Starbucks — Restaurant in Thousand Oaks

I have worked at this mall for ten years. For ten of those years, I have been visiting this Starbucks, at least three or four times a week, virtually every week. I have seen the change in managers, the change in employees, and the way Starbucks itself operates. All fine. All good. Starbucks is reliable, and any other time, any other place, I’d never think to do this.

Unfortunately, times have changed.

As a mall employee, mobile ordering Starbucks is practically a necessity, because this Starbucks is busy, and it’s really inconvenient for mall employees to wait in line, order, and then wait for the drink. I’ve never had an issue with mobile ordering before.

Now, I have issues.

First time I’d ordered Starbucks in a while, when I go down to get my drink after waiting about ten minutes, I get told mobile orders are no longer being prioritized and they have to get through the line customers first?? WHAT?? I’m a paying customer and yet I’m being told that because I don’t have the luxury of time…. That I now have to waste more time waiting for a drink???

Today, I kept that in mind. I was told 7-10 minutes. That’s fine. I wait ten minutes. I get told my ordrrr is being worked on. I hear my name, I go down to get my food and drink. Food is ready, drink is not. That’s fine~! Food is usually done first. I wait…. And I wait…. I waited another 13 minutes for my drink to be ready! I’m really disappointed. I used to love going to this Starbucks, it was convenient, but now? It’s impossible to rely on them to actually do your drink at a good time if you’re mobile ordering. I can’t do it anymore.

The employees don’t seem to care, and I know. I work in retail, I recognize that it can be hard. I recognize that there’s certain things the employees can’t do or are being told to do things in certain ways. I completely get that. But the brusque, stiff, uncaring way the employees have engaged me recently have pushed me...

Long wait. We waited over 10 minutes for a cup of water, with only 3 drinks in line before us, and saw people behind us get their drinks faster. After close to 15 minutes of waiting, we asked if our other drinks made it to the queue (as this has never happened to me, and I thought maybe that would explain what was going on here) and the barista nodded bluntly and walked away. She returned shortly, made our drink, and roughly slammed it on the counter and called it out, in the most monotone, bored, annoyed voice I have ever heard from someone whose job is serving others. She made my mother-in-law's and my drinks wrong, on top of it all. The woman at the front who took our order, however, was very nice and friendly. But the ridiculous wait time in proportion to the amount of orders in front of us, topped off with the rude demeanor of the barista, soured me more on this Starbucks than the bitter taste...

I usually or almost never complaint about bad service, but the baristas at this location were so rude to my son and then to my self. They both had bad attitudes and appeared upset to be there. Long story short my son asked for a cup of water and they said they would give him one with a purchase of any item. I then asked if I can purchase the water and they said the water was complimentary but I needed to buy another item. The other barista stepped in and said u can buy something and and get the complimentary water. For a family of four that have been Starbucks customers for over 17 years and have never heard the new water policy or have never been treated in this manner by any baristas. I've always had a great experience and greeted...