How Frappuccinos Cause Long Wait Times At Starbucks
*UPDATE: A Starbucks representative reached out and said the company will be reducing its limited time offer Frappuccinos by 30 percent this year. They’ve also changed “Frappy Hours” to a more inclusive Happy Hour, with more drinks, aside from Frappuccinos. While other issues addressed in this article still remain, it looks like they’re decreasing the emphasis on Frappuccinos, making both barista, and customer lives easier.
If you’re a regular at Starbucks, you’ve probably seen a rush hour or two where there’s 10 customers waiting on their drinks, as another 11 wait in line to place their order.
It’s just a madhouse.
Partial perpetrators are Frappuccino drinkers, who slow things down and get baristas out of their groove.
It’s compounded even more when a seasonal trendy Frappuccino, such as the Unicorn Frap or Crystal Ball Frap hits stores.
You might remember this dramatic kid, crying his eyes out after the Unicorn Frap craze:
A quick look at the Starbucks subreddit, and you’ll regularly see the Frappuccino frustration, regardless of the topic.
These Frappuccinos actually slow things down for a company that prides itself on getting you coffee, fast.
You know damn well you get pissed if you wait more than a couple minutes to get your drink. Well, you might want to thank Frappuccino drinkers for that.
Baristas on Reddit have weighed in, explaining that while Frappuccinos are not hard to make, they still cause quite a few problems in the heat of constant rush hours. In case you’ve ever wondered what it’s like on the other side of that store, here are the exact issues baristas have with Frappuccinos:
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Too Many Steps
“… if they order like 4 of the same kind of Frap, it’s not so bad because we can make them all in the same batch, typically. However if someone orders a java chip, vanilla bean, caramel and mocha Frap, those are all entirely different builds and we have to make them one at a time. fraps have about 8 steps to them,” – jollysonline
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“Just a very involved process to make. Not difficult per-say by itself. But when you toss one into a line of 10 lattes it can really bog things down.” – crazymutherfucker
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They Cause A Ruckus Back There
“The worst part of making Fraps isn’t the Frap itself, it’s the fact that cold bar is a hot mess. There’s always 2-3 people trying to cluster around the same crowded surface, it’s covered in water, it’s cluttered and messy and impossible to work on. I try to wipe it down and put everything away, like, every five minutes, but the mess immediately pops back up. It’s just a hellish workspace. I honestly hate making teas and refreshers just as much as I do Frappuccinos — the only difference is that teas and refreshers I can just dump in a cup and get out of that disaster zone. With making Frappuccinos, I actually have to hang out there.” – Pettisoiseaux
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“I love working cold bar. I just tend to get soaked to my skin from the ice going by everywhere. I even find it in my apron pockets!!!” – javagirl2015
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To Some, They’re Not Challenging Enough
“The reason I hate making Frappuccinos is that there is very little skill involved compared to making a hot latte or something. At least with hot beverages I can challenge myself to make the perfect foam, but Frappuccinos is just counting basically.” – coldfoam
