Starbucks - Destin

This Starbucks has the standard chain atmosphere, featuring hipster staff who come off as a bit too indifferent to be truly friendly or courteous. It can be a bit exhausting, yet also somewhat amusing to observe. Nonetheless, the coffee is reliably good, which is why we keep returning.

I had a fantastic experience during my visit! The service was impressively quick; by the time I arrived, half of my order was already prepared, even though I had just placed it a minute or two earlier. However, I noticed that the second drink was sitting on the counter and it wasn’t what I had expected. After confirming my order, I realized that I had asked for an iced drink but was given a hot one instead. When I mentioned this to the barista, she laughed off the mix-up and immediately made the correct drink for me. Steph was friendly and cheerful, and as a former barista myself, I was truly impressed by the speed at which she prepared everything. Everything tasted amazing!

Today, I ordered an iced latte with oat milk but noticed that the barista added a tablespoon of cow's milk after pouring the espresso shots. I assume this was to froth it, but they topped it off with oat milk. When I asked the barista why dairy was included, they promptly discarded the drink, made me a new one, and offered a $4 gift card. I'm really puzzled about why they used dairy when I specifically requested oat milk. The whole experience left me feeling quite confused.

The drink on the right is meant to be a TRIPLE iced white chocolate mocha. The one on the left is from a different location because this Starbucks either can't count or simply doesn't know how to make coffee properly.

I usually don't prefer Starbucks or their coffee, but I was truly impressed by the dedication of the staff at this location yesterday. There were twenty people waiting for their drinks, and the team was working tirelessly to serve each and every order. I really hope they earn $100 an hour, as their hard work clearly brought in much more than that for Starbucks.