my store has a score of 65, here’s our most recent improvements:

-adding sauce packets/utensils to any savory items. ex: all egg bites have a fork and a sriracha packet.

this one has helped the most in my opinion.
-check off orders on the DPM (store ipad with all mobile orders) so that the food is still fresh and the drink isn’t cold or watered down by ice when the customer arrives. it also lets the customer know that when their order is ready, they’ll get a notification on their phone. this should improve both beverage and food taste.

-don’t forget to upswell customizations. for example, “have you tried the shaken espresso with vanilla sweet cream foam on top? it’s so delicious!” something that simple can increase your store profits and overall scores. if they don’t like the customization you offered, simply make them their original order and offer a service recovery card.

-any food orders with 2 or more items get a small shopper bag with a handwritten message. it can even just be the customer’s name with a smiley face. it doesn’t have to be anything crazy. on top of that, utensils, any condiments, napkins, etc. basically you don’t want them asking you for anything.

-sleeves on cold drinks, especially in very hot or very cold weather. prevents condensation on your hands + prevents your fingers from getting numb holding your drink.

-any 2 drink items go in the small shopper bag with the 2-cup carton carrier. +straws +any extra sugars +stir sticks if needed. same goes for 3+ drink orders.

if you don’t know, ask the customer

-if your beverage taste score is suffering, are the baristas making drinks consistently to standard? are they using full pumps, measuring correctly, etc? perhaps refreshment training needs to be done. i know our espresso machine has had problems in the past, causing our drinks to only taste like milk, even with all espresso shots in it. maintenance on machines could also be a factor.

-people always appreciate if you ask “is this enough cream/milk for you?” in their coffee/drinks in general. they taste it, say it needs more/less. that’s an example of going above & beyond

-using service recovery cards anytime a customer is inconvenienced. whether it’s wait time, incorrect drink, missing item, etc. it doesn’t come out of your pocket, and the customer will appreciate it.

-at the register, ask about e v e r y t h i n g. do you want whip on that? is this hot or iced? is 2% milk okay? we also have whole, nonfat, and non-dairy options! did you want any type of sweetener or syrup? have you tried this drink with xyz? it’s my favorite right now! did you want the standard amount of ice?

it’s a lot to ask, but people don’t realize you can customize to that extent sometimes. they will appreciate you taking the extra time to ask.

as for food: would you like that toasted open faced so that the bacon gets crunchy? would you like that warmed? would you like sriracha with that? did you want honey or cinnamon with your oatmeal?

lmk if you have questions, that’s only the tip of the iceberg lol.

Connection is only based on one question: did the barista make an effort to get to know me?

Only max scores count, ex: they have to grade you 7 out of 7.

All the other stuff is under "store operations" and is graded separately.

Be empathetic when stuff goes wrong, make little comments about their drinks being delish or suggest customizations, or ask about any big plans they have for the day. Make it a regular little habit, and it works. but it truly has to be a team effort to bring up the score overall.

Honestly food and beverage taste sounds like it could be a training issue; if you don’t make the drinks properly, they don’t taste right. In terms of going above and beyond, if your shifts are short staffed or you aren’t getting paid well then it likely leads to baristas not putting in a lot of effort. Your store could probably benefit from doing proper training and more hours/higher wages, like most stores could right now. But that has to do with Starbucks trying to get away with paying nothing and leaving everyone short staffed.

More realistically you could try going over all of the recipe cards and coaching little by little, or doing little things to boost store moral. Once my manager made everyone gift baskets with small stuff like candy, and had vegan options like candy. It’s nothing compared to a living wage but it can help make baristas slightly happier during your shift. You should also see if any of your baristas are potentially having problems with customers, like if someone is harassing them. Solving these types of issues could also in part help with going above and beyond.

Yeah, regarding the food taste.. how can we so much control that when everything is frozen.. not like we make it ourselves

from a store with a high cc score: always get their name for the order and make an effort to use their name at the window, always ask how’s their days going so far, compliments on the customer’s material items go a long way too, like watches or earrings. memorize daily customers orders and names. :) even after they order saying, “oh i remember you! would you like cinnamon in your coffee like last time?”

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