Starbucks Baristas Say These Drink Orders Are "Ridiculous" and "Disgusting"
As friendly as Starbucks is to customized orders, a surge in viral Tiktok drinks and subsequent customer gluttony is taking its toll on the chain's employees. Baristas are complaining about ridiculous bespoke drinks they're having to make, which are slowing down operations, and worst of all, most of the time don't make any sense, according to the latest report by Business Insider.
The publication spoke to several Starbucks staffers who characterized many of the custom drinks they have to make as "excessive," "ridiculous," "disgusting" and not even fitting in a cup. Some examples include over-the-top drinks with 20 or more pumps of syrup or three different cream and foam toppings, requests for blended foods to be added to drinks, or quality-defying asks like using a banana-milk blend as a base for a latte.
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Even worse, customers sometimes show up with doctored images of impossible Starbucks drinks they got from the internet and become very upset when the drink doesn't end up looking like that in real life. Wait times are also a point of contention. If you're getting one of these highly customized drinks at the drive-thru, you need to adjust your expectations about how long you're going to wait for it, staffers say.
"If a drink looks complicated, assume that it's complicated," a barista in British Columbia told Insider.
Starbucks prides itself on giving customers the freedom to make the drinks their own, and the chain has designed its mobile app to cater to those customer whims. Ordering from the drink through a phone allows for endless customization, and employees say they feel people often take advantage of these bonus options just because they're there.
However, the chain won't be changing its customization policy any time soon. "Customizing beverages at Starbucks and our baristas' expertise in helping customers find and craft the right beverage has and always will be at the heart of the Starbucks experience," a spokesperson for the company told Insider and noted that most of the customization requests were reasonable.
For more, check out:
- McDonald's Is Adding a Craveable New Bakery Item to the Menu
- McDonald's and Starbucks Just Made This Major Policy Change
- The #1 Worst Breakfast at Starbucks, Says a Dietitian
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