Comments on: Commentary: Starbucks Brew On Demand – The experience in the stores.

By: Clover Gal

Clover Gal — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:51:11 +0000

@Melody – I’ve been a “lurker” for awhile now. I suspect I found it after a Google search for some topic or other you’ve blogged about (couldn’t tell you which one) and stayed for the enjoyment.

TOTALLY know what you mean about seeing people out of their “normal” environment. I think my brain depends on certain visual cues more than I care to admit. It makes for a good challenge remembering which face goes with which drink!

My comment about visiting my store was as much for the lurkers out there who feel frustrated about brew on demand, but don’t feel brave enough to voice an opinion. Ladies and gentlemen, come on by!! Melody, I realize you’re on the other side of the lake, and I’m glad that you’ve got some good stores in your neck of the woods. Roy St. is actually one of my favorite places for some down time when I’m in the neighborhood. 1st & Pike is also on my top favs list.
Bring on the BOLD!

By: Melody

Melody — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 21:21:25 +0000

@Clover Gal – Welcome to my little Starbucks blog here! How did you find it? It’s a fun little community. I’ve been into your store once, in 2008, shortly after your store got the Clover. It’s the only time I’ve been to your store (only because of your location…)

In August 2008, shortly after that initial expansion of the Clover, I decided to go visit all of the Clover stores to see what kinds of places Starbucks was putting them.

I ordered a Clover at your store and had just a totally normal typical Starbucks experience. I sat down, and I think I had both a book and a knitting, and in walks a woman whom I think I know well, but I had a moment of trying to place her face. She is (currently still) an elected City of Seattle Judge. She was wearing sweats and dressed very casually, and it’s funny when you’re used to seeing someone in a black robe, a pair of sweats can throw off your recognition of that person.

She read my face like a book and played on it and said with a perfect poker face, “oh you must be confusing me with my twin sister Judge XYZ …”

I dumbly, (and playing right into her gag) said, “I didn’t know that Judge XYZ had a twin sister, nice to meet you …”

And then she laughed outloud, and had me you know. She’s fairly regular at your Starbucks so I hear, and thinks your store is great.

Melody

By: Clover Gal

Clover Gal — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 21:06:06 +0000

As a clover store partner, and a high volume brewed coffee store in general, we’re brewing bold at least until 5pm (and if we’ve still got some ground at that point, we’ll keep going while supplies last). Clover makes a great alternative backup plan for the anti-PPR coffee person, but not everyone happily adjusts to the price difference. Most do, once they taste Clover, if they’re into coffee for the flavor, and not just as a means of caffeine ingestion.

My ritual response to an evening request for Decaf usually runs something along the lines of “I don’t have any ready to go right now. I do have a few options for you. 1) We can brew a cup on our Clover machine for you. It does run a few cents more, but I think the flavor is well worth it. 2) We can brew a fresh pot of Decaf, which will take about 4 minutes. 3) We can make a decaf americano for you.” Customer responses vary of course.

I wish customers didn’t have to face a tug of war when coming in for coffee… that really is sooo counter to our mission statement, the third place and the overall concept of a coffeehouse. All I can offer is – I usually work evenings and weekends… if you’re on the south side of Lake Washington, come visit me!

Renton Village
601 S. Grady Way
Renton, WA

By: CoffeeExpert

CoffeeExpert — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:30:05 +0000

As a manager, I try to fulfill the brew on demand policy for both decaf and third pick. I do this because I care about customers and want to keep them happy. This issue is about taking care of customers. It’s a customer service issue. You have to have people that care enough about the customers to brew what they ask. Starbucks cannot legislate this, but they can influence it by hiring good people that will actually do a good job. Quality employees are a key – passionate people that actually care about what they’re doing. I talk about coffee, explain the difference between coffees, educate people about acidity, and recommend coffees, and let people taste coffees naturally because it just flows out of me- it’s a passion and something I’m interested in. Hiring decisions have a lot to do with how a business runs. Having a quality, efficient staff makes a big difference. Yes, there is a policy in place, and yes it should be followed. And that’s a major component. People should follow this just because Starbucks says so. Also, another component is the care factor. Baristas have to care about what they’re doing. I regret you’ve ever been treated this way, Melody. I did not understand the experience of customers until you related it this way. I better understand it now and this makes me more eager to give my customers what they want and keep them happy.

By: CABarista

CABarista — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:48:56 +0000

Interesting and sad . I work in a Chapter location and we brew bold all day every day, and sell it all day every day. We even switch up the mild from time to time (although not often enough ). We never mind putting decaf on. The coffee knowledge in our store is quite good and they’ve already passed that passion on to me (I initiated two tastings today and had a ball w/ the other partners!). This is my favorite part of my job, and got the biggest thrill today when someone told me they wanted a medium roast with cocoa and nutty notes and I knew exactly what to give them!

By: (Kat) darkkatpouncing

(Kat) darkkatpouncing — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:21:18 +0000

Oh my goodness this is EXACTLY WHY I stick with espresso oriented drinks (mochas or lattes) I’ve witnessed a few people getting held up with issues like this. I didn’t fully realize what I was witnessing since I didn’t know what “brew on demand meant” but after seeing/hearing “but it’s brew on demand” and then seeing reluctance from the baristas I decided to just stick with what was being made en mass. Boring I know but in the early A.M. I just need my caffine LOL. Reading here what all the hub bub is about it clarifies it and also I agree that there ARE differences between the brew methods and when you know what you want and should be able to get it…substitutions usually come up short :/

By: andy

andy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:48:23 +0000

My store, in TN, brews bold all day every day, but decaf only until noon, unless someone asks for it, then we brew it up, some evening regulars even call ahead so we can get it brewing for them.

By: BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL

BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:52:04 +0000

Most stores that I visit, have an expired bold waiting for you. Its quite disgusting that most Starbucks partner don’t give a shit about serving expired coffee or no coffee. I mean it says in the Guiding Principles that Starbucks is about quality.
I’m not sure there is anything that can be done unless it can down from the Most High Howard Schultz, that brew on demand or brewing BOLD was mandatory.
There would also, be a written statement that each partner would have to be signed and verified by the DM indicating that they would more than happy to brew a fresh bold. Otherwise, there would be consequences up to termination.
Sometimes, it is better to be feared than loved. I think that in your case Melody you should keep on blogging and writing to Starbucks about this.
In the meantime, when I’m denied a BOLD coffee, I ask for a grande cup of hot water and then make some Italian Roast Via right in front of the baristas or I ask them to grind me a pound of Italian Roast on espresso grind.

By: Melody

Melody — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:08:51 +0000

(Reply to DeniseR and Brendan206) – Yep I agree that there has been a *slight* improvement here in Seattle about what is happening with B.O.D. but it’s not a huge improvement.

Brendan206 – The Starbucks on Market St. in Ballard, also readily brewed bold for me once. It’s been a long while. That might’ve been 2008. I too have always put that on my ‘short list’ like your ‘short list’ of good Starbucks. Also, OakTree too has been a pretty good place to get bold – will brew without a hassle. Your list, coincidentally, is quite similiar to my list.

By: denise r.

denise r. — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:59:52 +0000

Well, back to the ‘brew on demand’ -not -enforced-policy. I will say I think the whole situation has improved ever SO slightly. maybe 5% better than, say, a year ago? As many of us have posted over and over on MSI, it’s a policy that 1) most customers are unaware of, I’m pretty sure 2) there’s no signage in any stores that I know so that they (customers) WOULD know 3) the signage issue was discussed at length on MSI and I thought they..Sbux…agreed that would be done, or at least they’re working on it 4) the policy itself: at my regular store, 99% of the baristas will ‘cheerfully’ brew bold for me. We stopped going thru the song and dance of begging after they first offered up an Americanno and then a press quite a while ago. BUT, in my experinece, my store is still the exception. The ‘bold’ request for me, in nearly all other stores, is still done very unhappily, but the improvement being, generally, they’ve stopped trying to get me to accept an Americanno and/or press first. A couple weeks ago I was in a very large and busy Sbux in Oak Pk. (western suburb that borders Chicago). I asked for bold. Got: all we have is ‘casi cielo’ which is not bold (the barista is saying to me) but I can brew some if you want to wait 6-8min. I really don’t like casi cielo but much better than PPR so of course, I say fine, of course I’LL WAIT!! They were too short at the time I was there, only this one guy on register and coffee. and it was busy but not insane busy. He did, after he waited on a couple more people, while I watched his every move, start the brew. Then I went over by the bar, where at first there was NO ONE making drinks, to wait for a latte I had also ordered, and of course, my brewed coffee. Finally someone came out and was working the bar. In the meantime, I was having a conversation with a couple I’d never met, who were also waiting for the “bold” and a bar drink. They told me this store was usually good about b.o.d. and how much they hate PPR and can’t understand what Sbux has done, etc. Then the barista who was working the bar, overhearing us (?) asked me if I wanted “bold”, I said yes, she said ‘casi cielo’ is not and did I want her to brew me something bold??? (so, here’s a very very good barista, to me) By this time I say no, but really appreciate it. (my sister is already drinking away her latte) So, finally I got my alternative PPR.
A few places I’ve been are actually brewing a bold all day, along with PPR, telling me it didn’t make sense to do the b.o.d. thing when so many people wanted bold. So, in the long run, and long post, I think the policy is a tiny bit more functional than a while back. Oh! one thing that really helped in my store was my store manager went into another Sbux a while back late at nite and wanted 2 venti brewed de-cafs. The barista there gave him the total song and dance. He kept insisting on what he wanted…. which the barista finally agreed to. Of course, the barista realized who/what he was when he went to pay. Anyway, THAT experience of the manager changed the way his (my) store deals with b.o.d. It would obviously be a good thing if every ‘unwilling’ barista went thru such a trial!