"From the Comfy Chair": Juan visits the Burlington (WA) Retail Center Starbucks -- and likes the place!

BY "JUAN VALDEZ"

Starbucks - Burlington (WA) Retail Center

I orchestrate my mornings to the tune of coffee.  ~Harry Mahtar

Thankfully, there is a “whatever deity you choose to worship” in heaven.  And he/she directed me to the Starbucks Drive Through on Burlington Blvd in Burlington, Washington for my latest visit.

They offered the closest thing to a true third place experience I've had since I began this little journey.

Warm, friendly partners?  Check. 

Tasty doppio espresso?  Check.

Clean display case fully stocked with inviting foodstuffs and beverages?  Check.

Connections with not just me but every customer who came through the register?  Check.

Sampling?  Check.

Clean bathroom?  Check

Ten minute lobbies? Not exactly however we're gonna stop talking about those in recognition of the concerns raised by commenters. Instead, the standard will be "are they making an effort to keep the lobby clean?" In this case, the answer is a resounding yes! In fact, this is the first store I've been in where a partner actually cleaned the front windows and tidied up the lobby before going on break.

Not that the lobby needed a lot of attention. It was clean to begin with. Although, unfortunately, the store has those floor tiles which have ridges through the middle which makes it look like they're dirty.  Those kinds of tiles are also more likely to trap dirt and they have an awful tendency to tear up mop heads. I've never understood why companies put those kinds of tiles in. I'm sure it's to help cut down on slips while providing a unique look however they are a bear to deal with. At any rate, the floor tiles that looked dirty were, in fact, not dirty and the third place experience continued unabated. /CONTINUED IN IN THE FIRST COMMENT

Comments

[JUAN VALDEZ]

I must mention, the cleanliness of the store is not what made this a third place experience although it didn't hurt. The partners behind the counter were genuine, warm and friendly. The barista on the bar was fast and efficient and still took the time to greet each customer at handoff and say thank you...even..at times, wishing the customer well for the rest of the day. My drink took a bit longer even though it was just two shots in a cup as she was wrestling with another drink which I understood. The register partner talked to me and the people behind me as if we were human and worth her time. Smiles were the order of the day and the whole place had a warm, vibrant vibe which makes it much more fun to sit, relax and read the newspaper during the course of a busy day.

By the way, I always thought the term "doppio espresso" once truly captured the magic of what Starbucks managed to achieve in the glory days and which they seem bent on tearing down now. After all, it's just two shots in a cup but the term "doppio espresso” adds romance and elegance. Even more so with "doppio espresso con panna" which surely you would think is some one of a kind drink flown in from the hills of Colombia via air carrier. Instead, it's just add some whip cream to those two shots in a cup. Nowadays, you may as well say "give me two shots in a cup with some of dat whipped cream" for as mainstream as the Starbucks experience has become.

Stay tuned for details on what happened when I asked for a cup of decaf in the late afternoon at the next store I visited...that'll be in next week's column.

Time of day: early afternoon
# of partners on the floor: 5
Service time – 4.5 minutes
Was the restroom better than a gas station restroom? - Yes
Busy level – very steady
Were they trying to keep the lobby clean? - Yes
Would I recommend to a friend – Yes
Legendary service? - Yes
# of stores where a partner has tried to connect with a customer – 2 out of 5
# of stores where they've offered samples of anything – 2 out of 5
# of stores that could have been considered “understaffed” - 0 out of 5
# of stores with a clean bathroom – 2 out of 5

"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 [email protected]

[GRTL]

Christ I wish my store had 5 partners on the floor in the early afternoon. We're lucky if we have 3!

[TORONTOWYLD]

It's nice to have a good news report! =>

[Daniel Martin]

I'm sitting in my Starbuck's reading this and it is nice to finally find a review where the third place atmosphere is alive. Five partners on the floor sounds amazing, I'm watching three of my fellow parters rock drive and lobby while doing lobby spins, keeping the pastry case up, offering top offs, and connecting with customers. Too bad a fourth partner isn't here, there is surly the business to justify it.

[Juan Valdez]

@torontowyld

After all the heat I've taken for the last two columns, you have no idea how relieved I was at being able to write a good one. Because, the simple fact is, no matter how mad people got, I was not going to spin a bad experience into a good one just so readers wouldn't get mad at me. That said, it felt really good to write this one, though.

[green_cup]

Juan,

Well, I'm happy to see you'll at least stick to your guns and write a review that in your opinion is true, whether or not people agree or disagree.

At any rate, this review is better written and far more tasteful.

I think there's a way to write a negative "review" of a store in the same manner you wrote this one. It's just that, in the past, your reviews come off very negative, heavy-handed, unbalanced and sarcastic.

I'm happy to see you have a writing style that includes balance, taste and a well-rounded report.

[Crema_the_crop]

Was this a DT store?? Seriously. FIVE on the floor???

[GTL]

to crema_the_crop:

One of the first sentences states it was a drive thru. as if any cafe store would have five people on the floor early afternoon.. i'm lucky if i get three!!

[ccoffee]

Is this the one at 1030 S. Burlington Blvd in Burlington? That store was on the closure list.

[carly]

Thank you so much for giving the store that I work at a good review. The past couple of months have really been hard for our store it is so nice to read your review! thank you so much again

[dfg]

danial martin: Your sitting in the lobby ?? Watching your partners. I hope your not on the clock.

[sam]

Still getting a kick out of reading these. Thanks!

Also, it's nice to hear a good review. Don't not-post the bad ones, but this one pulled my day up some.

[Naptown Barista]

"Is this the one at 1030 S. Burlington Blvd in Burlington? That store was on the closure list."

Hopefully not. This is a nice review of a good experience, the kind that the corporate folks ought to be looking at before they make these decisions. I'm in a store that's on the closure list as well, and oddly enough our store is also consistently #1 in the district in every single category possible. Truly sad. Starbucks management needs to acknowledge that the "3rd Place" environment that it sought to create no longer applies. If SM's hired the "right" kind of employees (we're really no longer partners), this 3rd place environment would already be created as a by-product of those hires, rather than forcing a fictional concept down everyones throat. The "success profile" in selecting employees needs to be jettisoned, as its accuracy is dubious at best.

Juan, I'm glad your experience was a good one, and those employees that created it should feel very proud of what they're accomplishing every day with customers. I would bet that the SM in that store is a very driven person, not by bottom line numbers, but in the desire to create a wonderful environment for customers as well as employees.

Truly sad if this store is on the hit list.

[WTF]

Dfg: it's called a break. Seriously.

[Melody]

Juan thanks for the nice update. It's good to read about a Starbucks where they're getting it right! I know these stores are out there, but you did seem to start off with a bad patch of reviews. Luck of the draw I suppose.

[The Dancing Bear]

I believe it's the store down the street that is the one slated for closure. I can't imagine they'd close a store that obviously brings in the green like this one!

While travelling down the I-5, I make a point of stopping at this one because of all the points that Juan mentioned. Furthermore, even though it's a newer DT store, I like the fact that they only use the label maker for DT orders and continue to mark the cups with the sharpie for cafe orders. It helps class the place up that much more!!

[Juan Valdez]

@green_cup

Do you suppose there was any connection between how bad the experiences I had in Fife and especially in Auburn were and the way I chose to write about them? And, extending that point, isn't it possible that's the same thing that happens to regular customers when they have similar experiences? Which, I admit, is one of the things that puzzles me about Melody's description of her experiences. She gets admittedly crummy service, she's admittedly very frustrated to the point it sounds like she's cutting back on her visits if not leaving SBUX altogether yet she doesn't place responsibility for what's happening to her on the very people who either give her a really hard time or refuse to do it outright. To me, its pretty obvious just like especially in Auburn, it was obvious the problem was not Howard Schultz...it was the four partners working at the time I was there. And that's where I squarely put the responsibility.

[Juan Valdez]

@all the folks who are speculating on this store's closure

I don't know if this store is on the closure list...it would be a damn shame if it were. I can say the street number is 1839 and it sits in the same retail center as Olive Garden and BestBuy, facing E. George Hopper Road.

[NorCalBlend]

I'm very worried that for all the good words, good service and good news about this visit - that we haven't heard yet whether this is one of the stores that's being axed. It confirms in my mind something that I've been considering for the past year - that our business practices (and mythical love that 'Howard' will come and save us) is just wistful longing for a past that doesn't actually exist. Our business trends (and labor allocation) are leading us to drive thru kiosks/McDonalds competitors. Truly sad.

[coffeenut]

i work at this store trust me it's not closing!

[annie]

this is my regular starbucks! yay! it's my favorite.

[Over It]

Oh wow it looks like Juan finally got the message after his last to catastrophes as excuses for columns. See how nicely people respond to positive comments?

Whether or not this actually has anything to do with a difference in service or Juan just trying a new tactic, we'll never really know.

Just one question...

what does your love for the doppio espresso (or doppio espresso con panna) have to do with any of this?

Still nothing?

hmm...

[splash]

Not really, Over-it...why do you think this article is positive because of the negative comments from people? Why do you blame HIM for a store not having a satisfactory level of cleanliness or adherence to core principles?

Maaaaaaybe it isn't a change in HIS attitude that led to this review - but instead a change resulting from finfing a good store.

the purpose of his column isn't to give people the warm-fuzzies - it is to present a snapshot of a certain store and their adherence to what the customer expects. If he made up positive comments about a store, what is the alue in that? The value of the column is to provide feedback and hope that others will improve their level of commitment and service.

[Troy Thie]

Thank You, Juan Valdez for your insightful comments on my store, the Burlington Drive-Thru Starbucks. For everyone reading these posts, this store is not on the list to be closed. Thank you to all the wonderful partners who work very hard to continue to deliver the Starbucks experience during these trying times, and to the customers who bear with us during our growing pains and shifting priorities. Our number one goal is to achieve a positive customer experience and I am proud that my partners and store have achieved this during your visit. Burlington Drive-Thru Store Manager

[Juan Valdez]

@Troy

Keep up the good work,sir. You and your team are an inspiration to everyone.

[Firsttimersluck]

We recieved a call today about this review so I had to check it out. This is my store, and I'm very proud to read. The store has become my third place, even though I work there. Everyone is amazing and it's so wonderful to be able to read that someone has soo graciously recgonized our hardwork and love of Starbucks. Man, I love my job. :)
Thank you for the kind and encouraging words!

[Anon]

Wow, I wish I was as lucky as JuanValdez to be able to roam around coffee shops for most of the afternoon with nothing better to do...who is this guy?

[Juan Valdez]

I'm Joe LeFlores.

/too obscure?
//slashy love

[punx]

ever plan on a trip to arkansas for some real starbucks southern hospitality?

[beanpleaser]

Way to go Troy! Thanks for keeping the spirit alive and proving you can still make a difference! Troy and his partners have come so far it's amazing they could achieve success with their overrated DM. Way to go Troy and team...this is all you!

[green_cup]

Wow, I wish I was as lucky as JuanValdez to be able to roam around coffee shops for most of the afternoon with nothing better to do...who is this guy?

Posted by: Anon | February 12, 2009 at 09:41 AM

An unemployed, former Starbucks Store Manager who has been laid off and can't get over the fact they have no association with Starbucks.

It's sort of sad. Juan obviously wants to be affiliated with Starbucks in some sort of official capacity, but, alas, he or she cannot be. Maybe the pain of rejection is just too much, so he or she continues to "evaluate" different Seattle-area stores just to feel associated and included.

Very pathetic.

[smith25]

Juan, I agree with you 100%. I am an evening customer of the Burlington drive thru (on my way home from work) and my experiences there keep me coming back for more. I know that there will be a beautiful smile, great conversation, and a damn good cup of coffee. I appreciate all of their hard work! I do have to give Jessica some recognition, since she seems to be the one there early in the week...and I think it's Kelly???who has helped me too! Thanks Burlington (inside),...even though I'm sure the drive thru is good too!

[Jason]

You need to get a life!!!!! Or better you need to go back to Starbucks! Please you are making us all crazy!

[Melody]

Juan, I had a chunk of free time today between about 3 and 7 so I drove up to this Starbucks in Burlington.

Wow. Okay, so first off I order non-PPR coffee, and at no point was I hassled. I go to pay and I hand the barista my Gold Card and registered Starbucks card. Now this has never happened to me before: The black-apron barista at the register notices that I have a Pike Place card only available from the store at 1912 Pike Place and asks me if I go to that store. I say yes that I do pop into it now and then. Most baristas, if they're noticing the card, never say anything about it.

This store was slammed busy. The baristas were working so hard! I sat down in a comfy chair, and I saw a barista truly hustling to change the trash at the condiment area and getting it cleaned up.

Much to my shock, my coffee was brought out to my table to me not once, but twice when I got a refill too. Later, the same barista who had noticed the Pike Place Roast card came up to me and asked me if I knew so-and-so who is the current SM at store 301. The barista and I talked for a few minutes: Turns out she had worked there with that SM before moving north. It was a very cool connection.

The store had such a constant flow of people. Some teenagers came and went. I browsed my phone, read a magazine, and knitted, and eavesdropped on two older women complaining that Sunday church attendance is dropping.

I discovered, oddly, that Kenya goes really well with the Greek yogurt and I don't know why. Maybe it's the honey.

The baristas made two batches of coffee for me. The first was Sumatra and the second was Kenya. Shortly before I left, I was suddenly hit with the aroma of coffee in the store. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. I've been in many a Starbucks where there's no smell of coffee at all. A customer had come in and grabbed a pound of coffee, and I overheard him asking for it to be ground, but I don't remember hearing the grinders. But between grinding up the Sumatra, then Kenya for me, and then shortly thereafter a pound of whole bean coffee for someone else, maybe that did. What a nice surprise.

Stock would go up if every store were just like this. I won't normally chase after your stores Juan, but given the glowing review you gave this store, my curiosity got the better of me, and I had to go see for myself.

[Juan Valdez]

That's great Melody. I'm not surprised your visit went so well...my guess is this store provides this kind of experience more often than not.

I think it's wonderful if you, or anyone else for that matter, check out stores that I've visited. Please keep in mind, though, your visit may not be the same as mine; in either direction.