On a rainy night, stuck in a place with all coffee shops open and seats available, I would still choose Starbucks. Why? Simply because they have been around the Philippines for some years now and they have developed a keen knowledge on how best to serve the clients. Here are the things I love:
1. Baristas will try their best to remember your name and the coffee you normally order.
2. Baristas take the time to understand your order no matter how complicated or unique you want it to be. I would add flavored shots to almost anything and they don't give me that weird look. I would ask them to remove the whipped cream and make it a non-fat milk and nobody puts on an attitude that I am not enjoying Frapuccino as how it is naturally served.
3. I like the wrapped sandwiches, the bagel, and the corned beef pan de sal. Corned beef pan de sal seems to have a full serving of a solo can of corned beef inside the pan!
4. Baristas make small talk without sounding nosy.
5. The coffee cup's sleeve is good enough to protect you from burning your hands and just recently, I realized that their coffee cup lid top is the most reliable. I have never spilled a Starbucks on my white shirt or on my pants ever! The small opening of the Starbucks coffee cup, as long as it is securely placed, will not spill the coffee or produce any unnecessary droplets on your clothing.
6. Who cares about the City Tumblers? I do! I do! I Do! Everywhere I go, I visit a Starbucks branch (and this goes for other countries as well), and buy the city tumbler. The country tumblers will all have a brown lid while the city tumblers will come in different colors.
Macau- Blue
Chicago- Navy Blue
Hong Kong - Orange
Manila - Brick Red
Beijing - Sunshine Yellow
Kuala Lumpur - Blue Green
Singapore & Boracay - Violet
New York - Apple Green
7. You can stay in the coffee shop all day and no barista will ever give you hints to leave the place to make room for others.
8. The music is just lovely.
9. Trying to promote a non-smoking coffee shop, even for a just a few months, was a very brave thing to try.
10. I always get their very attractive Starbucks Planner every holidays, even if I don't really use it until the middle of the year! It is a perfect excuse to buy those really awesome holiday coffee flavors...and get to donate too!
11. The holiday flavors are just awesome especially Peppermint Mocha. Every December, I always order mine with extra Peppermint sprinkles for that additional mint!
12. The tumblers, even if they do not claim it, are spill proof. The double-walled stainless steel tumblers keep your beverage hot for more than 2 hours! I really recommend you to buy these double-walled versions as you can enjoy a hot coffee for a longer time.
13. The tumbler designs are elegant and fun.
14. Who did not go crazy with the tumblers copying the exact look of their plastic to-go glass with green drinking straw?
15. Have you ever been one of those lucky ones to get a longer receipt? This only means one thing: Free coffee! well of course after visiting their website and answering the customer survey.It has a code at the bottom which you will key in and then print your free coffee voucher!
I guess the best thing about Starbucks in the Philippines is the concept of choice. You can choose to have your food any which way you want: warmed, toasted, or as slightly chilled. Do you want a bag for your sandwich or are you having it now while you wait for your coffee to brew? Do you want a space for yourself or are you meeting friends over? Do you need a power source for your laptop? Do you want a natural flavor sprinkle (cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate, vanilla) for your coffee or would you rather have the flavored syrups?
Needs improvement:
1. The cinnamon rolls are not their specialty
2. Not all stores serve the same type of pastry or bread
3. Wifi is not for free
Suggestion:
Starbucks should make their "statement tumblers" and "statement mugs" to make it personalized.
Even with tea shops being set up on every corner of the city, I still love my coffee. Sure, I do love those flavored teas, but I still would go back to my freshly brewed coffee... Morning, noon, and night.
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