Starbucks — Restaurant in O'Fallon

I regularly visit this Starbucks a couple of times a week when I have more time before work. A man (who I doubt is one of we regulars) made a comment about the 9/19 day and I wanted to share some information because I remember being surprised that day to find: THE GREENMOUNT LOCATION WAS CLOSED. I know because I tried going there and there wasn't anyone present! Writing such a nasty comment saying all the employees should be fired when they have far more customers than they ever should(they are usually pretty busy on a NORMAL day) is ludicrous. I strolled into the store to get my usual latte and there was already a packed lobby, the usual smiling faces looked very stressed, and a person who I think works there was outside crying. When I ordered my usual latte this man in front of me in line was YELLING at the employee in a way that I would never even yell at my own child. It was extremely inappropriate and the employee was apologizing extensively even after this man was practically screaming at him. As a youth counsellor, I was really upset to come in that day and see the type of treatment those poor baristas received from customers. Treating people in that way is extremely damaging to mental health. I've already noticed the employees being verbally abused by customers on other visits and personally, I think everyone who worked on 9/19 should get a RAISE, not be fired. The people at this store have been invaluable to me by being so kind and pleasant every time I visit. There is an older gentleman and a younger, tall African American woman who are my two favorites in the morning. The woman (I think her name is Marty) was actually the person who told me to start putting cinnamon powder in my iced vanilla latte! Give these people a break please and don't blame the employees because everyone wants to order six frappucionos and your wait is longer. I have to wait longer for my one drink sometimes, but it is moreso customers fault for being too greedy. Last week, for example, I was in line behind a gentleman who ordered TWENTY drinks so I had to wait fifteen minutes. Instead of getting irritated, I waited patiently, understanding that when someone orders twenty drinks on top of all of their usual orders, things will take longer. I put a five in the tip jar after that gentleman walked past....

It's not all their fault.

Starbucks - Laxman Narasimhan needs to implement his "work as a burista once a month" ASAP! The company has lost its connection with clients AND staff. You may also want to hire a few regional quality assurance reps. Consider downsizing the number of stores as a way to mitigate the risk to your brand and reinvest in better practices.

At this site, All buristas are on drive-through duty, and it shows. I had a separate (and distracted) conversation with 4 staff members. All of them were partially listening and confused when I pointed out the overflowing garbage or the lack of ANY napkins and straws at the self-help table.

The staff is unaware of how to make a basic coffee, which reflects "Fredrick Taylor factory work" at the expense of thinking-connecting coffee shops.

I ordered a double and received a single. After coaching the burista into how to make a normal marcchiato, he pushed a single in a to-go cup after waiting 8 minutes to make it. Do we do reusable espresso cups anymore?

I was the only person sitting in the store (yes, store, not a coffee shop anymore) for more than 20 minutes... drive-through, drive-through, drive-through. It all equals money, not relationships and connections. Jerry Baldwin and ALL of Italy would be sad to see this lack of customer-focused approach to get another buck in the drawer.

Recommendation: A. Keep 1 person on the register focused on in-cafe customers. It'll help your brand and your service marks - a bunch! B. Gossip is not cool. Keep the liveliness - cool. Employees gabbing about each other behind their back - not cool. C. The manager needs to work - not just hide. Inspected what you think your customers expect. D. Improve your bottom line by improving quality, not scaling quantity. The drive-through is a culture-suck. E. Your employees know not what they do. It's not all of them, but someone needs to be rewarded for quiet, steady, professional work, not loud, obnoxious, lack-luster performance. F. Turn the music down slightly - it's freakin' loud in this place! It'll also help your drive-through staff hear their customers better instead of asking people to repeat themselves (yes, this happened several...

great location. Just a few things to note: The mobile order waiting time is inaccurate and that does not account for how busy this store has gotten since COVID. If you order on the app after six AM, usually there is one barista making all of the mobile orders AND café (ordered in store) orders. This presents quite a challenge especially between 7 and 9 30 when Starbucks is busiest. If you order on the app on double star day, any specials going on, or the weekend give it at least 20-25 minutes. The morning staff are usually some of the strongest drink-makers, but they also have too wait on espresso (25 seconds per 2 shots) and many customers like to order 5 and six shot drinks which slows the process given that this store only has 2 (yes two) espresso machines. Another thing that keeps Starbucks moving in the morning is not leaning over the beverage-prepararion station to check on your drinks. If you think you need to go, get a refund and they will be happy to take care of that for you. This Starbucks is better at letting people know the order drinks are coming in. If your drink is not in that order, asking the barista to slow the entire process to personally check on your beverage is inconvenient for other customers. The ticket machine they use to check on orders at this Starbucks is also broken, which presents an additional challenge to the morning team. Thanks Starbucks for doing your best despite these challenges most...