What a week!: Starbucks reports a profit and Juan finds a store he loves!

BY JUAN VALDEZ

Starbucks
168th and Hwy 99
Lynnwood, Washington

Those of you who were betting your ole buddy Juan would drag the burro out of a nice warm barn fairly early yesterday morning just so he could get in on some of that Starbucks free pastry action had best drag your bookie out of bed and tell him to pay off because there I was, kind of early in the morning; rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and waiting with the rest of the free pastry crowd for something yummy to snack on and something tasty to drink.

Now, I have to tell you all, I'm well aware that whenever I write a good review, the number of comments goes way down and I start to hear crickets in the hall. But, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead, I really liked this store and I'm not gonna let the lack of a bunch of comments that all tell me how much I suck get in the way of praising these partners.

This store, on the corner of 168th and Hwy 99 was flat out awesome. When I walk past a patio on my way to the front door and the darn thing is clean and free of ANY dried coffee stains or garbage, it sends a chill up my spine. And it reminds me just how full of it people like Lisa Suender, she of Ripon California "save our filthy pit of a store" fame, are. The patio is the first thing a customer sees when they walk into a Starbucks and it can easily set the tone for the whole visit.

The patio at this store rocked. And the lobby was just as great. These guys were pretty darn steady and the lobby and condiment bar were clean and stocked. The tables were clear and free of debris. The bathroom was clean. The place looked fantastic. I was there in the morning but late enough that they could well have had at least one rush if not two and the place still looked like it probably did when they first opened.

It was very steady while I was there and I saw a constant stream of cars at the drive thru too. The lobby line stayed at 5-7 people but it kept moving. My service time was 2.5 minutes. The register partner was friendly – she didn't engage me in a lot of conversation but I wasn't expecting a lot either as it was busy. I noticed, out of the fifteen people before and after me, all but one had free pastry coupons. The register partner handled them beautifully. When one person ahead of me asked what pastries were available for free, the partner smiled and said everything except for breakfast sandwiches. I immediately flashed back to one of the comments I saw on the pastry post at Starbucks Gossip which made it sound like one store was limiting the choices to a hand written list and I silently cheered...THIS was good customer service.

The partner rocked the bar. He could have done a tiny bit better with thanking folks but I won't say he didn't – he just didn't always make eye contact. I took my latte and my blueberry scone over to a table and sat down to watch the action before going back to work. I don't know if the blueberry scone was one of the pastries that is new but it tasted pretty good to me. But then I've always liked Starbucks pastries and, seeing how I'm not much of a coffee or food snob, it'd have to be pretty bad before I raised a fuss. Although, I have been known to from time to time.

As I sat there and watched the team of six expertly handle the rush, my eyes wandered and I noticed a wood lattice hanging from the ceiling over the condiment area. And guess what? It was CLEAN! Be still my beating heart! I don't normally mention high dusting in my columns just because I take enough crap as it is however it is very common to see these kinds of wood lattices covered in dust as they are flat out dust magnets. This one was clean as a whistle.

Before the free pastry day, I saw many predictions of doom and gloom in the comment section of Starbucks Gossip. I don't know how the other stores did but this one handled it as well as anyone could expect. I had a good bite to eat, a nice drink and hung out in a warm, clean, inviting environment. I couldn't ask for anything more.

On my way out, I snagged the store manager's card. So, Joanie Herrara, I don't know if you were there yesterday morning but, for what it's worth from an ex fellow store manager, your team did a great job and you should be very proud of them. And Starbucks should be very proud of you.

Grade A+

Time of day: morning




# of partners on the floor: 6


Service time: 2.5 minutes





Business level: busy


Was the bathroom cleaner than a gas station bathroom?: Yes


Legendary service: Yes



Would I recommend to a friend: Yes

COLUMN STATS







* # of stores reviewed where a partner has tried to connect with a customer – 15 out of 33


* # of stores where they've offered samples of anything – 3 out of 33


* # of stores that could have been considered "understaffed" - 0 out of 33


* # of stores with a clean bathroom – 18 out of 33

"Juan Valdez" is the nom de cyber of a former Starbucks manager who became disenchanted with the increasingly bitter taste of the Starbucks experience and fled to the mountains of Colombia where he now rides his burro and ponders the glittering sunsets. On a crisp clear day, when atmospheric conditions are just right and the moon is in the seventh house, Juan can be reached at juanvaldezsbux@gmail.com

Comments

[Fred Frappuccino]

"I'm not much of a coffee or food snob"

Juan, this is probably why you didn't make it as a manager at Starbucks. No coffee passion.

Yes, spotless bathrooms and friendly partners are important, but without the same scrutiny for quality of the product, you're not meeting the needs of your customers.

[BigBadBarista]

It's Jennie Herrara not Joanie Herrara. Just wanted to point that out to you Juan!

[NOT JUAN]

Congratulations to Ms Herrara and her staff. It just goes to show that if you want to excel, you will.

@Fred: Being a snob is not what makes for a good manager. You can care about your product, staff and customers, get your head around training and follow-through, and pay attention to your job all without being a snob.

[Jennie]

Hi Jaun,

I'm Jennie and that is my store you are talking about :) I believe that I was the register partner at this time and really appreciate your review! My team has worked really hard to provide that legendary visit and I'm glad you had one! Thanks Again,
Jennie

[Lisa]

Good Job Jen and crew. Love, Ick

[E-SM-WA]

WAY TO GO JENNIE! Yet another reason you are amazing!

[Former Los Angeles Partner :-)]

OMG I so wish I could go to Washington just to visit Jennie's store. I would probably sit down and remember just how a Starbucks store used to feel before the economic chaos hit the US. I live in the Los Angeles area and could only dream of finding a store like Jennie's, yes, I probably haven't looked hard enough but having worked for Starbucks before i'm pretty familiar with many Los Angeles stores but recently just not to the experience that Jennie's store provides. Congratulations Jennie and team, I wish you the best! You truly have kept the Starbucks Experience alive despite the many challenges this great company has been through.

[Somewhat random Barista ;-)]

Having now worked under Jennie's management at two different stores, she definately promotes, encourages and shows examples of the true Starbucks experience! Definately a great store to frequent AND work at! Keep it up Jennie! You're a rockstar! And great job team!!!

[Juan Valdez]

I apologize for getting her name wrong...for some reason I had it in my head it was Joanie. Sorry Jennie!

[jg]

Wow. This is my first comment on here, I think. Just wanted to say how great it is to see something positive. Sbux should take a lesson from Jennie and learn how to train and treat all of their workers! Well done!! :) THIS is what happens when a manager is NOT a dumbass!

[CoffeeMaster33]

Woo! Way to go Jennie and team!

[Donna Bosman]

We love going to the reviewed Starbucks. Congratulations to Jennie and crew. We are proud of you. Ken and Donna

[SMD]

Go #10531! Great manager, great store.

[SMD]

Forgot to mention great partners too!

[spence]

I popped in to read Juan. Great job Jenny. Thank you for sharing the info, Juan.
Our store rocked yesterday morning. Our morning pastries lasted until exactly 10:30. Fortunately, our SM came in on her day off because the extra person made the diffrerence between great service and chaos.

[SBUCKS DRONE LOS ANGELES]

Great to finally hear some positivity coming from this little article. It's always "dirty store this, dirty store that, partners sucked, partners didn't clean, service wasn't legendary, etc." Way to go guys!!! You rock!

[jb]

way to go!!! The only store I like going to anymore keep up the good work!

[About Time]

Way to go you guys are actually doing what you are getting paid to do, holly crap now if everyone commenting on this weak blog could do the same maybe the company will turn around...let's see

[Stephanie Macchi]

That is Jennie Herrera, not Joanie...she is an awesome partner who knows how to inspire, motivate and drive partners and they still love her! I am so proud of you JB!

[Noodoggy]

Way to go Jeannie and team from the partners at store 8787! Way to keep the Starbucks mission alive and have fun doing it!

[Melody]

Congratulations to this store! Of course huge congrats to Jennie Herrera but to all the baristas at that store who work together to make that a great place!
Melody

[klbarista]

Congrats to Jennie & her crew, and to Juan for posting a nice review :). its has become harder at some stores with staff cuts for keeping stuff clean, so its a pleasure to see a great review and a team really rocking their store!!!

[Ben]

"Now, I have to tell you all, I'm well aware that whenever I write a good review, the number of comments goes way down and I start to hear crickets in the hall. But, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead, I really liked this store and I'm not gonna let the lack of a bunch of comments that all tell me how much I suck get in the way of praising these partners."

so you ARE after shameless self promotion after all. This just shows you're purpose in your Stores of Shame Tour is to get your name out there. You clearly aren't secure in your abilities as a manager, therefore you have to find things wrong with other stores.

You are a fraud Juan, a nothing. I would LOVE to see you run a busier than normal shift with the staffing levels expected of us. I would laugh when you fail miserably.

So revel in your comment threads. If it is the only thing you can find positive self esteem from, go ahead and criticize. I bet you feel different if you still had the privilege of working for Starbucks. Instead you compensate for your shortcomings by criticizing the thing you want most.

You are a child Juan. Grow up.

[SS]

Ben:

"The ideal must not be lowered because of our weaknesses or imperfections." - Ghandi

your whinings about staffing and labor cuts dont make it okay to have a less than ideal store with legendary service.

'grow up,' or maybe just become more mature and look at these blogs as a way to find things to improve on in your store instead of sitting here and bashing them.

[Ben]

"'grow up,' or maybe just become more mature and look at these blogs as a way to find things to improve on in your store instead of sitting here and bashing them."

same to you chump

[P.K.]

I wanted to tell everyone that the starbucks in eden prairie is amazing. it was very busy and there were only 4 partners on duty. this location is huge, it's off 2 major highways and next to 3 restraunts and a grocery store. the partners constantly cleaned and the place was sparkling. i ordered a venti passion tea lemonade sweetened which takes other starbucks forever to make, they had it made by the time my change was handed to me along with my danish. They were friendly too ( good thing, on 1.5 hours of sleep i needed it). Give them their props, they earned it. Kudos to you ep starbucks.