Starbucks Store Review - 6th / 6th New Westminister (Westminister Ctr)

Location: 6/6 in New West @ Westminister Center
Type of Location: Corperate Store

General Evaluation:

Time of day: Afternoon
# of partners on the floor: 2 (Probably one or 2 in the back as well stocking/cleaning)
Service time: 1min
Business level: Steady
Cleanliness: Good
Was the bathroom cleaner than a gas station bathroom?: Yes of course!
Legendary service: not really but partners were friendly
Would I recommend this Location: Yes... The only corperate store in uptown N.West!

Food/Drink Evaluation:

Items Ordered: Chocolate Crossant and Iced Venti Caramel Macchiato xtra sweet!
Display Case/Beverage Sinage: Clean and well noticable
Drink Preperation/Presentation: Well Done. Standards followed!
Quality of Drink/Food Ordered: 8.5/10

Grade: A-

General Comments:

A Very good location! Good location for local customers and in an nice area near a new Saveon... Steady pace of business and friendly staff! Local everyday customers are well known by staff and greated as such!

Starbucks Store Review - Metropolis at Metrotown

Location: Metrotown (Skytrain Side)
Type of Location: Corperate Store

General Evaluation:

Time of day: Afternoon/Early Evening
# of partners on the floor: 4
Service time: 4mins
Business level: Busy
Cleanliness: Decent
Was the bathroom cleaner than a gas station bathroom?: No Bathroom at this Location
Legendary service: NO!
Would I recommend this Location: meh! Its in the mall so if u need bux then sure!

Food/Drink Evaluation:

Items Ordered: Iced Venti Chai Latte
Display Case/Beverage Sinage: standard!
Drink Preperation/Presentation: good!
Quality of Drink/Food Ordered: 7/10

Grade: B-

General Comments:
This is a very busy location so it would explain being crazy! Drinks are okay and service well they have to be fast to keep up with the lineup!

Types of Stupid Customers that Order!

Here is the list of silly types of customers when they order!

- the phone addict
this is the customer who refuses to put the phone down long enough to order - instead opting to make us (and all the customers behind them) wait until their conversation is over. sometimes, in-between sentences they'll whisper something unintelligible to us and then toss their money on the counter, as if "decaf mumble, mumble, mumble" translates into starbonics.

- the first-timer
the newbie customer who waits until we've asked them "what can i get for you today?" to actually LOOK at our menu board. and of course a five-minute explanation of each and every one of our beverages ensues while the line gets longer and longer and longer.

- the should-know-better
this is the customer that has been to bux a million times, knows exactly how the ordering process goes, and STILL hems and haws when we ask them what they want. they giggle and smile and say "gee! i should know what i want by now, huh?" and then re-reads the menu forty times before deciding on their usual. their friggen' USUAL!

- the bottlenecker
at bux we usually have what's called a 'floater' to call down the line so the register partners don't have to take extra time to mark cups. usually it's a very efficient process, although occasionally we'll come across a customer who will demand so much attention, and ask so many questions, that we cannot fulfill our floater duties. meanwhile the register partner has already started to ring up the bottlenecker and cannot help the next customer in line. of course that means everyone behind them has to wait even longer just to order.

and my personal favorite:
- mr./ms. ultra-complex
this is the person that won't tell you what they want to order unless you have out your sharpie and have cup in your hand. problem is - if you don't tell me the size of your damn drink, or whether it's hot or iced, it's USELESS for me to start writing! still mr./ms. ultra-complex will say "you need to write this down" and won't utter another word until i'm perfectly poised with cup and pen in hand. then they proceed to say rather slowly "nonfat.....decaf.....three shots.....no foam.....sugar-free hazelnut....why aren't you writing this down?"
"because i need to know the size and what kind of drink it is first." i inform them.
"i'm telling you!" mr./ms. ultra-complex will huff. "nonfat....decaf....three shots...."
of course the drink ends up being a venti when we've started writing on a grande cup, or they will inform us it's supposed to be iced after watching us write down their order on a hot cup. grrrrrrr!

partner rant: please don't bitch to me about a barista you're having problems with. if it's upsetting you so much, then talk to the manager if you can't work it out with your nemesis. talking to me will fix NOTHING, and it only makes me want to take the side of the person that hates you. seriously.

Starbucks Store Review - Broadway @ Commerical

Location: Broadway @ Commercial Dr. (near Brdwy Skytrain)
Type of Location: Corperate Store

General Evaluation:

Time of day: morning
# of partners on the floor: 4 - (1 Stocking/Cleaning)
Service time: 5 minutes
Business level: Average
Cleanliness: Average
Was the bathroom cleaner than a gas station bathroom?: Was not used!
Legendary service: YES! Some of the Baristas know me by name or Drink
Would I recommend this Location: YES

Food/Drink Evaluation:

Items Ordered: Chocolate Crossant and Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Display Case/Beverage Sinage: Excellent Condition; well stocked!
Drink Preperation/Presentation: Well Done!
Quality of Drink/Food Ordered: 10/10 (This Barista always does a great job)

Grade: A

General Comments:

There is always room for improvment Regardless of how great a location is! Drink Calling and proper starbucks standards are well followed! Baristas take the time to recognize a repeat customer and learn names and regular drink orders for those customers! Great Job!

Reviewing Starbucks Locations!

A New Part of the Espresso Vancouver Family will be Reviewing S-Bux Locations around town!

Look to the colum on the right for Reviews!

Following a Simple Standard of Evaluation below each store will be graded and evaluated based on the Criteria stated below!

Good Luck Stores!

Introducing Strawberry Banana Vivanno Smoothies!

Starring this summer at Starbucks Locations near you is a new addition to the Vivanno Smoothie lineup!

Enter Strawberry Banana:

Made with one whole banana, real strawberry puree, whey protein & fibre powder, and fresh 2% milk. Four simple ingredients. Blended with ice. Summer refreshment has never tasted more delicious. And under 280 calories, how can you resist?

Also available is the Mango and Banana Chocolate!

Summer 2009 ---> Oh! Indulgence!

Starbucks is hitting the streets this summer with a new promotion and selection for this Summers pick of the litter!

How about we all be a little indulgent and have a Caramel Frappucino with luscious Caramel sauce and Whipped Topping over a blended Caramel Coffee Drink! MMMMMmmmm!!!

Add to that a Reduced Fat Lemon Raspberry Loaf! Oooo la la!

OR... how about Trying a Starbucks Iced and Flavoured Tea Lemonade... The traditional way to prepare this is : Fresh Brewed Passion, Black or Green Tea which is chilled and mixed with Starbucks special lemonade mix, Ice and Classic Syrup! Try adding Raspberry syrup to the Passion Tea version! Exquisite!

Enjoy Responsibly!

Skinny Lattes!

Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) helps customers keep their resolutions without sacrificing flavor with the introduction of the “Skinny” platform, a nonfat Latte made with sugar-free syrup. Bringing the sugar-free syrups to the forefront of the menu, Starbucks is adding a new sugar-free syrup flavor – Mocha – to the already sweet selection of Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, and Cinnamon Dolce. By simply ordering a Starbucks® Caffè Latte or Caffè Mocha “skinny,” customers can satisfy their desire for something sweet while reducing calories and fat.

The “Skinny” on Starbucks® Caffè Mochas and Caffè Lattes
Made with Starbucks® signature espresso, the tall (12 fl. oz.) Caffè Latte or Caffè Mocha ordered with sugar-free syrup, perfectly steamed nonfat milk, and a dash of foam contains only 90 calories. If customers replace their daily tall Starbucks® Vanilla Latte with Starbucks® Skinny Vanilla Latte they would save 700 calories and 35 grams of fat per week. Swapping out a daily, tall Caffè Mocha (made with 2% milk and no whip) for a Skinny Mocha would save 550 calories and 30 grams of fat per week.

Milk Does a Latte Good
Not only do Starbucks® Skinny Caffè Lattes and Skinny Caffè Mochas provide customers with that delicious sweet taste they desire without having to give up a thing, the drinks also provide the natural goodness of milk. A tall Skinny Latte or Skinny Mocha naturally contains 30 percent of recommended daily calcium and 9 grams of protein.

“Milk is a nutrient-rich food that provides nine essential nutrients. Research shows milk drinkers have an overall healthier diet, with higher intakes of calcium and other important nutrients compared to non-milk drinkers,” said Ann Marie Krautheim, registered dietitian and spokesperson with the National Dairy Council. “With two out of three Americans failing to meet their daily calcium recommendations, ordering a Caffè Latte or Caffè Mocha and asking for it ‘skinny’ helps you save about 100 calories while getting one of the recommended three servings of dairy needed daily.”

Meeting Customers' Needs
The Skinny platform is one of the ways Starbucks is committed to meeting customers' desire for healthier options in 2008. The nutrition page on Starbucks.com is the most accessed page and growing in popularity - 10 million visits in the past four years, 3.5 million of which were in 2007 alone.

“We regularly hear from our partners that customers are cutting calories and seeking healthier options,” said Katie Thomson, registered dietitian, Starbucks Coffee Company. “We understand how important overall wellness is to our customers and so we’ve made it easier for them to stick to their New Year’s goals without giving up their daily coffee routine by introducing the Skinny platform. In fact, customers can consider replacing that sweet snack so many of them reach for in the afternoon with a Skinny Latte. Not only will they save on calories and fat but they’ll be getting an extra shot of calcium and protein to get them through the day.”

Skinny Any Starbucks Beverage
The Skinny Latte will be featured on menu boards starting in January 2008 and available at participating Starbucks as a core beverage offering in North America, so customers can enjoy this lower calorie, sweet tasting espresso beverage all year long.

Thomson offers tips on other ways to customize Starbucks® coffee beverages:
• Skip the whip. If you typically ask for whipped cream on your beverage, request extra foam instead. It tastes just as good and saves anywhere from 60-110 calories and 6 to 11 grams of fat.
• Satisfy a sweet tooth. Feel free to ask your Barista to add Splenda®, Equal® or Sweet’N Low® to your favorite beverage.
• Lighten up. Make your next Frappuccino® blended beverage a Frappuccino® Light blended coffee or Frappuccino® Light blended crème and save up to 250 calories and 4 grams of fat.

Simple Steps to Speeding up the line at the Coffee Shop!

One of the most frustrating things for me when i go to get a Coffee or Latte is the long slow lineup at the Coffee Shop. On Occasion it could be that a new employee is operation the register today or that a coffee shop who regularly has 4 employees working only has 3. But for the most part it is usually the idiot in front of you who cant decide between 3 and 4 pumps of Vanilla in his latte or that lady who wishes to pay with 25million pennies! UGH!

Below you will find 7 simple tips you can use to help make your Coffee shop lineup go faster!

1. KNOW YOUR ORDER! This means that by the time you arrive at the register you should know exactly what you wish to order... Know the type of drink you wish as well as the size and any customizations as well. If this is your first time at a specific coffee shop or just don't know exactly what you want, you can step to the side of the line to read the posted menus or go over in your head what you wish to do so. This allows the people who know exactly what they want to go ahead thus, speeds up the line up!

2. STEP AWAY FROM THE REGISTER AFTER ORDERING! This really aggravates me when people finish paying for there order and they stay around the register waiting for their order thus, blocking the area for the next customer to come up. Most Coffee shops/bars have a designated area for you to pick up your drinks. At Starbucks they have a bar at the other end of the store from the cash where the barista (drink maker) will put up your drinks. GO STAND OVER THERE AND NOT IN FRONT OF MY TILL!

3. HAVE YOUR EXACT ORDER READY! I hate it when people place an order for a hot mocha and after i have put the order into my till they change it to an iced mocha! FOR PETE'S SAKE! IF YOU ARE NOT SURE IF U WANT HOT OR ICED THEN DON'T GET IN LINE TILL YOU ARE READY! Be sure you know 100000% what you want no changes!

4. HAVE YOUR PAYMENT READY! Many Coffee Chains like Tim Horton's, Starbucks, Esquires etc. carry RE LOADABLE GIFT/CASH CARDS! USE THEM!!!!!!!!!! It makes our lives easier when all we half to do is swipe your card and hand it back to you! If you are going to pay debit/visa or cash...HAVE YOUR CARD READY! don't get up to the till, place your order then fiddle around trying to find everything! Its where we waist the most time and by having your payment ready it can save loads of customer wait times!

5. PUT YOUR STUPID CELL PHONE AWAY! #1 WORST HABIT WHEN ORDERING IS TALKING ON YOUR CELL PHONE! IF YOU EVER DO THIS IN MY PRESENCE I WILL NOT SERVE YOU WHATSOEVER! IT IS EXTREMELY RUDE AND INSULTING! IT SAYS TO ME THAT THE TIME AND GOOD SERVICE I AM GIVING TO YOU DURING YOUR ORDER IS NOT EVEN WORTH IT! Turn it off before arriving at the till. It is not hard to tell a friend that you will call them back. If it is an important call then step to the side and finish the call before standing in line!

6. WITHIN CHAIN STORES... NOT ALL STAFF ARE TRAINED EQUALLY AT ALL LOCATIONS! Some stores for Starbucks and Tim Horton's don't always train there staff the same and some staff don't always get as good training as staff at other locations! So please try to be as patient and understanding as possible! Don't mumble or rush threw your order or you may half to repeat it again which can slow down the line!

7. BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE WITH YOUR ORDER! If you want 2 creams and 1 sugar in your Tim Horton's Coffee or you want Nonfat milk in your Starbucks Latte SAY THAT! Don't just say large coffee with cream and sugar at Tim's or we will just make an angry face and ask you how many cream and how many sugar you want! At Starbucks if you do not specify what kind of milk you want we will assume you want whole milk (3%). So don't just say Grande Latte SAY... GRANDE NONFAT LATTE! Same goes for syrups, decaf variations, whip cream etc..

How to Order a Complicated Starbucks Drink

Well... If you're a regular at Starbucks, you might have developed a favorite drink. When you started, maybe it was just a grande latte. But now, it's something much more complicated.

Maybe you feel compelled to warn your barista to grab a cup to write as you order. Your persistent fear is that the moron behind the counter will make your drink wrong, and then you have to be a jerk and get it re-made, or suffer through an inferior $4 latte. No Worries. Here are some instructions to help make your starbucks ordering experience a great one!

Step 1:
Let's start with a few Starbucks basics. If you understand what goes into a basic drink, it will help you simplify your order.
There are 4 Sizes of cups available in each Starbucks store, in both Iced and Hot Versions. They are, from Smallest to Largest,
"Short" (8 OZ)
"Tall" (12 OZ)
"Grande" (16 OZ)
"Vente" (20 OZ for a hot cup and 24 OZ for a Cold Cup)

Step 2:
Typically, When a Customer orders a "Small" we give them a Tall Cup because usually this is what the Customer means by a small. If you want a Short, to avoid confusion, order a Short.

Usually when someone orders a "regular size" we give them a Grande.

A Large is of course a Vente (though occasionally I do have a customer that thinks a Grande is the large, and the Vente, an Extra Large)

Step 3:
Here's a few more things to know:
All of Starbucks' drinks have a standard number of shots

Americanos have 1 shot in a short, 2 in a Tall, 3 in a Grande, and 4 in a Vente. This is for either Hot or Iced Americanos.

All other Hot Drinks have 1 Shot in a Short and a Tall, 2 in a Grande and Vente. Iced Drinks are the same except for the Iced Ventes; they have 3.

One Last thing about drinks:
Any flavored syrup pumps go 2(short) 3(Tall) 4(Grande) 5(Vente) and 6(Iced Vente)

So a Vente Vanilla latte will have 5 pumps of Vanilla Syrup in it.

Okay, now onto the fun part.

Step 4:
Look at your cup. If you haven't noticed already, every Starbucks cup has six boxes on it. They are titled, from top to bottom, Decaf, Shots, Syrup, Milk, Custom, and Drink.

Step 5:
All Starbucks Baristas are trained to call drinks in a specific order. When you order your drink in the right order, it makes it easier for you barista to put it in order. Also, it makes it easier for him to get all of the details for your drink, because there's nothing unexpected.
When a Starbucks Barista calls a drink, they are basically calling it in the order that is printed on the cups.. The only difference is that the size of the drink goes in between the Shots and Syrup Boxes. Also, if its an Iced drink, that is called before Decaf.

Step 6:
So, Lets do a few examples.

Say i want a grande latte with half the vanilla, extra hot, and non-fat. Look at your cup, and figure out what order it should go in....

Ready?

It would be a Grande, 2 pump Vanilla, Non-Fat, Extra Hot, Latte.

Step 7:
How about another:

i want a vente Mocha with one shot, iced, caramel sauce on the top and bottom, no whip, light on the ice, and 7 pumps of peppermint syrup.

Got it?

Iced Single Vente, 7 pump Peppermint, Caramel Sauce Top and Bottom, Light Ice, No whip, Mocha.

Step 8:
I know it's a lot to remember, but with a little practice anybody can call a freakishly complicated drink like a pro.

Here's a few things to note:

Only variations on Mochas, White mochas, Hot Chocolates, and White hot chocolates come standard with whipped cream. also, if there's a seasonal flavored latte (I.E. the Pumpkin Spice Latte) that will usually come with whip standard. if its not one of those drinks, you don't need to mention whip at all, unless you want it.

Extra hot Drinks, Vente Drinks, Americanos, and Brewed Coffee come with sleeves. If you're Getting one of those, no need to grab a sleeve from the bar.

Iced Drinks come with straws. Your Barista will hand you a straw, no need to grab one from the bar. if you ordered a hot drink and you want a straw, feel free.

Step 9:
Here's a few things that (for some reason) piss off almost every barista (even if they don't show it)

-ordering a "Cap," a "Frap," or a "grande Vanilla" feel free to say "Cappucino," "Frappucino" and please specify whether its a grande vanilla latte, coffee, Cappucino etc.

-customers that reach into the bar area to grab straws, sleeves or carry trays. ASK AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU. or, all of that stuff should be available at the condiment bar.

-customers that grab straws from the condiment bar while we are making their iced drink (which comes with a straw anyways) Basically, we end up picking straws up off of the hand counter all day.

-And Here's the big one, the creme de la creme of great ways to piss off your barista: leaving your table messy in the seating area. You are an adult. Clean up after yourself. Otherwise, Leave a tip for the Barista who is bussing your table.

Have Fun!