Starbucks

A conveniently located Starbucks right in the middle of Georgia Tech’s Campus!
I would only recommend coming here only if you are studying in the CULC and have no better option. Not only are there much better options for coffee in the surrounding area, the service at this Starbucks is pretty bad, and the drinks aren’t made great either.

Everyone’s complaining about the wait.
The wait, I expect.
It’s a college campus. Of course it’s going to be crowded between classes.
My problem is with the service. I know it can get exhausting catering to the crowds of students, the majority of which speak poor English, so I understand when the ladies behind the counter aren’t overwhelmed to see me. I accept that I might not get a smile.
But there is no reason to be rude or negligent, especially when you are being paid to do a job. Deraner, the cashier at my most recent Starbucks experience, must have been having a terrible day, and decided to blame it on every person that had to encounter her. That’s fine. I took her suggestion of the Oprah Chai special and waited patiently for my muffin. During this time, I watched her snap at multiple guests, who were having difficulty ordering over her tone. The language barrier plus being yelled at could not have been a pleasant experience for those guests.
After a period of waiting, the supervisor (according to her name tag) asked me what I was waiting for and called out the order for my muffin to be heated. Deraner made eye contact with me, unapologetic for forgetting my order and wasn’t even capable of acknowledging her mistake.
I understand that this location gets busy. So I came a half hour before my class to ensure that I wouldn’t be late. The line was steady, but by no means was it busy, as the ladies were discussing grabbing takeout behind the register. There was no reason for Deraner to forget my order, other than the fact that she had just stopped caring about performing well at her job.
On top of that, I asked for my chai half sweet, per my standard order. Two sips in, and I’m already considering throwing it away because it’s got way too many pumps or whatever they add for the flavoring. I know she didn’t prepare my beverage, but I would have liked to walk away with at least one thing done well from that experience.
I’m giving two stars and not one because I returned to the location, unable to drink my beverage. And there was a different barista churning out the drinks at the end. After telling her my problem and asking her to remake my drink, Jacquita gave me a wave of the hand and a «no problem,» quickly whipping up a new drink for me that is exactly how I like it. Thank you, Jacquita.

The line can be super long throughout the entire day so make sure you don’t be an A hole and order 10 drinks with different toppings when there are desperate students in line behind you trying to grab a regular coffee 5 minutes before their classes start.
However, there are some time when the line is reasonably short or non existing. Usually around 2 – 2:30, or after 6pm, but don’t take my words for it.
I also wonder how much money this Starbucks location make on a daily basis judging from the ever-​going inflow of customers…

I really don’t understand; after all that planning and construction time the put a Starbucks in the worst possible location of the culc. The wait time is horrendous. I don’t even bother. Apart from that its a Starbucks like any other. Disappointed with Tech more than anything else.

This wasn’t pretty. I know they are slammed but slow and not thrilled to be there. They don’t take the app scan payment which sounds super foolish on a college campus. The location isn’t where the map says it should be. I ordered a grande in a venti cup and pretty sure I got half a tall coffee. I’ll give them two because they were slammed on and off with a band competition.

HORRIBLE. This location is horrendous. The staff is lovely and polite, but they are terrible at crafting drinks. Sure, this is a university location, but it should not take 20+ minutes to make one drink (this doesn’t include time spent waiting in line). And who wants to wait in line for a simple brewed coffee? They’re normal menu drinks are okay, but when you ask for an extra shot or one less pump of syrup they get completely confused. Often times, they’ll just avoid making the drink altogether until you ask why it’s taking so long. Did I mention they frequently burn the milk?
The seating area is decent, when not completely occupied by, students, but that’s minor.

Here’s my problem: every time I order an iced coffee with milk and sweetener, they make it without sweetener. This has happened consistently for the last month. I’ve ordered it multiple ways to try to make it clear: «sweet», «sweetened», «with sweetener». But somehow, they always leave it out.
I usually don’t point it out because I’m totally fine with unsweetened coffee, but when I’m craving an iced coffee, I usually want milk with sugar with a taste of coffee.
I have a hard time giving out such a low score because I really like having an almost full-​fledged Starbucks on campus («almost» because it’s a pain to use Gift Cards, and they don’t accept Square). On top of that, most of the employees are friendly with the exception of one or two. I can even handle the wait considering how busy this place is during the fall/​spring semesters.
But seriously. What’s with the word «sweet» that you can’t understand?

Honestly, as a Tech student, I’m seriously bothered by all the rude employees on this campus. Where did they find these people?! Not only do they treat you like you’re a burden and FAIL to get your name correct on your order, they don’t even listen to what you’re saying. For example, I ordered a grande regular coffee once, and the guy thought I said I wanted a white chocolate mocha. Are you serious? They don’t even sound similar. And since this is the south, everything must be sweetened accordingly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ordered a black iced coffee, and then take a sip to realize that they doused it in sugar. NO, not okay! If you’re on campus, go to the other coffee shops that are hidden in the various academic buildings. Avoid the dunkin donuts in the student center, though.

always so busy, terribly long waiting lines.

If I was smart, I probably should have been the one to open up this Starbucks located in the CULC at Georgia Tech. They’re so busy that I never ever feel guilty about grabbing a table here and sitting around for hours and hours… plus (major major bonus) they open until 2am most nights.
So usually, a Starbucks habit isn’t every easy on the wallet… so despite the fact that 99% of the patrons here are college students with supposedly no money, this location is very rarely never not busy. The baristas aren’t super quick though (especially when they first opened), and so there is always a decent wait time for your drink. Still, this place wins with its large tables and gazillions of outlets everywhere (thank you!), and because it’s located inside the CULC, they won’t kick you out after they close.
The actual quality of coffee here is meh… for a real coffee experience, you should head to Octane or similar. But for a student, the location is 100% unbeatable!

After what seems like 3 years in the making, the new Clough Undergraduate Learning Center debuted this year at Tech, complete with a built in Starbucks on first floor.
People who have seen my prior reviews understand that I eschew Starbucks’ regular coffees. However, since the only other late night coffee shop closed in favor of Starbucks, I have had to make a few trips here since school began.
I always wait in between classes so there isn’t more than 5 people in front of me.
I hate to open up a review of a business negatively, but it’s appropriate. Recently, I ordered a java chip frapp here. It cost something like $ 5 and tasted something like an ice slushie– as in the only ingredients were water, ice, and whipped cream. Obviously I was upset.
Me: «Hi ma’am, this tastes like ice. Can you guys re-​do it?»
Employee: «What are you asking?»
Me: «This drink tastes like it’s made solely of ice. Can you guys re-​do it?»
Employee: «There’s too much ice?»
Me: «No, there’s no flavor. I can only taste ice.»
Employee: «Oh, so you want more chocolate?»
At this point, I simply gave up and asked them to re-​do it.
When I was handed the frapp, they never offered an apology. The frapp reflected their attitude very well– they made an ice-​less-​mess-​of-​a-​frapp with only slightly more flavor. It was disgusting.
On a second try, I had a birthday coupon and asked them to make a green tea frapp. The robot took my coupon without saying much except ask what I wanted. After placing the order, I waited… and waited… and waited. I was staring at them the entire time. Five people before and after me were helped, and I was obviously STILL waiting.
Turned out they forgot. Of course they couldn’t take responsibility (God forbid taking responsibilities at a job!!!) so no one apologized. I was handed a dripping frapp that almost fell over the counter because the employee nearly hurled it onto the counter.
I might be at Georgia Tech for 2 – 3 more years, but you can bet I will never buy another drink at this Starbucks ever again, even if I am pulling a late night and in desperate need of coffee.