Starbucks — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Really disappointing experience. I ordered two items for myself — the seasonal iced lavender oatmilk latte (no modifications with the exception of the kind of espresso used) and a set of the bacon Gruyère egg bites with a packet of srirachia. We showed up just a few minutes after placing the order to a not-so-busy cafe and food and drinks were already ready to go.

However, the barista who made the drink evidently had very little care for the sequencing process or drink quality. As a former Starbucks barista, I would never send a drink out in the way that I received mine. All of the lavender powder was seated at the very bottom of the drink, and the drink had nowhere near enough ice to mix it all in. As a customer, that should not be my responsibility in the first place, but being unable to do it is even more frustrating when I paid for a premium seasonal drink.

Additionally, the egg bites that I had ordered with “sriracha” clearly printed on the label came with no sriracha. I noticed neither of these things before I was miles away from the location and unable to go back for a remake or a refund.

To finalize my complaints, although I don’t agree with the new standard of writing on every single cup handed to a customer, writing “aloha!” on all three beverages in the total transaction either suggests complete and utter laziness as was so evident in the drink preparation, or pre-writing on the cups which is disallowed due to sanitation standards; additionally, this does not maintain the revised “back to Starbucks” connection with the third place environment they promote. The barista on warming (ovens) also barely looked up or acknowledged when we asked for a drink carrier for our 3 beverages with our hands already full, just sort of tossed it on the counter.

This is consistently the second-to-worst Starbucks in town (looking at you, Fairview, for the number one spot) and I truly hope that you hire better shift supervisors or management at this location to be involved with the customer experience that a well-run store is capable...

Idk why some are griping that the staff is "immature" and "unprofessional". Completely ignore these difficult customers and Karens, because the staff are some of the most friendly, kind spirited and hard working people I've met. Very professional, work incredibly fast and are accommodating to any special requests. The hours are a little wonky due to, what I assume, is understaffing but that's mainly a management/corporate issue rather than anything regarding the staff. So, kudos to the baristas tolerating any tricky situations and pushing out quality...

Went to this Starbuck's store on Cyber Monday to pick up my app ordered Grande drinks and a couple of their pastries. Located in the mesa shopping area, next to the Mesa Cafe, parking ok, but can be challenging during busy hours in the morning and later afternoons. Store was very clean and organized. Take out, pick up or outside dining only at this time. Drink orders well prepared and pastries were warm. Will definitely revisit this store...