Coffee is the reason I wake up each morning. It fuels me throughout the day, so you can imagine my deep disappointment when I commuted to the brand new Starbucks Reserve Roastery on 61 9th Ave in the pouring rain, just to find out that there were Starbucks employees who were protesting against the establishment. An employee of the company, Madeline Starford, spoke to me about the 40 day protest against the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Starford informed me about the countryside Starbucks Union strikes. Over 100 Starbucks stores’ employees walked out on Red Cup Day in protest of Starbucks’ unsanitary working conditions. The Starbucks’ Reserve Roastery has notable bed bugs and mold in the machines. Despite these disgusting circumstances, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery management refuses to shut down. According to another Starbucks employee who was protesting, “Supposedly, someone came in to get rid of the bed bugs a week ago, but just yesterday, another employee reportedly saw a bed bug on top of the counter.” It is somewhat evident the management at this particular Starbucks Reserve Roastery does not care about the customers or employees safety and well being.
Even though the Starbucks Reserve Roastery looks architecturally interesting on the outside, after hearing the Starbucks employees themselves reveal the unsanitary Starbucks truths, I’ve lost all interest in drinking coffee at this roastery. Visually, this Starbucks Reserve Roastery is intriguing. The ambiance of the Reserve Roastery feels similar to the environment of a hotel lobby. Above the counter, fresh coffee beans are ground up, freshly brewed, and served. If you didn’t know the Starbucks Reserve Roastery had bed bugs crawling in the crevices and mold smothering the insides of the machines, the exterior of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery appears to be warm and inviting.
Despite the employee-led protest against the establishment, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery had a line that went on for about a block. The people who were waiting in line seemed to pay absolutely no attention to the protestors. It can only be assumed that the reason people decided to wait in line was for the aesthetic of going to a Starbucks Reserve Roastery. The customers who were waiting outside in line had no idea of the poor sanitary conditions that exist within the walls of the building. The overall working environment at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery is less than satisfactory. It is apparent that Starbucks Corporate doesn’t care about the health, safety, and morality of their employees and customers. A direct quote from the employee protester, “They found bed bugs in the break room and they refused to close the store or mitigate the issue. Besides the bed bugs, there have been many public health and safety violations…Whenever we would find mold in the ice cubes, management would tell us to take the moldy ice cube out and serve the drink to customers anyway. Employees are not giving adequate food, health, and safety sanitation training.”
As soon as I heard an employee say, “There is mold caked inside the ice machine, and someone saw a bed bug in the breakroom.” I lost all of my desire to order a coffee from there. If you are looking for a unique coffee, don’t waste your time or money at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Instead, check out great local coffee shops like News Café and Caffè Reggio.