Glendale/Whitefish Bay: Snapshots: Touching a Nerve

I write this post feeling a little silly...but then again, maybe not.  I ordered the Ethiopian Sidamo at Starbucks' Whitefish Bay location and was told they'd stopped brewing it, though it was still posted on the board.  I was really in the mood for some, so I asked if they could do a press pot.  They didn't ring me up. About five minutes later, the press pot and mug were brought to my table.  I offered to pay, but the server told me that it was on the house. (I should note that I am a multiple-times-a-week customer of this particular location.)

This customer service home run--and I make no bones about calling it exactly that--was followed by something that seemed strange to me.  The manager followed the server and poured my cup and said they'd be keeping the press pot behind the counter.  I felt that this was rather kindergarten-ish, to say the least.  Why wouldn't they trust me with a press pot?  Did they think I was going to walk off with it?  I am a non-confrontational person, but when the manager offered a refill I asked why they were keeping the pot behind the counter.  She said it was "for liability reasons".  Would there be any more danger of spill-related injuries incurred by a full Venti cup of drip coffee? 

I always inwardly deride people who make an outward show of their socioeconomic status.  Ironically, now I feel the need to do the same--if only that I'm not gonna steal your silver.  In retrospect, it was pretty silly of me of interpret the situation the way I did.  Surely, Starbucks isn't much concerned about shoplifting. (Mind you, I don't know firsthand, but I don't see any particular effort made to prevent it.)  Still, why even offer press pots--though it's apparently off-menu--if they are so fearful of possible liability?

Most unfortunately, the awkward customer service experience collided with a great coffee experience.  The Sidamo was wonderful as a press (they obviously timed the brew and pushed the plunger down behind the counter), and the coffee was very likely the best I've ever had at Starbucks.  Despite this, I'm not so sure I will be rushing back to repeat the experience.

Comments

[Kittymoose]

There is liability that you could be scalded, burn your fingers on hot glass, and sometimes the glass in the press explodes (it happened to all three at my store). As far as I've experienced, we don't let the customers take the press with them, we just pour the cups.

[Michael Miller]

Thanks for the information. This location seems to have only silver press pots, probably for the very reasons you mention. Obviously, the answer is simply that the manager should have just told me why she did what she did. My Starbucks Wisdom holds true--even from that short stay, I could tell that the Bay View Starbucks is superior to the Whitefolks Bay one.