Much better atmosphere since they moved into this newer location from across the street. Very convenient too! It has a bright and airy energetic vibe.
Parking: May need to walk a few blocks to a municipal paid lot. But that means you can burn off that extra mocha.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Hunter Busick
Baristas were nice and drinks were good. Difficult to find a seat, especially when two rude employees from upper management decide to take over an entire section of seating to take zoom calls on full volume at 9am on a Friday. You people don’t get offices? Interesting method to get people to spend more time dining in.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nicholas Williams
I’ve had better customer service at gas station bathrooms that require a key attached to a cinder block. Hell, I’ve had more dignity afforded to me by airport TSA, and their entire job is built around assuming everyone is a potential terrorist. Yet somehow, at your Franklin Street Starbucks in Chapel Hill, I found myself in a situation so absurd, so needlessly humiliating, that I had to stop and ask myself—was I here for coffee or being processed for intake at a maximum-security facility?
Let’s rewind. I had already placed a mobile order—money spent, transaction complete. I entered, walked up to an employee, and asked for the restroom code, as any reasonable paying customer might do. And that’s when the unraveling began.
Despite already confirming my purchase, you’d have thought I had just wandered in off the street demanding free healthcare. The request for a simple bathroom code turned into an inquisition. But why stop there? Why just deny basic courtesy when you can escalate the situation into an outright performance?
Cue the second barista, a true artist in the field of customer humiliation. She stormed over, clapping her hands like an overzealous football coach mid-halftime speech, punctuating every sentence as if she were laying down the law of the land. Because, you see, it’s not enough to simply state a policy—no, that wouldn’t provide nearly the level of spectacle she was apparently looking for. Instead, she opted for a dramatic monologue, delivered with all the grace and subtlety of a drill sergeant addressing new recruits.
Restrooms? Ice? Policy? I half-expected her to start rolling out a PowerPoint presentation on Starbucks’ New and Improved Guidelines for Customer Discomfort. What was supposed to be a simple, two-second interaction had morphed into an ego-fueled power trip, a showcase of what happens when someone mistakes their barista apron for a badge and a clipboard.
Look, if Starbucks has new policies, that’s fine. But let’s be clear: policies do not grant employees the right to berate, embarrass, or otherwise treat customers like defendants pleading their case before a jury. The sheer level of scrutiny I endured over a restroom code was baffling—was I supposed to present a notarized affidavit? Provide three references? Swear an oath on a stack of Frappuccino recipe cards?
So tell me, is this the new Starbucks standard? Have we officially crossed into a world where ordering a coffee means being put through a series of unnecessary trials like some caffeine-fueled episode of Survivor? If so, I’d love to know how corporate plans to spin this one, because if what I experienced is any indication of your new approach to customer service, then congratulations—you’ve successfully managed to make what should be the most low-stakes interaction of the day feel like an interrogation at Guantanamo.
I expect a response. Not a copy-paste corporate apology, not a coupon for a burnt latte, but a genuine explanation of how and why your employees have been given free rein to treat paying customers like intruders in their own transactions. This was an embarrassment—not for me, but for Starbucks. Do better.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 1
Austin Nguyen
There was a really rude lady who served us and was giving us crazy sass. Not only did she make me feel as if I was unwelcome, but I felt targeted and UNSAFE in this store. Never could I have even dreamed in a nightmare to receive such attitude and aggression at an establishment I used to respect like Starbucks. As employees who I assume are fellow UNC students themselves, I expected more from them. One star.
Sarah Chittenden
This is a great new location but it can be difficult to find a seat and it's made much more difficult by the loitering homeless population. I have no issue with a customer who has a coffee and sits but as difficult as it is to find a seat there are piles of un attended belongings that end up taking up chairs (photos attached). The workers are friendly and the space is nice but the atmosphere makes it hard to want to utilize the space as intended.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brooks Fitts
When I walked in the other day, (12/19/24), around 6am, two police officers were escorting a homeless lady out the premises. It should’ve been a sign of things to come.. The new location is nice and modern, yet it does tend to get packed later in the day and it can be tough to find seating. I’ve always had a fine time placing a mobile order and the baristas running the place are very friendly. However, this Starbucks gets overridden by homeless folks, especially early in the morning. I had the distinct pleasure of sitting beside a tweaking homeless person— he came and sat beside me while I was studying for the LSAT. He definitely seemed mentally disturbed, as he was constantly talking to himself and laughing. I didn’t feel personally threatened by him, but it was uncomfortable. It was sad to see. I appreciated the baristas kindness in giving him a coffee and food, but ultimately, his smell and demeanor made it challenging to focus on actual work. So, in short: 5/5 for service and quality of product. 2.5/3 out of 5 for actual environment.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Isabella Grandic
Super busy. Tough to get seats. 4/10 friendly. They didn’t give me a holiday cup when I ordered a tall. It’s a fine Starbucks, overcapacity.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
juan carrasco
Good quick service and a smile on everyone’s face!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Iced Caramel Macchiato
T Gilliam
The atmosphere wasn’t e as well as the scenery outside. Pumpkin spice yum!!!
Thread Honey
LOVE this new Starbucks. They actually practice what they preach and are welcoming and friendly. I witnessed a group get kicked out of the Epilogue cafe across the street because one of the group members had brought in an outside drink - even though most of the group had purchased from Epilogue. Starbucks would never do that. I crossed the street after I saw that at Epilogue and was greeted by a smiling Barista at Starbucks! Yes, I know --- I want to support small businesses but sometimes a corporation like Starbucks shows customers more respect than a small business that kicks out customers.
I ordered the impossible sandwich. When I bit into there was pork sausage. There goes my vegetarianism.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
Elaine Jackson-Pimentel
The team here provided excellent service from speaking to a partner to help me decide what drink to buy to picking up the final product. Starbucks is the place to go to get your customized drink fast and have a pleasant start to anyone's morning ???
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chevy JackCustoms
After 10 years of going to the store I'm not having any problem they accuse me of stealing toilet paper because one of their customers said that I was still in toilet paper and told me I could no longer use they're restroom.
Much better atmosphere since they moved into this newer location from across the street. Very convenient too! It has a bright and airy energetic vibe.
Parking: May need to walk a few blocks to a municipal paid lot. But that means you can burn off that extra mocha.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Baristas were nice and drinks were good. Difficult to find a seat, especially when two rude employees from upper management decide to take over an entire section of seating to take zoom calls on full volume at 9am on a Friday. You people don’t get offices? Interesting method to get people to spend more time dining in.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve had better customer service at gas station bathrooms that require a key attached to a cinder block. Hell, I’ve had more dignity afforded to me by airport TSA, and their entire job is built around assuming everyone is a potential terrorist. Yet somehow, at your Franklin Street Starbucks in Chapel Hill, I found myself in a situation so absurd, so needlessly humiliating, that I had to stop and ask myself—was I here for coffee or being processed for intake at a maximum-security facility?
Let’s rewind. I had already placed a mobile order—money spent, transaction complete. I entered, walked up to an employee, and asked for the restroom code, as any reasonable paying customer might do. And that’s when the unraveling began.
Despite already confirming my purchase, you’d have thought I had just wandered in off the street demanding free healthcare. The request for a simple bathroom code turned into an inquisition. But why stop there? Why just deny basic courtesy when you can escalate the situation into an outright performance?
Cue the second barista, a true artist in the field of customer humiliation. She stormed over, clapping her hands like an overzealous football coach mid-halftime speech, punctuating every sentence as if she were laying down the law of the land. Because, you see, it’s not enough to simply state a policy—no, that wouldn’t provide nearly the level of spectacle she was apparently looking for. Instead, she opted for a dramatic monologue, delivered with all the grace and subtlety of a drill sergeant addressing new recruits.
Restrooms? Ice? Policy? I half-expected her to start rolling out a PowerPoint presentation on Starbucks’ New and Improved Guidelines for Customer Discomfort. What was supposed to be a simple, two-second interaction had morphed into an ego-fueled power trip, a showcase of what happens when someone mistakes their barista apron for a badge and a clipboard.
Look, if Starbucks has new policies, that’s fine. But let’s be clear: policies do not grant employees the right to berate, embarrass, or otherwise treat customers like defendants pleading their case before a jury. The sheer level of scrutiny I endured over a restroom code was baffling—was I supposed to present a notarized affidavit? Provide three references? Swear an oath on a stack of Frappuccino recipe cards?
So tell me, is this the new Starbucks standard? Have we officially crossed into a world where ordering a coffee means being put through a series of unnecessary trials like some caffeine-fueled episode of Survivor? If so, I’d love to know how corporate plans to spin this one, because if what I experienced is any indication of your new approach to customer service, then congratulations—you’ve successfully managed to make what should be the most low-stakes interaction of the day feel like an interrogation at Guantanamo.
I expect a response. Not a copy-paste corporate apology, not a coupon for a burnt latte, but a genuine explanation of how and why your employees have been given free rein to treat paying customers like intruders in their own transactions. This was an embarrassment—not for me, but for Starbucks. Do better.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 1
There was a really rude lady who served us and was giving us crazy sass. Not only did she make me feel as if I was unwelcome, but I felt targeted and UNSAFE in this store. Never could I have even dreamed in a nightmare to receive such attitude and aggression at an establishment I used to respect like Starbucks. As employees who I assume are fellow UNC students themselves, I expected more from them. One star.
This is a great new location but it can be difficult to find a seat and it's made much more difficult by the loitering homeless population. I have no issue with a customer who has a coffee and sits but as difficult as it is to find a seat there are piles of un attended belongings that end up taking up chairs (photos attached). The workers are friendly and the space is nice but the atmosphere makes it hard to want to utilize the space as intended.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 5
When I walked in the other day, (12/19/24), around 6am, two police officers were escorting a homeless lady out the premises.
It should’ve been a sign of things to come..
The new location is nice and modern, yet it does tend to get packed later in the day and it can be tough to find seating. I’ve always had a fine time placing a mobile order and the baristas running the place are very friendly. However, this Starbucks gets overridden by homeless folks, especially early in the morning. I had the distinct pleasure of sitting beside a tweaking homeless person— he came and sat beside me while I was studying for the LSAT. He definitely seemed mentally disturbed, as he was constantly talking to himself and laughing. I didn’t feel personally threatened by him, but it was uncomfortable. It was sad to see. I appreciated the baristas kindness in giving him a coffee and food, but ultimately, his smell and demeanor made it challenging to focus on actual work.
So, in short: 5/5 for service and quality of product.
2.5/3 out of 5 for actual environment.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Super busy. Tough to get seats. 4/10 friendly. They didn’t give me a holiday cup when I ordered a tall. It’s a fine Starbucks, overcapacity.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Good quick service and a smile on everyone’s face!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Iced Caramel Macchiato
The atmosphere wasn’t e as well as the scenery outside. Pumpkin spice yum!!!
LOVE this new Starbucks. They actually practice what they preach and are welcoming and friendly. I witnessed a group get kicked out of the Epilogue cafe across the street because one of the group members had brought in an outside drink - even though most of the group had purchased from Epilogue. Starbucks would never do that. I crossed the street after I saw that at Epilogue and was greeted by a smiling Barista at Starbucks! Yes, I know --- I want to support small businesses but sometimes a corporation like Starbucks shows customers more respect than a small business that kicks out customers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The staff was friendly!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love Starbucks ???
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I ordered the impossible sandwich. When I bit into there was pork sausage. There goes my vegetarianism.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
The team here provided excellent service from speaking to a partner to help me decide what drink to buy to picking up the final product. Starbucks is the place to go to get your customized drink fast and have a pleasant start to anyone's morning ???
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
After 10 years of going to the store I'm not having any problem they accuse me of stealing toilet paper because one of their customers said that I was still in toilet paper and told me I could no longer use they're restroom.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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