Starbucks: Drive-thru signage

[Gemini Cricket]

At Starbucks drive-throughs — one-third of the chain's 11,000 U.S. stores have one — newly redesigned outdoor menu boards advise customers that they can buy Grande (16 oz.) and Venti (20 oz.) sized beverages. Curiously, the signs no longer mention the smaller, cheaper cup size that's still for sale: Tall (12 oz.).Source (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-09-13-starbucks13_ST_N.htm)
Panda Express has been doing this in their walk up locations, too. Just Medium and Large cups are out for everyone to see on the counter. The small cups are there, you just can't see them. In their defense, they do list the small size on the menu board. But I still say it's trickery and I don't think it's cool.
Yet another installment of how Brad does not love some big businesses and their practices.

[innerSpaceman]

Gasp! Deceptive advertising practices! I'm shocked, shocked I say, to find gambling going on in here!


(but, yeah, that's tricky suckage alright)

[Gemini Cricket]

Gasp! Deceptive advertising practices! I'm shocked, shocked I say, to find gambling going on in here!

I just watched Casablanca yesterday before rehearsal. I can watch that one over and over.

[Stan4dSteph]

In other news, people are stupid.

[Alex]

Source (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-09-13-starbucks13_ST_N.htm)
Panda Express has been doing this in their walk up locations, too. Just Medium and Large cups are out for everyone to see on the counter. The small cups are there, you just can't see them. In their defense, they do list the small size on the menu board. But I still say it's trickery and I don't think it's cool.
Yet another installment of how Brad does not love some big businesses and their practices.

Both of my local Panda Expresses have all three container sizes on display. And what are you doing eating at Panda Express in Hawai'i? You can easily get much better Chinese fast food than that.

[Gemini Cricket]

Both of my local Panda Expresses have all three container sizes on display. And what are you doing eating at Panda Express in Hawai'i? You can easily get much better Chinese fast food than that.
I know it. But their Orange Chicken is laced with crack, Alex. I'm convinced of it.

I can't believe they replaced Patti's Chinese Kitchen (which was great local-style Chinese food) with a Panda Express at Kahala Mall. But in that mall, there aren't many other options. Especially when you're lazy like me.

I also work in Chinatown which has many, many options. Legend has the best dim sum.

[mousepod]

Starbucks still serve "short" drinks. But I haven't seen it mentioned in their signage for...ever.

[Capt Jack]

In other news, people are stupid.

often an accurate statement, even on their very best day, yeah

[Gemini Cricket]

I don't know if I'd qualify someone as stupid if a person wasn't very familiar with the Starbucks menu and then only saw 2 drink sizes at the drive thru. Yeah, probably a small percentage, tho.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Yeah, and most people just respond to whatever they see. Sneaky and unpleasant and I can't say I like it.

I don't look at the sizes when I order coffee. I know which I want, and I order it that way. SB messes me up by calling them things I don't ever remember, so I always only order "small", "medium", or "large" and they can translate it into gibberish for me.

[€uroMeinke]

In-n-out has a whole unpublished menu - talk about deceptive

[Alex]

But in their case I don't think the hidden menu includes anything that is cheaper, does it?

Though I believe research shows that if you present three size options people will tend to select the middle item even if what they otherwise would want is the smallest. I wonder if suggesting just two sizes similarly pushes people to the larger size or if they stick with the middle.

[BarTopDancer]

I just generally avoid drive-thrus because I always end up behind the person who thinks nothing of not having a clue what they want until they get to the microphone or ordering food for 20 people.

[Alex]

I avoid it because I almost always alter the items I'm ordering and if I go in and I can watch them put it together. I avoid Starbucks because, well, they sell coffee so only insane people go there.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I avoid the middle size. If I just want a little bit, I get the small. If I want more, I get a large. The middle just seems... it seems like you pay for more than you get.

[Kevy Baby]

I prefer extra-medium

[Not Afraid]

I could never get the vernacular straight at SB's anyways. I order Small. Medium or Large.

When I do go through drivethru's for some sustenance mid-day I always order one item off the "super value" menu which always leads to 20 more upselling questions: "do you want fries?" "do you want a meal?" "is that all?" "are you SURE?".

[alphabassettgrrl]

I could never get the vernacular straight at SB's anyways. I order Small. Medium or Large.

When I do go through drivethru's for some sustenance mid-day I always order one item off the "super value" menu which always leads to 20 more upselling questions: "do you want fries?" "do you want a meal?" "is that all?" "are you SURE?".

Yeah, I get that, too. No, if I wanted fries or a meal or to upsize it, I would have *said* so. I know they get yelled at if they don't try but it's still annoying. I generally refused to upsell when I worked in food.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Yeah, I'm a Starbucks grinch who refuses to acknowledge their sizing terms. "Whatever the smallest is" is my usual order. Same goes for most fast food restaurants that now seem to like to default to the medium size on combos.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I guess that's an upside to the "multi size" meals- they ask what size you want. Gives us an opportunity to request the small fries. Not what they're looking for, but that's ok. As opposed to the combo meal and just taking the default because they don't tell you what size it has.

[Alex]

"Whatever the smallest is" is my usual order.

Does that get you a short at Starbucks or a venti?

Though I've never understood why people get so upset about Starbucks sizing terms (and before anybody responds with it, yes I've seen Role Models), restaurants and chains frequently make you say stupid things to get what you want. Personally I hated when IHOP made me say "Super Rooti Tooti Fresh and Fruity" when I just wanted a couple pancakes with fruit topping and sides of eggs, hashbrowns, and sausage for whomever I was there with.

[Ghoulish Delight]

It gets me the venti.

The starbucks one particularly bugs me because the words they use actually MEAN something, and that something does not relate to the relative size scale they're supposed to. Yes, Rooti Tooti Fresh and Fruity is a stupid thing to have and say, but at least you know what you're asking for. And while "venti" does mean 20, and thus actually does relate to the 20oz cup that it refers to, there's nothing about "grande" or "tall" in combination with "venti" that that indicates, "venti is the smallest, grande is the next size, tall is the next size." Especially since, in my book, 20oz of coffee is a large coffee. When I hear "Do you want venti, grande, or tall," that to me sounds like "Do you want large, large, or large?"

[alphabassettgrrl]

I'm with you, GD. I hate their terms because a- they're stupid and b- I can never actually remember them anyway.

[Alex]

I never remember which is which but a) when I say small they give me the smaller of the three and when I say medium they give me the middle; I've never run into the mythical barrista confused by not using the proper term; b) they're all up there on the menu in order of size. I've never had to order from memory.

[Stan4dSteph]

Earlier today from their twitter feed: "It never left, but based on feedback we're updating our new drive-thru menus to remind you that the Tall size is always available."

[alphabassettgrrl]

I'm not sure they ever get "confused" by ordering s/m/l but I suspect they get annoyed after a while.

Much easier to go to Coffee Bean or the independent place where they don't make me learn new terminology just to order coffee. :)

[Morrigoon]

Um folks... venti is the biggest

[lashbear]

I always order a Teenie-Weenie.

[Cynthia]

Never had a thing from a Starbucks in my whole life, they replaced the wonderful local coffee shop in the bookstore of my Alma mater and I have never forgiven them, this discussion makes me feel even better about it ;)

[3894]

Gasp! Deceptive advertising practices! I'm shocked, shocked I say, to find gambling going on in here!


I'll pass the smelling salts your way after I'm done with them, iSm.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Um folks... venti is the biggestI rest my case.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

If they don't want to sell a small, why don't they just take it off the menu entirely? Lots of fast food places did this when they switched to the self-serve, all-you-can-drink model.

They could also offer a "mini" that costs $.50 and is served in a shot glass size cup, then hide the cups and not list it so no one ever buys it. It's their prerogative. But what is the point?

[BarTopDancer]

You can still get the old "small" but it's the kid's drink now.

Small now used to be the medium cup. The medium cup is the size of the large and a large is the size of what a big gulp used to be before that super-sized too.

A venti non-fat mocha with no whip is 280. Same mocha with 2% milk is 340 add whip and it's 410 calories. Change that to whole milk and it's 380 w/o whip and 450 with.

A venti-pumpkin spice latte is 510 w/whole milk and whip (440 w/o), 2% is and 410 w/o whip 470 with. Nonfat milk is 330 w/o and 400 with.

A tall whole milk pumpkin spice latte is 330 w/whip and 260 w/o.

That's a 180 calorie a drink difference. 19 drinks is a pound worth of calories difference.

Check it out (http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/product?drink=espresso#view_control=nutrition)

[Kevy Baby]

I always order a Teenie-Weenie.Hopefully you pull your pants back up afterwards