12 Common Customer Complaints About Starbucks

Starbucks has been around since the 1970s. The company has essentially paved the way for modern coffeehouses, helping to popularize an in-between space for work and home that's known as a "third place." But even with its great success and unique service model, like all big companies, it's not exempt from its own set of problems. Customers haven't been shy about letting the world know, whether through online forums, TikTok videos, or even going so far as taking legal action against the coffee company.

Changes have already been made within the coffee chain since the hiring of the new CEO Brian Niccol in 2024, who made it his goal to get back to the roots of what Starbucks did right with the "Back to Starbucks" initiative. But that hasn't stopped people from complaining about price increases, too much ice in their cold drinks, and lack of consistency. If you've ever experienced any of these frustrations, take comfort in knowing you're not the only one. As the saying goes, misery loves company.

Though some people appreciate the Starbucks bold signature brew, many customers think the coffee tastes over-roasted or just plain burnt. While the beans are not burnt literally, Starbucks intentionally uses a darker roast for several reasons. One rationale behind the dark roast profile is that it better complements the chain's many drinks containing milk, syrups, and other additions. As opposed to lighter roasts, which often feature more delicate citrus and floral notes, darker roasts tend to have chocolatey, caramelized, even if sometimes bitter flavors.

A bolder roast is less likely to get lost when milk and sugar are added to your coffee concoction. Roasting darker beans also makes it easier to maintain a more consistent flavor profile across Starbucks locations. For customers who dislike the chain's well-known dark-roast blend, Starbucks also offers medium- and light-roast options, as well as more unique varieties at Starbucks Reserve locations.

Some customers miss the hands-on experience of traditional espresso making and say Starbucks' automatic espresso machines make the process feel less personal. Instead of grinding, tamping, and pulling the espresso shots themselves, baristas simply pull a shot with the press of a button. The coffee chain introduced its Mastrena espresso machines in 2008 to improve consistency and workflow across its cafes.

Though the automated machines allow for a quicker turnaround, some coffee enthusiasts argue that the experience removes some of the craftsmanship associated with specialty coffee. One Reddit commenter in the thread went so far as to say the switch to fully automatic machines "feels soulless." Still, Starbucks baristas are required to do the majority of the drink preparation including steaming milk, blending, and adding syrups and toppings to create customers' favorite customized coffee drinks.

Starbucks has built much of its menu around sweet drinks, from its lineup of Frappuccinos and the iced brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso to seasonal favorites like the pumpkin spice latte and peppermint mocha. In recent years, however, customers have criticized the sugar content of Starbucks beverages.

Some customers question why some Starbucks drinks contain so much added sugar. And while it is possible for customers to customize their drinks with extra pumps of syrup or flavored foams (perhaps to recreate popular TikTok recipes), it's just as easy to reduce the sugar content by requesting fewer pumps of syrup and choosing an alternative milk with less sugar. Starbucks also provides nutrition information for all menu items on the app, online, and in-store menus, allowing customers to compare drinks prior to ordering.

Starbucks has recently been called out on social media by customers who say their iced drinks contain significantly more ice than liquid. In a viral video, a customer poured her venti iced drink into a measuring container, revealing that less than half of the cup contained liquid while the rest was ice. A recent TikTok trend poking fun at Starbucks has also surfaced in which people pour a tiny bit of coffee over a huge cup of ice for their barista application.

The complaint isn't new. In 2016, Starbucks faced multiple proposed class-action lawsuits claiming that the company under-filled iced beverages by replacing liquid with ice. The lawsuits were ultimately dismissed, the judge in one case wrote that reasonable customers understand an iced beverage contains less liquid because part of the cup has ice. To be fair, Starbucks commented that customers can request light or no ice when placing their order.

Customers also complain that Starbucks drinks taste different whether from one location to the next. The issue of consistency has been brought up in a number of online threads dating several years back, and it continues to come up in more recent threads as well. One Reddit user claimed that every time they ordered the same iced shaken espresso with soy milk, it tasted different at each Starbucks location.

Brian Niccol openly addressed the inconsistent Starbucks products in an open letter he wrote to customers in 2024. The root cause for the inconsistency is uncertain, but many Reddit users speculate that it's due to improper or lack of training for baristas. Niccol closed the letter with an emphasis on improving four different areas of the business: barista training was at the top of the list.

Long wait times remain one of the most common customer complaints at Starbucks. High mobile order volume, staffing challenges, and increasingly customized drinks are among the biggest contributors to longer wait times. In one Reddit discussion, a customer said they waited 20 minutes for an Americano, a relatively simple drink made with hot water and espresso. Others echoed the complaint, saying that long wait times have become increasingly common when ordering at Starbucks.

In response, Starbucks began overhauling its workflow in 2024 to improve speed and efficiency. The changes included a new system for drink preparation, updated routines for baristas and employee role redesigns to improve the old procedures. By April 2026, Starbucks reported significant progress in lowering wait times.

Starbucks guests often complain that their mobile order isn't ready based on the estimated wait time given from the app. Despite ordering ahead in hopes of bypassing a long line in the cafe, customers frequently note that when they arrive to pick up their mobile app order, they're left waiting. The Starbucks mobile app changed the game for the coffee giant back in 2015 when it officially launched the order-ahead feature.

The app allowed customers to put their order in prior to arriving at the store and grab their drink at the pickup counter. However, the high mobile order volume being the success that it is has been both a blessing and a curse as it has created long waits for in-cafe patrons and order-ahead users, too. The problem is being addressed by the "Back to Starbucks" strategy announced in 2024.

Starbucks used to be known for having excellent customer service. Former CEO Howard Schultz was a big part of the reason that Starbucks had such a strong reputation as the gold standard of customer service. Starbucks embraced the philosophy, "We like to say that we are not in the coffee business serving people, but in the people business serving coffee."

Many customers believe that Starbucks has gotten further and further away from these original values. Customers have openly complained that the level of service is going down. With instances of dismissive interactions, incorrect orders, and overwhelmed baristas, guests are commenting that the Starbucks experience feels much more rushed than it used to. Some Starbucks baristas have replied in these same threads stating that the employees are overloaded with orders and are understaffed, just trying to keep up with demand.

Starbucks is well-known by many as being a "third place" for its guests–a space to relax, linger, gather with friends over lattes, and come away with a memorable experience. After visiting Italy, Howard Schultz had a vision to recreate the concept of the European coffeehouse in the United States with this third place concept. But in more recent years, customers have frequently complained that the space hasn't had the same welcoming, cozy atmosphere it once had. With uncomfortable seats–or limited seating altogether–fluorescent lights, and a lack of overall character, many customers feel the cafes have become more corporate and less inviting.

Some Reddit users and former baristas have commented that it may have to do with the changes affecting cafes since the COVID-19 pandemic. The brand shifted its focus towards mobile orders versus in-store orders to promote social distancing during that period. However, since returning to "normal," the cafes haven't changed back and the focus has remained on mobile orders and drive thru orders simply meeting the high demand. That being said, Starbucks has responded by stating that it's working on bringing the third place concept back again as part of a redesign within the company.

At one time, customers expected to pay a premium when going to get a Starbucks coffee knowing they were also paying for the cafe experience of a cozy and friendly atmosphere. These days, people complain that the value for such a high-priced cup of coffee just isn't there anymore with the loss of overall product quality. With wrong orders, inconsistent drinks, and long wait times, the draw of Starbucks seems to be dwindling in customers' minds. The food served at Starbucks has also received similar complaints with rising prices. Over the years, Starbucks has raised its prices, causing some patrons to question whether it's still worth the cost.

Some customers say they're opting for local coffee shops because they offer a similar menu but with a more personal touch. The response from Starbucks has been to recreate the elevated experience. Starbucks guests will be encouraged to sit and linger like the old days, part of the company's effort to restore the coffeehouse atmosphere.

Starbucks initiated a policy in February of 2025 that required employees to write personal messages on all single-use drink orders. Messages range from simple notes of "enjoy" and "have a nice day" to doodles and creative puns like "thanks a latte" with the goal of creating personal connection with customers. This effort is especially geared towards mobile app users to offer customers some sort of a personal touch.

There seems to be somewhat of a split opinion on the notes, but many agree that it feels disingenuous or they simply don't care since it's a corporate requirement for every drink order. Some TikTok users have gone so far as to complain that the employees are flirting with their significant other with these messages. The ultimate goal of this was to help the brand get back to the old days of writing messages and names on customers' cups and make it welcoming again.

Starbucks reintroduced condiment bars to its U.S. and Canadian cafes in 2025 after having removed them during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the spread of germs. However, the inconvenience of having to request cream and sugar from baristas had many customers saying that they missed customizing their own drinks. When the condiment bars returned, the stations quickly set off a different set of issues. One customer on Reddit summed it up by stating, "None of these people's authority figures growing up taught them how to clean up after themselves." The post goes on to echo this with many complaints of trash, spilled sugar packets, and liquids covering the bar.

And it's not just the patrons who are disturbed by the messy area, but the employees, too. Several baristas on the same Reddit thread stated that the stations are just another area to maintain, adding to their workload. Though Starbucks brought the condiment stations back to help prompt the return of the coffeehouse experience, keeping them clean remains an ongoing challenge.

Based off personal experience as a longtime Starbucks Gold Member and having visited many Starbucks locations across the U.S., I compiled a list of my own complaints and compared them against frequently repeated complaints seen on recent Reddit threads and other social forums.

In addition, I noted the complaints that showed up the most often on these same threads and forums and cross-checked them against primary-sourced news reports that called the company out on some of its practices. I included some of those on the list if there was a considerable amount of complaints from people in online discussions or a significant number of comments on the news articles I was referencing.