It took me 20 minutes to get a cup of coffee at Starbucks last night. I drink decaf generally, and certainly in the evening or I am up all night. Starbucks has recently changed their policy on brewing decaf after lunch time (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=aOvUsHxFSAeM&pid=20601082), and I get why but geez - 20 minutes?
So I wrote them a little letter and submitted it on their website.
===================Letter to Starbucks===================
Background:
Recently (starting in January?), the stores I frequent in the San Ramon/Dublin/Pleasanton California area have stopped brewing decaf coffee after lunch time. I get that there was wasted coffee and this was done to cut costs - I have no issue with that and support the fiscal responsibility. The initial response was to offer to brew a full pot of decaf or an Americano for the same price. Brewing a full pot takes about 5-6 minutes and the Americano takes 2-3 based on my experience. While it was a minor inconvenience and added an extra 2-3 minutes to my visit, I felt that offering an Americano was a reasonable solution.
Problem:
Lately the stores have opted to try and brew a single cup with some hot water and a stand-alone filter contraption. The results have been disappointing. It now takes an extra 5-10 minutes to get what used to be accomplished in under 30 seconds AND the quality of the coffee is very poor. On more than one occasion I have found my beverage to be undrinkable and asked for a new one. This results in a suggestion of an Americano (the ORIGINAL solution), and another few minutes to get that going. Last night it took TWENTY minutes to get a cup of decaf coffee and there was no one in line. This has happened twice in the last week at two different stores.
Observation:
The Starbucks employees I have encountered are doing their best but are frustrated and lacking leadership direction with this new change. They want to do the right thing but are not sure what that is and they seem very embarrassed by this.
Solution:
Offer an Americano at the same price as drip decaf coffee. This would give clear direction to your employees, provide a reasonably efficient solution from a financial perspective, and improve your customer service.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Regards,
-James Donohoe
===================Letter to Starbucks===================
Maybe I will get a response. Maybe I will stop going to Starbucks..?
