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‘Just order at the window’: Starbucks worker roasts customers who mobile order while in the drive-thru line

‘Half the time they come to the wrong store.’

Photo of Braden Bjella

Braden Bjella

Starbucks Drive Thru sign with sky behind (l) Starbucks drive thru window worker holding out stirring stick as a wand at customer at window in car caption 'when customers place their mobile order as they pull up to the drive thru'

A Starbucks worker shared a simple message in a now-viral TikTok video: When customers place a mobile order, they need to be patient. 

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In user Kate’s (@katetopia) now-viral video, she shows someone waiting at the drive-thru window for their order, only for Kate to throw up her hand in frustration.

“When customers place their mobile order as they pull up to the drive-thru,” she wrote in the text overlay on the video.

Kate’s video was posted less than a day ago and currently has over 500,000 views.

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In the comments section, Kate clarifies that she doesn’t have a problem with mobile orders. However, she wants to remind customers that, no matter how one orders their drink, it will still take time to be made.

“All im saying in this video is to not show up 3 sec after placing the order and expect it to be ready,” she wrote in the comments.

Other commenters and alleged service industry employees agreed, venting their own frustrations from their time working at restaurants with mobile ordering.

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“Why do they assume that mobiles get in the front of the [queue]?” one user asked. “Just order at the window.”

“Dunkin customers 🤝 Starbucks customers,” another added. “Ma’am you ordered 4 sandwiches and 6 macchiatos it’s gonna be more [than] 30 seconds.”

“Ive had customers pull up to the speaker and say ‘give me a second im placing my mobile order,’” a TikToker recounted. “Killed me inside fr.”

“People do this at my smoothie king — order online in our parking lot and pull up to the mobile window immediately,” another commenter said.

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This method of placing mobile orders while already in line can lead to other issues as well.

“Half the time they come to the wrong store,” Kate wrote in the video’s description.

Commenters agreed that this was a common occurence.

“My favorite thing is when people come in INSISTING they placed a mobile order with us,” shared a commenter. “We are a Target. We don’t even do that.”

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In response to all of these statements, some gave their mobile ordering tips to ensure an order is ready right when a customer wants it.

“Mobile order when you’re about to leave your house so it’s ready/almost ready when you get there, not when youre already in line PLEASE,” a commenter advised.

Kate did not immediately respond to Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.


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