Diana Z.
Yelp
My husband and I are frequent visitors to this Starbucks. It is within 5 minutes of our house, and we were so excited when this location opened. Before today, all of our orders have been mobile and today was our first time dining it. Prior to today, I have been very pleased with this location. My food has been always been exceptionally high quality (compared to other locations I frequent closer to my job), and every time I have picked up an order, I have always been greeted and spoken to very kindly.
Today, as my husband I were dining in, he ran into a colleague and was excitedly talking to her for approximately 3 minutes. During this time, they were talking across one empty table. Though they were talking slightly louder than a normal speaking voice, they were in no way shouting, screaming, or otherwise loud. There was loud music playing, and my husband and his colleague were trying to speak loud enough to be heard over it. An employee came over to us and said, "I'm sorry but we can't hear our orders. We're also competing with the music," implying that they were speaking too loudly and needed to be quiet. There were only a few other people in the Starbucks at the time, and when we were told this, there was only one person in the line ordering food.
My husband and I were so flabbergasted that we were scolded for being loud. It felt as though the problem was the music and not us, yet we were treated as though we were unwelcome in this space. It created a very awkward moment that made us reluctant to come to this location in the future.
On the wall at this location there is a sign that says, "This community store is dedicated to this neighborhood." I cannot believe that a place dedicated to community would not allow for people to connect and speak to one another in a way that felt natural and joyful to them. When I think of a coffee shop, it is exactly for moments like this -- to run into someone you know and connect and build community. Starbucks is not a library, and we should feel comfortable sharing with others in this space.