Starbucks — Restaurant in San Jose

I hadn't been in here for a long time, probably the last time I went here was a measured in years. Today I found myself dehydrated, and went in and asked for a cup of water.

I was asked, What size did I want, did I want ice? I said a small one, no ice. I wasn't asked for any payment, although I put a dollar in the tip box.

The most amazing thing is, the new cups! I'd actually read about cups like this on Reddit recently, being used in France I think? The lid on the cup has a raised part with a hole, and you drink from that.

I've been using straws since before I can remember, and I'm old, in my early 60s so that's a lot of years using straws. This kind of cup I could tell instantly, is much better. It's very natural to drink from. You can't stab yourself with the straw accidentally because there isn't one. You can't accidentally spill drink on yourself because the lid's there. And it's less restrictive than a straw. You can really swallow a drink down quickly if you want to.

So that's it. Excellent service, and learning about a really neat new kind of cup. I've got to add that this particular location seems to do a "Flat White" better...

The service was okay..I was greeted a few times by the same barista who was preparing a drink which was nice and kind of odd..( I wasn't sure whether he was going to help me with my order or not)..I was finally helped by another nice worker.. although after taking my order, he didn't take my name ..or thank me or tell me the transactin qas finished which I am not used to. This place is busy in the morning for a weekday which is fair but it is also packed ..maybe that's why the customer service was a bit off. My drink was made in a timely manner, considering there were a lot of people waiting. The biggest distraction I noticed was how dirty it was for a Starbucks establishment. I didn't want to start snapping away with my phone, but the windows were streaked. I saw water streaks on the clear glass on the counter. The floor had garbage, the mirrors had finger tracings/drawings on them and overall, it was just the dirtiest starbucks I have ever been to. The one I normally go to is Evergreen which has less workers.. just at busy at times but I always see them cleaning and making sure everything...

I usually frequent this location because of the convenience of it being right across the street from where I work. I spend hundreds of dollars here every month, and today, on a particularly hot day, my son wasn’t feeling well and simply asked for a cup of ice. Despite us being regular customers, he was refused unless we made a purchase.

The employee’s response was not only disappointing but also came across as unnecessarily rude. This small act of unkindness left a lasting impression. Sometimes, it’s the little gestures—like offering a cup of ice on a hot day—that show compassion and build customer loyalty. Unfortunately, that was not the case here.

Additionally, I’ve noticed that my drinks often don’t come out tasting right at this location, which only adds to my frustration. I will not be returning, and I’ll be letting my coworkers know about this...