Walk through an airport early in the morning (and sometimes even later) and you’ll see dozens of passengers waiting in line for coffee at Starbucks. Has the Seattle-based coffee chain finally found a solution to the inefficiency problem of queuing for caffeine?
Starbucks Tackles Long Airport Coffee Lines At IAH
I chuckle as I walk through airports and see lines stretching sometimes 50-people deep at Starbucks or Dunkin’. People love their coffee…but the process of obtaining that coffee can be so inefficient. During periods of high demand, people will wait up to an hour to get a cup of coffee. While that may be one way to pass time before your flight, it strikes me as highly inefficient.
But I noticed a promising alternative during my last trip through Houston IAH: a Starbucks pick-up location right in the terminal. What often slows the process down is the ordering: specifying what needs to be in your gingerbread spice mocha frappuccino latte with two pumps of this and three pumps of that is what slows the line down.
Here, Starbucks has come up with a smart system: you download the app, order your drink, check the monitor, then pick-up your drink when ready. This strikes me as a far more efficient approach and eliminates the need to wait in line, since you will be notified on the app when your drink is complete. Of course, there will still be people standing around waiting for their drink to be completed, but without having to intake orders, baristas at Starbucks can focus on making coffee and tea. It’s a great approach and I think it will work very well to make the entire process more efficient.
On the flipside, I know not everyone has a smartphone. And yet I can count on one hand the number of people I know who still (by principle) use flip phones and those sorts of folks are unlikely to spend money on airport coffee anyway.
As an aside, I do not drink Starbucks coffee when I can avoid it. It’s not that I have any sort of specific animus against Starbucks, but I simply do not think the coffee is very good and I do my best to target more independent coffee shops, even at airports. For example, Urth Coffee at LAX (Terminal 1) is a great alternative to Starbucks. Check out my coffee reviews for alternative options when you fly.
Finally, we’ve seen a lot of illy automatic coffee machines spring up. These automatic machines cannot replicate the taste of a great coffee machine, but it’s an efficient and worthy alternative to Starbucks. Consider those too.
CONCLUSION
Starbucks may offer mobile pick-ups at many airport locations already, but offering a system in which passengers must pre-order through the Starbucks app seems to me a great way to eliminate those long and inefficient lines that you routinely see at airport coffee shops in the morning.
Or go to Subway, McDonald’s or any other food location where you can get a normal cup of coffee quickly. Anyone that waits an hour for an overpriced “coffee” at a place that refuses to offer small, medium or large is a moron.
@DaveEdwards … Once, freezing in Kobe in early morning , I got a quick hot cup at a Japan McDonalds .
Most overrated and overpriced coffee in the world. Other day I saw a guy drop $20 on a coffee drink and some processed microwaved breakfast sandwich and a water at the Starbucks at the airport. Oh, and of course he was prompted to tip 25% for that.
Why are you watching what people order and paying attention to how much they are paying at an establishment you never visit?
@Aaron … I also watch them once in a while for a good laugh . It always amazes me that the clerk handles the cash and then touches your cup .
I had to grab an overpriced bottle of water and the guy in front of me made that order. The place was so packed that unless I was blind or deaf I had no other choice than hear the cashier telling him how much he had to pay.
@Santastico … Had you been blind , you could have heard the cashier tell him how much , no ?
@Santastico … Worst coffee by far . ( However , I still kick myself that I did not buy their shares .)
Is this a US thing? I certainly have never had to wait very much for a coffee at an airport (though I am not keen on their prices and I tend to stick to the lounges whenever I have access), and I don’t recall seeing exceptionally long queues at cafés either.
I believe it to be a uniquely US thing, in my experience.
Just drink your coffee black everyone.
This is the way to get all the health benefits of coffee. Adding things only negates the helpfulness of the coffee. And if you must add sugar or chemicals to your coffee, maybe coffee isn’t for you?
Agreed, though I do add microfoam to create flat whites or cortados. No sugar, though! 😉
Starbucks at airports are NOT owned by Starbucks. These are licensed stores for which Starbucks gets a revenue cut. Employees working at those stores are also NOT Starbucks employees/management.
I love how any mention of Starbucks brings out the “just drink black coffee” crowd.
They need to add that icky syrup to cover the flavor of the bitter oily coffee. Those folks should just buy a soda. Same caffeine, sugar and no line.
I agree with you that Starbucks coffee isn’t great, but it is good and you simply can’t beat their business model. While I also enjoy good local coffee, the experience of waiting in line, paying more for a drink, then being prompted to tip 30% is just terrible when I can order on my phone while going through security and then grab my drink on the way to the gate.
So, the only thing new is that customers must pre-order, not just that they have the option to do so? Until the conclusion, I thought you had just reposted something from 2016.
I am interested to see how it pans out… like I am fascinated how Chick-Fil-A designed their latest drive thrus (lines still too long btw)
Starbucks is one of the few places that can pull this off and they fortunately have the footprint and tech to allow for it, but imagine if Urth cafe decided to only accept orders by app, etc. It would be a disaster.
I think the bigger issue than having or not having a smart phone is the process of downloading the app, creating an account, linking a payment mechanism, yada yada.
Yeah there are ways to make this really efficient (i.e. Toast Tab) but if you are on the go to catch a flight those seconds/minutes of waiting can matter.
I work at IAH and this main Starbucks pick up location is across from the food court between E1/E2. There are also smaller Starbucks Pick up locations located near E5 and E18. These pickup locations do have a hidden register for employee purchases, and I’m sure they accommodate passengers without smartphones.
@ASW … anyone smart enough to not have a smartphone , would also be smart enough to avoid terrible coffee .
That’s nice and all, but largely unnecessary. Most airport Starbucks locations now let you order in advance on the app anyway. If you’re in a hurry and really want a Starbucks, just put in a mobile order when you join the security line and pick it up on your way to the gate. I suspect the pick-up only locations are about eliminating labor costs as much as anything else.
Americans are the biggest coffee drinkers in the world. I try to be contrarian and I don’t drink coffee (or anything) before my flight. It’s a diuretic and it makes you want to go to the bathroom at 37,000 feet. It also makes you nervous and strapped down sitting in your seat, you will certainly be uncomfortable. But people will be people.
If you can call a drink COFFEE with 10 tablespoons of sugar that wrecks your metabolism and your health…sure go for it.
Starbucks stores at airports, Targets, and other retailers are NOT owned by Starbucks. Those are licensed stores, franchises if you will. Employees and management of those stores also are NOT Starbucks employees. Not sure Starbucks can tell them how to be more efficient. However, having too many customers and high demand is not a bad problem to have, eh?
My wife LOVES the starbucks app for the loyalty points but sometimes the airport system may not be on it (perhaps because they have special pricing or arrangements.) Generally, I found apps to be an efficient tool at airports whether to rebook irregular operation flights, order food or drinks, and search for travel options. Another fantastic feature is the ability to make IP phone calls via the airport WIFI when I don’t have telephone service in the country.
I once frequented a local chain of coffee shops in Lansing, MI that had a dedicated “coffee only” line so you weren’t stuck behind fifteen people each ordering a drink with a dozen adjectives, other items, etc… it was great and very efficient. Always wished that more coffee places would do this.
For years I have suggested to Starbucks that they install coffee vending machines in their stores so those of us who like simple coffee do not have to wait behind the pretentious customers ordering silly complicated concoctions.
In Madrid-Barajas, you cannot go more than a couple of minutes without seeing a Starbucks machine – problem solved!
Lots of hate for Starbucks on here. While not comparable to third wave shops, Starbucks is better than McDonalds, Dunkin, and any number of crappy airport storefronts, and is usually quite convenient. These losers that go out of their way to comment on how much they don’t like Starbucks should get a life.
I will forever dislike Starbucks, not because of their coffee but because they have been engaging in anticompetitive practices here in the UK. In the mid-noughties they would open half a dozen shops close to one another in city centres etc in a blatant attempt to saturate the market and force competitors to close. Fortunately the strategy wasn’t successful, as a couple of well-financed national chains didn’t mind short-term losses in one or two locations, and specialist high end coffee shops also started popping up soon after, but engaging in such an approach reflects a rather toxic corporate culture in my view, particularly as there were huge opportunities for growth back then.
I agree the coffee itself isn’t terrible, it’s definitely good enough to give me the caffeine fix I need.
In defense of McD’s, the coffee is pretty good along with a variety of different options (cappuccino, latte, etc) and as an added bonus: They use NORMAL descriptions for their coffee cup size rather than “venti”. McD’s coffee costs less as well. Added bonus: (at least in off airport locations), there’s a senior discount (Matt, you’ll be there before you know it!)
The cafe treat options at McD’s are better as well, IMO. McD’s has pastries and pies at a reasonable price compared to Starbucks.
This is smart. I choose Starbucks at the airport in most cases. Here’s why:
* It’s reliable. It may not be the best coffee, but I know what a cup is going to taste like, whether I’m at home (DEN) or in an airport I’ve never been to before. I’ve tried other places and the results have been inconsistent. If I have time for one cup before my flight, I’m not gonna take a chance on an unknown (although I have tried some of Matthew’s suggestions).
* The app is reliable and fast. At my home airport, I can order while in the security line and by the time I get to the Starbucks, my coffee is ready. As per Matthew’s point, the app means I’m not stuck behind a person ordering their grande decaf no foam vanilla late with one pump of chocolate in a venti cup while asking if there’s pumpkin spice in March.
I get the Starbucks hate. It’s the middle ground…not as good as true artisanal coffee houses…not as cheap as 7-11…but there’s few artisanal coffee shops at airports and the worst airport coffee is still 2-3 times the price of that gas station cup (whereas Starbucks is close to off-airport pricing).
Funny aside…I had a random person try to gate keep the pickup area, telling me “Your coffee isn’t there. IV’E BEEN WAITING AND YOU WEREN’T BEFORE ME!!!”
“IV’E BEEN WAITING AND YOU WEREN’T BEFORE ME!!!””
Don’t know if it’s a good idea, but you could say “I have platinum status. Aren’t you a member?” and smile as you get your coffee before them…
I never stand in line at any airport Starbucks or McDonald’s. Order on the app and go pick up. And will frequently tell/remind flight crews I see at the end of they line they can do the same and avoid the line.