Starbucks — Restaurant in Minneapolis

I visited this Starbucks location to simply buy a cup of coffee. I handed the cashier a $50 bill, and they told me they do not accept $50 bills from anyone. When I questioned this supposed policy, I was denied service. I asked to speak with the manager, hoping for some understanding, but the manager also refused to help me.

I can’t help but feel that if I weren’t a person of color, they would’ve found a way to accommodate me. I wasn’t asking for anything unreasonable—just a coffee. Instead, I was made to feel unwelcome, dismissed, and unvalued. As someone who’s been a loyal Starbucks customer for years, this was not only frustrating—it was deeply disappointing.

Right after leaving, I walked into Caribou Coffee, where I was welcomed with kindness, professionalism, and respect—no issues, no excuses. They treated me like a person, not a problem.

To make matters worse, parking at this Starbucks is already a nightmare, adding even more frustration to the experience. After this visit, I can confidently say: I will not return to this location—or possibly any Starbucks.

If anyone else has been refused service here or told they couldn’t use a $50 bill, please share your experience. I’m genuinely wondering whether this was a real policy—or if I was just being singled out and...

I ordered the same drink i always get: cold brew with half and half. I was given a cold brew with sweet cream, which is fine. mistakes happen. i politely said this isn’t what i wanted, to which who i think was manager told me that’s what i ordered. “you said cold foam.” full stop. not ‘i thought you said cold foam’ or ‘oh sorry, i pressed cold foam’. super defensive and made sure i knew i ordered the wrong drink. i didn’t care about paying extra for the stupid cold foam (i hate super sweet things, so i KNOW i didn’t order cold foam. i don’t think i ever have), i just wanted my coffee. but he refused to admit anything wrong on his part and got super defensive over something i didn’t even accuse him of. i just said this isn’t what i ordered. very unprofessional. we were two of only three people in the shop, and we were the only ones ordering drinks, so it’s not like we were holding up a line or anything. he made a huge deal about having to refund us the whatever $1.20, after we told him we didn’t care about the money and even tipped the refund back to him. everyone else was very accommodating to getting me the right order, except for him. he was...

Cashier was really kind and chill and friendly. The guy making the drinks was impatient and rude. I was confused about their complex system for providing customers with water and wasn't sure if it was placed in the computerized queue or if we had to ask for it at the pick-up counter. When I asked about this, the barista rolled his eyes and replied, "Did he put it into the system? If he did, you're gonna have to wait for that..." Okay, that's not really a problem, but if you're not providing self-serve water, don't be rude about customers asking about it! The friend I was with also wanted water and I asked if we could have a second cup. He rolled his eyes again, gave an exasperated sigh and agreed to labor intensely to provide another cup of water. Another employee who was helpful and sweet said, "Here, I can do that."

If the manager of this location reads this post, would you please consider providing a self-serve water station? Furthermore, I understand that this location is probably very stressful, but please stress the importance of kindness toward customers. It really...