Lyndon rants that Starbucks EDSA Shangri-La seems to be hiding their courtesy cups during Fridays, when, incidentally (?), the Artists Den holds its regular meetings.


Let’s see how far this will go.  Will online postings turn off enough Starbucks afficionadoes?


I have my own gripes with a couple of cafes.


Figaro



For one, Figaro doesn’t have courtesy cups in the condiments counter, and I reckon it’s because they discourage

disallow sharing of drinks.  Imagine my dismay when I was about to

purchase a 16-ounce flavored Americano to share with my wife (she

prefers her coffee smooth and creamy; I dig it black), and the cashier

pointed out that it was against company policy for patrons to share

drinks.


Oh yeah?  Are you that high-end a cafe to discourage consumers

from taking their coffee the way they like it?  And what if it’s

for take-out?


I love Figaro’s coffees (they got great pizza too!), but this lowers my fondness for them a notch or two.


Hot Loops


Next on my hot list is Hot Loops

I went to their Robinson’s Galleria branch last Thursday for a donut

(sugar rush!) and an espresso.  The server confirmed with me if I

was sure I wanted an espresso, since he said it was only for a single

shot, and without sugar nor cream.  He offered their regular

brewed coffee, instead.


Now

I was taken aback with the way he made a big deal about my ordering an

espresso.  An espresso was an espresso, I thought.  So I

insisted.  And I got my shot.  I was taking my first few sips

after having walked to the other end of the mall when I started

wondering, “WTF!  Are they sure this is espresso?!?”


Hot

Loops’ espresso tasted just like drip-brewed coffee.  It wasn’t

espresso.  And it sucked!  Is this why they were so

hesitant to serve the “espresso” listed in their menu?


If I weren’t in a hurry to return to the office, I’d have gone back and demanded a refund.


Any other gripes?


Smart parenting starts with EZ Kids.