University of Houston Student Center 4790 Calhoun Rd
2 reviews of Starbucks
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Bill G.
Place rating: 1 Houston, TX
As a regular Starbucks’ customer, especially this on campus location, and loyalty club member, corporate sends me a gift certificate a free drink on my birthday. So, today being that day, I am ready for my reward. I wait in line and when it’s my turn, I order my drink and let the girl know that I’ll be using the birthday reward on my card and am promptly told that Aramark, the franchisee owner of this location doesn’t honor any corporate promotions. Really? Well, how’s that for a FU on your birthday! It’s bad enough that Aramark gouges you at all of the sporting events, but I was unaware that nearly all of the on campus vendors were also owned by this relentless food service machine. I will no longer be a customer at this location and at none of their other franchises located on campus or anywhere else after reading a little more about the company and its practices. The exact same tack was employed earlier in the day at the Einstein Bros. on campus that they also own. The following is a bit of info gleaned from Wikipedia. We all know that some Wiki sources can be dubious, but the references for the information seem to justify the position. Aramark has also been the subject of a number of scandals regarding labor practices and business ethics. These include firing workers for reporting unsanitary food conditions, paying fringe wages, not paying for all hours worked, not paying backpay, and firing or eliminating the positions of those who file Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC) claims.[26][27][28][29][30] Likewise, Aramark has been criticized for skimping portion sizes, food safety issues, and overcharging state governments(Michigan, Kentucky, and Florida) that have used their food in prisons; a Kentucky prison riot is reputed to have been caused by the low quality of food Aramark provided to inmates.[31][32] In 2013, an investigation by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges discovered that the food provided to inmates at Burlington County Jail in New Jersey was substandard and spoiled, and often made prisoners sick with diarrhea and vomiting.[33] Maggots found in the food preparation areas at Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan may have been the source of an outbreak of food-borne illness.[34][35] Maggots were also found in Aramark food products at Michigan’s Charles Egeler Reception & Guidance Center[36] and two Ohio prisons, the Ohio Reformatory for Women and Trumbull Correctional Institute.[37] Ohio and Michigan fined Aramark $ 270,000 and $ 200,000 respectively.[38] Aramark has been criticized for the«filthy conditions» in Chicago Public Schools following the privatization of janitorial services and Aramark receiving a $ 260 million contract for their management. Responding to these reports, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said«Aramark’s job is to clean the schools, so our principals and teachers can focus on their fundamental responsibility: education. They will either live up to that contract and clean up the schools or they can clean out their desks and get out.“[39] Decide for yourself.
Brian D.
Place rating: 2 Houston, TX
It’s on the 2nd floor of Melcher Hall. While the study lounge that it’s a part of is pretty nice(it can get packed with students at peak times though), this location suffers from being cramped in such a tiny space trying to serve the thousands of over-caffeinated students attending the business college. They always seem to be a bit shorthanded as well, and drinks come out much too slow.