Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Starbucks.

This has been an on going rant in my head for the last six months and some of you have been fortunate enough to hear it. It happens daily, around 7:30am at the Starbucks on Kuhio and Nahua; yet I go back for more every morning. I already have a solution and am going to try and point out the positive.

Every single person that works there knows what I order and are all very nice. I am their ideal customer because I have the .67 cents ready for my $2.67 coffee and if I am getting an oatcake that day, I have the .29 cents ready for my $5.29 total for the two. By the time they get to me I have already waited for at least three other customer (groups) to have ordered. Two out of three are absolutely from Japan and require visual place cards with pictures and translations. That is of course, before they get to the register; paying is a whole other debacle.

When it's finally my turn, the barista gives me a look and picks up a large cup. I nod with confirmation. My order is a medium iced coffee in a large cup. I like a lot of milk. Oh yeah, it's 'un-sweetened'... whatever that means. The beginning of my hate starts when I realize, every morning, that I have to put my own skim milk and equal in, apparently that's too much for them to handle. I proceed to the table with the milk and sugars; it is smaller than an elementary school desk. I now remember that those 3-4 parties in front of me at the register are figuring out how to put sugar on their coffee. When it's finally my turn to make my own coffee, I am reminded that, not only is the table ridiculously small, but it's set up so one HAS to reach across the other person using the table. The straws are on one side and the milk is on the other. Makes for an awful pre-caffeinated experience (please take into consideration the Japanese tourist factor...) Not to mention, a Starbucks' large is so damn small...I want a LARGE. Have you heard of Dunkin Donuts?

At Dunkin Donuts, I am able to walk in (or drive up), tell them I want a large french-vanilla (not even close to an option at starbucks) iced coffee with extra skim milk and four equal. It is done in less than 30 seconds. The straw is even in it for me. All this for LESS than Starbucks. And the Large is HUGE yet curved perfectly to fit in a conventional cupholder. My first day back after my trip to Boston, I ordered my Dunks order; however, as it rolled of my tonuge, I knew it wasn't even an option. The barista looked at me and said, "you do your own milk and sugar." A piece of me died.

My solution is that I have a coffee maker now (thanks to Jen and Joe) and am going to go back to making DD coffee at home. This has been my daily rant for two years, thanks for listening. America Runs on Dunkin.

xR