Starbucks

This place can get busy but the staff is always composed and professional. The employees make an effort to engage with their customers, either new or regular, and the drinks are well made. The seating layout allows for a constant flow of orders with plenty of seating for patrons inside and out. I have seen some customers upset that there are not outlets available for public use, but that is not the fault of the staff. Just something to know and plan for ahead of time.

Starbucks tells customers to order "Mango Dragonfruit Refresher" (versus "Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher") in order to signal to the barista that you are not interested in it being made with lemonade.......so, I do that here and STILL had to correct the person making my drink that I never said I wanted lemonade. It is a whole pain feeling as though we have to hover to ensure our order is correct. Can someone please ask corporate to put out some clarification for both customers AND employees on orders like this?? Frustrating.

I adopted the Starbucks at the Hazard Center in San Diego, as my home away from home during a three day visit there. This Starbucks was close to my hotel and I went there four times in three days. There is something to be said about any restaurant chain or retail chain that consistently maintains high standards across cities and states across the country. Starbucks freestanding stores always meets my expectations for a good cup of coffee and a snack or bite to eat, no matter what time of day or wherever I am. I don’t include airport or grocery store locations, though they’ve improved markedly. The Hazard Center Starbucks is no different. The employees were friendly, warm, quick and well trained. They had a queue that reached the door at one point, and they never lost their cool. The power went out on Saturday and they continued to serve irritated customers with a smile and employees started scrubbing sweeping and cleaning. No one was idle for a minute. I will make every effort to patronize the Hazard Center Starbucks location whenever I’m in San Diego, and you should too! Tell ‘em Roy sent you!

When I got there to pick up a mobile order, there was no barista making drinks. I can understand that they might only have two folks and they need to take breaks, but it was pretty busy (it was lunchtime). We all just stood there...waiting. The person working the register just kept taking orders, so the customers waiting for drinks continued to pile up (and there isn't a lot of room to stand and wait, the seats were full). Seems like he could have made a few drinks, then gone back to taking orders. I didn't wait much longer than the max time the app estimated, but it was unusual (for most Starbucks locations) and I did need to get back to work. The bathrooms could use a remodel, or at least a deep cleaning. The latte was good. *I went again recently and had the opposite experience from above (mobile order was ready before I even arrived and the barista acknowledged me and was helpful and friendly) so I changed my rating from 3 to 4 stars.