Starbucks — Restaurant in Washington

Long Post Alert First, allow me to say that I was, and am still, happy to have a drive-thru Starbucks near my home. I have had a history of blood clots, pinched and sciatica nerve pain, neuropathy on my left side and a few other health challenges, that it sometimes makes it difficult to walk. When I do walk, I do so with a cane, to keep my balance, as I don't always have feeling in my left leg or foot, so I become unstable. I, also, legitimately, have handicap tags. So, any carry-out, that has a drive-thru, I will default to because it makes it extremely accessible for people like me.

So, imagine my excitement when they opened! Normally, if I have one of, or both of, my sons or someone to walk for me, I will usually make my rounds at the Dakota Crossing, or the one near Eastern Market. However, if I am alone, I have driven to Clinton, Brandywine or even Alexandria to take advantage of the drive-thru. So having this one, so much closer, was perfect. In fact, I was stalking it until it opened and then immediately patronized it, pretty much everyday, as soon as it did.

Fast forward several months later and I am still relatively happy, but the new, and warm, fuzzy feeling has definitely worn off. The service is still relatively fast, but it does come, many times, at the expense of making sure that your drink is made right. Either they are not adding all the pumps, or add-ins, as requested, or short changing you, by not filling up your cup. Received several drinks that did not follow my order, as requested, and when asked to make it right there has been some push back. Additionally, while the original staff at this location, for the most part, is, and has been, very courteous and a pleasure to interact with, the customer service is definitely going down with some of the newer people. Not all, but there is a noticeable difference in the service from those that are the original crew vs. the newcomers, who seems to operate with a rude and disrespectful demeanor.

Also, Stephanie, who is one of the managers or shift supervisors, not really sure of her title, seems nice, but can say some off the cuff things that cause you to raise an eyebrow. For instance, one day, there was a line of people in the drive-thru and it was taking extremely long for them to get the line down. I thought this was unusual for them, so I stayed in line, but placed a mobile order, hoping to expedite my time at the window. Well, Ms. Stephanie came out and started closing off the drive-thru, while people were in it, saying that the window ordering system was down. As a result, some stayed but many left. As for me, I stayed, because I had already placed my order, but I did not get out of the drive-thru line. As previously stated, one of the things that I really appreciate about this location is the fact that it has a drive-thru, so I don't have to do all the walking. So, when I expressed to her that I was not placing an order, but just picking up a mobile order, she repeated that the drive-thru ordering system was down. Not sure if she heard me, I repeated that I was not placing an order, just picking up, when she said, "Just gone...you all are just so spoiled and entitled...just pull forward and we'll get it." At that point, I had a good mind to cancel my order and demand a refund, but I really wanted my overpriced (3)drinks and danish that morning, so I proceeded to get my items, but definitely did not leave a tip, as I normally do. There have been a few other times, she has had a bit of passive-aggressive tone and remarks, but for the most part, seems to be okay.

In conclusion, I really like this place, but I would caution them about their new hires' customer service skills, and not to short change the customers. Starbucks is a luxury, not a necessity, so it is wise to keep this in mind when servicing their customers. We don't have to come, we want to come! So please honor me, and your other customers, by treating us with respect, and giving us all that we pay for, without trying...

THIS LOCATION is my FAVORITE Starbucks location! I literally call it MY Starbucks. I live in the vicinity of 3 standalone Starbucks, all with a drive thru BUT the Skyland Town Center location is better than the Clinton and Forrestville locations in every category listed above. The customer service is ALWAYS A1 whether the drive thru is wrapped around the corner or if I'm the only person in line. Bc this is "my" Starbucks, the morning crew has perfected my creatively complicated (but not complicated) drink so well, that on first sip, my morning is made (it's a marriage between an iced peach green tea and a lemonade Mango Dragonfruit Refresher). The few times when my drink was made incorrectly, it was remade and STILL handed to me with a smile, sometimes even a cute sticker. I even took a trip to the Forrestville location to compare my experience. While there, their manager and a barista had a whole conversation in front of me about requesting off hours while I sat there waiting...didn't even great me, AND handed me half of my order with a head nod to leave, lol! The audacity was real! So right there, evidence that the Skyland location is unmatched in customer service. I'll stay with "my"...

The food and service were great! However, I wasn't happy with being asked for money from a male solicitor before entering the store at 10:00 am. He was also asking people for money from the drive-through window. I understand that times are hard, and I am very generous sometimes, but it's very annoying. Nevertheless, the place was nice and clean with nice music, with a warm and friendly welcome from the employees. Incidentally, while waiting for my food, I told one of the male employees that there weren't any more napkins in the dispenser, and he told me to walk towards the back door to get some - which I didn't want to do since I was standing at the front door, and told him this. (He did not put napkins in the dispenser) In any case, I truly enjoyed the food and atmosphere for breakfast and will go back there again bcuz I like...