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| - On balance it's become the best Starbucks I've visited in the GTA in recent years (specifically since late 2011 when service & customer experience started declining about the same time across the chain...). Until last year, there was little separating 861 York Mills from any Starbucks with a Clover other than it's spaciousness and seasonal patio, But at some point there was a changeover which by the mid-2017 led to much friendlier, more welcoming service, a general "we can do that" attitude to special requests, and higher staffing levels (though still struggling to keep up at peak times ).
Some specific things I appreciate here:
-- One of few locations still open past 10PM. My day is only half done at 9:45PM by which time most places are well into closing prep and make little effort to mask that your visit is an imposition on store processes - milk/cream removed, chairs up, espresso & clover shut down for the night, maybe one type of drip left usually sediment-filled form the bottom...yeah, thanks for coming... but here a10:45 customer is treated the same as any other time.
-- Having the Clover is a big plus for me because I can get Blonde or a Decaf any time - the Blonde is the only regular Starbucks coffee I can drink without adding a ton of sugar which I'm trying to cut down... and sometimes I've had too many coffees and just need a placebo Decaf to moderate my craving...
-- Staffing levels: I always see at least 4 on shift here, usually 5 or 6 - as opposed to 2 or 3 at most Starbucks . While it's so busy even this can't prevent lineups at peak times at least they are trying. I never feel deliberately ignored in favor of Drive-Thru or App orders, nor left waiting at unattended counter because the same person has to multitask other stations. Here there is a dedicate person for every role and a manager fills in when someone is on break.
The major downside: people know, so it's packed and crowded here most of the time right up to the last minute. Despite the large crew, you can still end up waiting quite a bit. And despite being a huge store, it can feel like a busy subway platform so I either gulp my fix in 2 minutes and leave or just take it with me.
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