside to get my order taken but people who were behind me in the drive thru were serviced before me. To finally confirm my suspension one of the male employees actually said in front of me now you can stop telling customers we cant take their order. It took 40 minutes to get two tall Carmel Frappuccino and a croissants after being lied to and passed over. This is a newer Starbucks. You all need to rehire and train starting with the manager. Quality and customer service is...

⚠️Neglected Restroom: This particular Starbucks location has a low rating, and it’s easy to see why, the restroom situation is unacceptable. I didn’t plan to order anything today, but as a regular Starbucks customer, I value their public restrooms, especially compared to places like Dunkin’ Donuts, where the staff, often an unhelpful employee, claims the restroom is “out of service” (though it never actually is; they just don’t want anyone using it). This Starbucks, however, has its own issues. The restroom features a high-tech, sensor-activated toilet with no manual flush handle, which, surprisingly, works fine. Clearly, it’s designed to save on water costs, and I suspect the contractor who installed these expensive systems is profiting handsomely. But the real problem is the complete lack of toilet paper and seat covers. I’m prepared enough to carry a small flask of lemon-scented Lysol to clean the seat myself, but without any paper products, the restroom was unusable. This is not only inconvenient but also disrespectful to customers. Starbucks needs to address this issue...