I visited this Starbucks on Thursday and had a deeply uncomfortable experience that raises concerns about professionalism and in-store safety.
I waited at the counter to place an order while the barista appeared available, yet I was not greeted or formally acknowledged. Instead, I received dismissive facial expressions and nonverbal cues that felt openly discourteous. When I attempted to proceed with my order, the barista continued grimacing, which made the interaction unnecessarily tense and unwelcoming.
Given the tone of the exchange, I chose not to order and calmly stated that I felt the service was rude. At that point, the staff member yelled at me from behind the counter, escalating the situation rather than addressing it with basic customer service professionalism.
More concerning, another customer—who appeared unstable—began shouting obscenities at me. Rather than intervening appropriately, some staff allowed the behavior to continue, and the environment felt chaotic and unsafe. I was on the phone with my father at the time, and he was equally shocked by what he overheard.
Customers should not be subjected to verbal aggression—whether from staff or other patrons—while employees stand by or contribute to escalation. This location would benefit from immediate attention to customer service standards, professional conduct, and de-escalation training, as situations like this can quickly become dangerous.
I will not be returning.
Fitness Coach Cross
Love this Starbucks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mya Smith
I love this Starbucks, the employees are always welcoming and fun. They seem to enjoy their job, always have smiles on their faces. Their drink recommendations are so good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gw LD
I love coming to the Dakota Crossing Location. The staff is always welcoming and inviting. If anything happens they try to get it fixed quickly and offer some type of compensation for the error. 5 Star Starbucks!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Renee Coleman
Great atmosphere, only Starbucks to ever spell my name right haha . Wonderful energy and quick service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
phillip cash
Everytime I go everyone is welcoming and remembers my name my drinks are always on point!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cam From Cam's Kettle
Stacy and Bri greeted us with great enthusiasm and lovely atmosphere
Food: 5
Michael Whiffen
I'm not sure why the other customers complain about this store. Stop being prissy!!!! I have been coming here for months now in the morning around 530am or 6am. The staff has always been very nice to me. They greet me by my name. Already know my order when I come in. And even when I order online I still get the same sweet service. This is DC there are a variety of people and cultures in this city all Starbucks are not the same and will never be the same. This is a good store compared to some I've gone too in SW and SE parts of DC. I love this store. And the staff!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Blessing Shonekan
I absolutely love my home Starbucks. The customer service is AMAZING. Everyone is so pleasant & when I walk in I everyone is so warm. I barely have issues with my order. I walk in and they automatically know what I want. I love it here. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Best Starbucks in the CITY!
Service: 5
Old Soul
I have been coming to this location for over 10 years!! Stacy, the beautiful manager has managed this location the whole time phenomenally!! Her team is more than amazing!!! I love them so much!!! I can’t name everyone but they are All amazing. Oh and when I say I can’t name them all, I actually can! They take loving care of my husband, all their customers, and of course me!!! HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND this location!!!!
This is the music the employees are streaming in this location... I don't care about personal taste but thus is a families frequented place and I don’t think this is the appropriate soundtrack
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 4
Michael Felisilda
I stopped by around 3 PM yesterday to grab a chai tea latte and just wanted to mention something I noticed. The crew at that time didn’t seem to wash their hands before handling items after touching the register/cleaning the counter using a disinfectant cleaner and the person who made my drink touched the tip of the stirrer directly.
It might be good to remind the team about handwashing and drink safety just to keep things clean and safe for everyone.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Darren Kowitt
My default go to floor for good coffee -- though I recognize independent artisanal competition when I see it and am not afraid to trade up in such cases.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica Shearer
Why? There are whole coffee beans floating in my drink. At first I thought it was just the color of the coffee reflecting in the ice. Nope. Whole coffee beans! Ugh….
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
tony tes
I enjoy coming here for coffee and to read, but there’s one thing that really affects the experience. The customer service is fine nothing exceptional. The issue is that starting in the afternoon, the staff closes off one entire side of the store, stacks the chairs and tables, and begins cleaning and once it’s closed, it stays closed for the rest of the day, even though the store remains open until 8 PM. This leaves all customers crowded into the front section, where there are very few power outlets. I’m not sure if this is a policy from management or a decision made by the staff, but it feels inconvenient for customers. If you try to sit in the closed section, you’re simply told “it’s closed.” If I’m paying for my drink, I should be able to sit anywhere I want until closing time. Why even keep the store “open” if you’re going to block off half the seating and make customers sit packed together? It’s ridiculous.
I visited this Starbucks on Thursday and had a deeply uncomfortable experience that raises concerns about professionalism and in-store safety.
I waited at the counter to place an order while the barista appeared available, yet I was not greeted or formally acknowledged. Instead, I received dismissive facial expressions and nonverbal cues that felt openly discourteous. When I attempted to proceed with my order, the barista continued grimacing, which made the interaction unnecessarily tense and unwelcoming.
Given the tone of the exchange, I chose not to order and calmly stated that I felt the service was rude. At that point, the staff member yelled at me from behind the counter, escalating the situation rather than addressing it with basic customer service professionalism.
More concerning, another customer—who appeared unstable—began shouting obscenities at me. Rather than intervening appropriately, some staff allowed the behavior to continue, and the environment felt chaotic and unsafe. I was on the phone with my father at the time, and he was equally shocked by what he overheard.
Customers should not be subjected to verbal aggression—whether from staff or other patrons—while employees stand by or contribute to escalation. This location would benefit from immediate attention to customer service standards, professional conduct, and de-escalation training, as situations like this can quickly become dangerous.
I will not be returning.
Love this Starbucks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love this Starbucks, the employees are always welcoming and fun. They seem to enjoy their job, always have smiles on their faces. Their drink recommendations are so good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love coming to the Dakota Crossing Location. The staff is always welcoming and inviting. If anything happens they try to get it fixed quickly and offer some type of compensation for the error. 5 Star Starbucks!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great atmosphere, only Starbucks to ever spell my name right haha . Wonderful energy and quick service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Everytime I go everyone is welcoming and remembers my name my drinks are always on point!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stacy and Bri greeted us with great enthusiasm and lovely atmosphere
Food: 5
I'm not sure why the other customers complain about this store. Stop being prissy!!!!
I have been coming here for months now in the morning around 530am or 6am. The staff has always been very nice to me. They greet me by my name. Already know my order when I come in. And even when I order online I still get the same sweet service.
This is DC there are a variety of people and cultures in this city all Starbucks are not the same and will never be the same. This is a good store compared to some I've gone too in SW and SE parts of DC.
I love this store. And the staff!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I absolutely love my home Starbucks. The customer service is AMAZING. Everyone is so pleasant & when I walk in I everyone is so warm. I barely have issues with my order. I walk in and they automatically know what I want. I love it here. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Best Starbucks in the CITY!
Service: 5
I have been coming to this location for over 10 years!! Stacy, the beautiful manager has managed this location the whole time phenomenally!! Her team is more than amazing!!! I love them so much!!! I can’t name everyone but they are All amazing. Oh and when I say I can’t name them all, I actually can! They take loving care of my husband, all their customers, and of course me!!! HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND this location!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
This is the music the employees are streaming in this location... I don't care about personal taste but thus is a families frequented place and I don’t think this is the appropriate soundtrack
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 4
I stopped by around 3 PM yesterday to grab a chai tea latte and just wanted to mention something I noticed. The crew at that time didn’t seem to wash their hands before handling items after touching the register/cleaning the counter using a disinfectant cleaner and the person who made my drink touched the tip of the stirrer directly.
It might be good to remind the team about handwashing and drink safety just to keep things clean and safe for everyone.
Food: 1
Service: 1
My default go to floor for good coffee -- though I recognize independent artisanal competition when I see it and am not afraid to trade up in such cases.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Why? There are whole coffee beans floating in my drink. At first I thought it was just the color of the coffee reflecting in the ice. Nope. Whole coffee beans! Ugh….
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
I enjoy coming here for coffee and to read, but there’s one thing that really affects the experience. The customer service is fine nothing exceptional.
The issue is that starting in the afternoon, the staff closes off one entire side of the store, stacks the chairs and tables, and begins cleaning and once it’s closed, it stays closed for the rest of the day, even though the store remains open until 8 PM. This leaves all customers crowded into the front section, where there are very few power outlets. I’m not sure if this is a policy from management or a decision made by the staff, but it feels inconvenient for customers. If you try to sit in the closed section, you’re simply told “it’s closed.”
If I’m paying for my drink, I should be able to sit anywhere I want until closing time. Why even keep the store “open” if you’re going to block off half the seating and make customers sit packed together? It’s ridiculous.
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