On a recent Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., I went to the Starbucks in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union (BTSU) and got in line to order my drink.
Then, I set a stopwatch.
I spent exactly 10 minutes from when I got in line to when I received my order—a small, hot café latte. I did the same just two days later, but this time at Forhan’s Café. Same drink. It took just 3 minutes and 59 seconds.
BGSU Dining reports the average wait time for the Starbucks in BTSU is five minutes, though many students report waiting much longer for their drinks. So, what’s behind the long wait times? And what’s being done to improve customer experiences at on-campus coffee shops?
Jon Zachrich, the director of marketing, communication and technology for BGSU Dining, said the BTSU’s Starbucks location sells between 4,000 and 5,000 drinks daily, which likely contributes to the long lines.
In other words, the number of customers served at the BTSU Starbucks location each week is equivalent to 42% of BGSU’s student population. The BTSU location also goes through 100 pounds of coffee beans over the course of a week.
“Our campus Starbucks is actually one of the busiest in the Tristate area and we are very proud of how our team takes that on each day,” said Zachrich.
Still, many students say they are frustrated by long lines and said they wait much longer than five minutes to receive their orders.
“Twenty to 30 minutes is normally the shortest it gets,” said BGSU student Darci McRae.
McRae also said long wait times have caused her to cancel her order to avoid being late to class. Alyssa Julian, another BGSU student, said she has had similar issues.
“I just go whenever I have a long break because I know I won’t be late and I know I won’t have to worry about rushing to get out of there,” Julian said.
Students are not the only ones affected by this frustration, however. Only one-third of Starbucks employees said they believe the stores they work at are well-staffed consistently, and less than half of staff members said their stores consistently have reliable equipment, according to an April article from Bloomberg.
So, what can be done to alleviate the frustration of waiting customers and ease the burden of hardworking employees?
The BTSU Starbucks is one location that implemented the Siren Craft System, a strategy that changed drink-making processes and added a new on-shift position to help support employees during busy hours.
BTSU’s Starbucks implemented the system this semester—something Jessica Mason, the BTSU Starbucks general manager, said has been helpful.
“We’ve found that it has increased our speed of service, and with the new routines, our baristas don’t feel as stressed as they used to,” Mason said via email.
While solutions like the Siren Craft System are a step in the right direction for decreasing wait times, other fast-food restaurants have found additional solutions to help, including mobile ordering.
Mobile orders at McDonalds and Chick-fil-A reduced wait times for customers by 1-2 minutes, according to an article from Fox Business.
While 70% of Starbucks sales nationwide come from mobile apps and drive-thru orders, mobile orders (including Starship orders) only make up 25% of sales at the Starbucks in BTSU, Zachrich said.
Abby Moore, a BGSU student and employee at an off-campus Starbucks location, said when she mobile orders at the BTSU Starbucks, she typically gets her drink faster than if she were to order in person. But Moore also said the problems might go beyond ordering processes.
“A lot of times when it is busy, I still see people just standing there talking… If you have a lot of people, you kind of need to focus on the drinks. I can make a drink and notice that I make it faster than they make it there, and I don’t really understand why,” said Moore.
Sierra Cantley, a BGSU student who works at another off-campus Starbucks location, agreed.
“It takes them way too much time for how many people they have,” Cantley said.
Zachrich said BGSU’s Starbucks location and BGSU Dining have taken other steps to improve customer experiences.
“Starbucks support teams have analyzed our process a few times over the years to search for efficiencies, and each time, the team creates an action plan,” Zachrich said. “Some focus on new training/equipment, but otherwise, it is about the physical space being expanded. That currently isn’t possible, but something always explored as new opportunities arise.”
Spatial issues are nothing new for the BTSU Starbucks.
In 2019, BG Falcon Media reported plans for the BTSU Starbucks to be renovated, but rather than a remodel, however, several of the restaurants in the BTSU shuffled locations in 2020 to give Starbucks more room for its long lines.
More mobile orders combined with more space could be just what the BTSU Starbucks needs to reduce wait times. The next time I want something from the BTSU Starbucks, I’m getting my small, hot café latte via mobile order.
