Honestly, I have a binge eating disorder and the free food and drinks does make it a struggle for me in that way./:

ed gang rise up ✊️
Fr tho my pet peeve at work is when custies will ask me what the calories are in what they're ordering. Drives me nuts tbh and on bad days it can get me soooo close to trying to be competitive with them somehow.

hello!!! my health is significantly worsening due to my eating disorder, ive had to go home after being sick, calling out because of the negative impacts on my health, & i'm getting very anxious abt how im perceived (especially being in an ssv position...) you're definitely not alone!

i try to scarf down the perfect bars, eat as many sugary calorific pastries as i can & drink water as much as i can, but its been very difficult just because of how nauseous i am all the time...but we've got this!

have you tried bringing in protein shakes?? or powder, you can blend some into a Frappuccino or smthn and thatll definitely help! i havent myself just bc i also have adhd and simply forget but ik some of the partners at my store have done that!

best of luck, it might be a slow journey but recovery is possible and we can do it!

hi! i have disordered eating and it has gotten worse working here with all the small comments people will make - ie: “im being bad today im gonna get a petite vanilla scone”. i recently got out of a long period last month of struggling to get myself to eat. what has helped at work is trying to eat at least a cheese stick or a peter rabbit applesauce while i’m there, i don’t feel guilty to have it, it’s not big enough for me to fuss over mentally.
i try to find inspiration of sorts in watching people order and eat food for my whole shift. they do it without guilt so why shouldn’t we? sometimes i even feel better having a “heavier drink” ie. white chocolate or pumpkin spice syrup and try to find comfort in the fact i willingly put extra calories in my body.
it’s tough. you got this!

This is something I also struggle with. I don’t let anyone else make my drinks because unfortunately I count calories and restrict them. Food is the hardest part for me, everything has lots of calories but usually, I just eat the egg white egg bites bc of the friendly macros. Certain partners have made comments on my body and I don’t think they realize it just triggers my ED and makes me restrict harder. I don’t want to be anyone’s “body goal.” It drains me.

hey, i suffer from disordered eating and Starbucks sometimes makes it worse.

i've mostly cut down to eating oatmeal, bagels and protein boxes from work and packing food from home for my meal breaks as consistently as possible. i struggle to eat anything but sugar and bread, so bringing yogurt, veggies, fruit, and lots of protein snacks is better for me.

I have an eating disorder and low blood sugar issues that mean dizziness, sometimes fainting. I am iron deficient as well, so this gets even scarier.

I usually try my hardest to drink something with a little bit of sugar when I feel dizzy, but I struggle when customers overexplain why they want sugar free syrups (diets, calories, etc).

The struggle is real… I’ve struggled with disordered eating for almost 10 years, and honestly, also food insecurity for longer. I have certain partners that love to talk about daily recommended servings or comments about calories in products… it can really trigger what I consume and don’t, and what I think about on the floor and off.

i was recovering from an ed when i worked at starbucks and i would get scared to eat or drink in front of other people

What gets me is when non-Ed partners casually mention their weight. Then all of a sudden I have most everyone’s weights who work there and are confident in their bodies and I am trying so hard not to let it bring me back down. I’m a recovering anorexic and it’s so easy for me to get too attached to numbers. I also have a very thin coworker who almost never eats and she laughs it off like it’s cute. She brags about not being hungry and after so long of anorexia myself in hurts my soul to hear. It also really bugs me when people come in and ask for keto or skinny whatever’s, without knowing what they’re putting in their bodies. The amount of people who come in dieting with next to no information about the diet they’ve chosen makes me want to scream at them 😣

My store is very very close, like a small family, so they all ask me what I’ve eaten and if I don’t eat enough they’ll ask me if I want food or just bring me food because they know I never really eat anything good for my body just a bunch of junk, we’ll crack a couple jokes, I don’t mind I love them, but I have a great family

I legitimately get so uncomfy when partners are talking about the calorie counts, if they’re talking about it on the headset I have to remove it or turn the volume down super low bc it’s triggering. I am in a bad spot rn, so usually I use my mark out for a sandwich that I eat for the day and maybe a strawberry refresher. Once I figured out how many calories were in the white mocha I stopped drinking it.

I've been struggling with an ED for a few months, what helps me get through long shifts is avoiding coffee so my anxiety doesn't spike more than it already does and splitting a spinach feta wrap with another partner. Sometimes reaching out to fellow baristas and opening up really helps, they might even be struggling with EDs as well! We're not alone in this. ♡

I use to sit in a corner and eat a small thing of chicken and down a trenta water, but after one day the heat became unbearable and I started to have a panic attack while helping a customer, I started walking on my breaks and lunches and had snacks while walking. It's kinda helped.

When I was a barista I was hardcore restricting/drunkorexic and survived most of my shifts hungover while chugging white monster and trenta cold brews with sugar free caramel and a splash of soy milk.

At least the free food convinced me to eat a meal most of the time. Paninis with a crushed bag of bbq chips and a few sriracha packets were my go-to.

Yeah none of my coworkers know. Sometimes when I’m on warming I’ll start craving some of our foods but then just thinking about the calories in them makes me want to pass out. I love coffee, and so I’ve decided to not torture myself by drinking whatever the lowest calorie option is, I treat myself to whatever drink I want each shift, that definitely gives me a boost energy wise and helps take my mind off of food. But I get it, it’s hard. Stay strong <3

hello!! i was originally recovering when i started working but I ended up gaining a LOT of weight after a couple months from the many drinks and food available, at least for my liking. So i started restricting again and it’s definitely not easy when starbucks can be such a fast paced job that requires a lot of energy from you. I have been trying to stick to a higher calorie intake even tho i am restricting just so i don’t become overly fatigued at work or cranky because i get super cranky when i’m tired. I also try to eat whole, more nutrition packed foods. I even started cooking so i guess that at least one good thing i have going food wise. Also, I try to eat something before work unless it’s like a super early shift.

sometimes we will get a treat from our SM or a partner and i feel bad not accepting food but right now im really uncomfortable with eating things without knowing the caloric content.

Im kind of scared for the inevitable moment that my coworkers begin to notice my weight loss. That’s what really starts to trigger it and my habits become worse because i feel like the attention makes me want to lose more? I know people mean well when they want to compliment you on weight loss but it really makes me feel more uncomfortable from being perceived so closely. If they do i hope I can be a little honest and say I don’t feel comfortable talking about it since I have body issues.

I used to be anorexic for like 10 years and i honestly somehow got over it. It left me with stomach problems and i'm nauseous as fuck all the time but at least i don't worry about calories

Me, I've struggled with my eating disorder since middle school, I'll purposefully starve myself until im satisfied, though I also believe I have body dysmorphia bc even though its easy for me to lose weight and my body gets slimmer, I dont see it. I'm very self consious about how I look at work or in public and I dont eat at all during my shifts no matter how hungry I am. But for struggling with an eating disorder for so long my body has gotten used to it so im no longer as hungry as I used to be or dont want to eat. I actually hate food and find it super gross, also the process of eating too, I think its a waste imo. At the same time I'm also a VERY strict picky eater and will only eat what I want if I even want it or in the mood for it. During my shift, sometimes my stomach will growl but I'll ignore it and continue working until im off, even then once im off work im too tired and fall asleep. Also I barely get breaks at all so its impossible for me to even eat and I dont like eating in public where people can see, it makes me uncomfortable

I have a restrictive eating disorder and every shift I have a dilemma over wether I should take advantage of the free food/drinks or have nothing the whole shift, it really is a very lonely feeling when i'm struggling but know other's won't understand it.
something that helps me though is being very specific about my drinks so I can be sure how many calories it has, just gives me some peace of mind.

I’ve struggled with my relationship with food for years but having my daughter via c section last year made it 10000% worse. Y’all are not alone. I hope y’all know how loved you are 💜💜

i have a lot of body image issues and past with anorexia. the only thing i can eat there without gaining weight is the turkey bacon sandwich or a cheese danish. if i gain anything, even a pound, i feel like the most disgusting creature working there.

my bmi is normal and i find chubby people so pretty, idk why this is such an issue for me

I have a binge Ed and I’m not gonna lie it has been very tempting to binge everything here 😵‍💫

Well I have a disorder where if I’m under a lot of emotional stress I completely lose my appetite for weeks at a time
I’m at the gym

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I’ve been feeling incredibly weak lately. I’m hypoglycemic with an ED and tend to limit myself to a protein box, a brownie or something sweet and one drink for my entire day. However recently, I’ve been taking protein shakes and vitamins to really help me. I’ve noticed a big difference in my moods and overall feelings.

actually me and my partners have talked about our EDs together, and it’s a bit of a struggle working at our store. it’s the busiest in our district, so it’s hard to predict when you’ll get your break to eat something. i’ve been suffering with disordered eating for a large part of my life, and one of the things that sucks about it is reteaching yourself when you’re hungry. i’ll go through shifts starving, get my break and sit down to eat, and won’t be able to stomach the food anymore because i don’t “feel” hungry. of course i still have to work on eating before coming to work, but it’s still hard to manage.

i mostly snack on the butter croissants and the string cheese because i can eat those without “feeling” hungry and still stomach them.

and i’ve seen others talking about this here too, but the customers are merciless when it comes to asking about the calories/sugars/fats in their drink and food. it’s my biggest grievance about taking orders (aside from the fact the customers are so rude most of the time). i can be understanding when it’s about a food allergy, but i’ve yet to encounter people with food allergies ask me about the caloric content of a frappucino. 🙃

i’ve never been the type to count my calories or know all the nutrition facts in the food i consume, but it’s still triggering all the same and it puts me in a heavily irritated state… but knowing my other partners struggle with the same thing really helps make the environment easier on my soul.

so many fear foods here and i have to be around them for 8 hrs so i sadly understand but we got this!

i have been going through recovery for a year now and also don’t talk openly about my problems. some of my coworkers though often joke/brag about how little or how long it’s been since they have eaten, or talk graphically about their weight loss and i never know how to approach it bc i can see they’re struggling, but that kind of talk bothers me. i am definitely an advocate for recovery and to anyone struggling right now reading this, i know how hard it is and I know it doesn’t seem like it can get better, but it can and will if you seek help! you are so much more than your body

I’m in the same boat!!! It’s kinda funny sometimes cause there’s this guy at my store who I’m friends with but he sometimes is like “omg this is the first thing I’ve eaten today” and I’m like “oh no imagine going that many hours without eating…..”

When I worked there I was so afraid of gaining weight bc well, with drinks and stuff so I would only drink water for the most part occasionally getting an ice latte. I just told myself I can’t just drink anything and expect not to gain weight. I would see my ultra skinny coworkers drinking large Frappuccinos with a ton of mods and extra everything and eat our sandwiches, i couldn’t make myself eat unless i told myself it would be okay.

My coworkers would make fun of all I only drank water and nothing else. And I would laugh saying yeah I like how it tastes :) it’s a struggle and I wish there was an ED support system for Starbucks. I fear it doesn’t get taken as seriously as it should. I hope you feel better and get the courage to feel good about yourself, it’s not easy to even think of recovery. But you got this 🫶🏻

Any talk about dieting or weight loss is a trigger for me, so having customers ask or talk about a drink tailor-made for whatever diet they’re trying sucks butt :(

On the bright side having constant access to food makes sure I remember to eat every day

i deal with bulimia and god damn i eat and i.. do the thing after work and cry