Starbucks

They claim they are going back to 24 hours. We’ll see about that. Still can be rude and definitely still overpriced.

Close to Gelman library and some GWU buildings. Critical for grad students who live on coffee. Nice place to study/​research.

It is close to my school and I have a lot of chance to buy a coffee there. It seems that the manager does not offer good training on customer interaction. Something made me most uncomfortable for months is that some of the baristas habitually point their fingers at customers when asking them what they want to order.
What made me write this post is today’s experience. The barista (apparently a new hire who was struggling at the register, a tall thin black guy) read my name in a mocking manner, struggling with his voice and making a funny face. I asked him not to make fun of customer’s names and the answer was «did I pronounce it right»? «this is my way of doing»! He even attempted to intimidate me staring at me when I waited for my drink.
Personally I am also working part time as Starbucks partner. I can never imagine such kind of manner be found in my store. My manager even prohibits calling «next customer» (heard all the time in this Starbucks) but ask to use «hello sir how are you today?». This can explain why our store has higher stars.

Staff always refuse to warm up brownie, cookie or muffin, even when there are not people on the line behind you. Cappuccino was always only have half cup air. People calling your name without smile.

I loveeeeeee this Starbucks. Makes me so happy. It’s right on campus and so easy for me to get to on my way to work. I get the same thing all the time a grande in a venti cup with room so I can add my own milk and sugar free hazelnut. It always comes out perfectly and the people there know my order and they are just really friendly. Great place to study inside and out and even though it’s ok a college campus it feels like it caters to all.

Unlike previous comments, I can assure you you can take your coffee into Gelman. I just did. Nice place. It is after all, Starbucks. So don’t come expecting valet parking. Overall this place is well above the average Starbucks. Lots of seating and very nice baristas !

Walk into GW Gelman starbucks, then you realize you are mildly claustrophobic.
TON OF TRAFFIC flows through this starbucks. You have your GW students, GW hospital, local residents, and nearby suits running through this starbucks. I have literally never been to this starbucks without a line.
Other than how crowded this starbucks is, it’s pretty standard to all starbucks shops. All the drinks are prepared the same, you just have to sift through people elbow to elbow.
Bottom line: Dear stranger, you are in my bubble. I need coffee.

Normally Starbucks gets 3 – 4 soars from me but the Staff here is the reason for getting 5! My barista was named Red… she was awesome she had a great personality and we had a great discussion about music and production.
The drink was what can be expected from the Starbucks… I would go back.

Naturally I arrived a right after a fire alarm went off in a nearby building, so the line was enormous. (Although that might not have been the cause, the line might always be this long since it is right on gw’s campus). Nonetheless, the staff kept the line moving briskly, which was great. This is a very nice, big Starbucks, and the food section was neat and packed with sandwiches and bottles drinks. All in all, this isn’t the best Starbucks I’ve ever been to, but it is far from the worst.

Staff efficiency seems more suited to junior high than college. Yet this college campus branch of the Starbucks chain has a captive consumer base so they can carry on with their slovenly commerce. Yuck.

I have been coming to this Starbucks for some time now. There have been a couple people here that have given customers a 5 star experience. A great example is the head barista, Charlene, she greets all of her customers with a good morning or some sort of cheerful greeting and I see her do it everyday. Not only is she consistent, you can see that she is personable and genuine.
Now that’s great service.

First — apparently Starbucks 1&2 listed on the Unilocal GWU location are the same.
I went to GWU for graduate school in the evenings. As this Starbucks is right on campus, it is conveniently located to stop here on your way to class. Unfortunately, that’s not the case because this is the worst Starbucks I have ever been to!
I have been a Starbucks-​aholic for 12 years now and grab a drink every day of the year. I have lived all over the country and travel frequently. I’d say my review is comprehensive and fair considering the number of Starbucks’ I have been to over the years.
The staff here are rude, lazy, slow and have zero customer service. Often times I would wait 20+ mins for a drink only to find out they never got to it. Any time I would ask about my drink they would roll their eyes and act like it was a huge inconvenience to make the drink I had been waiting for while a dozen other people after me got theirs. I actually wrote a letter to Starbucks describing the terrible service. I’m surprised nothing has changed over these past few years.
A great alternative is to hop in to the GWU hospital Starbucks that’s right off the Foggy Bottom metro. It’s much more efficient and less crowded.

I only go there because it’s on campus. The customers keep coming regardless so they have no incentive to improve: slowest of services at peak hours, trash not cleaned… I wish there were more competition around.

Staff is very friendly and is hilarious at times. They got my order wrong once but were happy to fix it. There’s a decent amount of seating. If you’re not a time efficiency nazi, this is a great store.

This location is terrible. Avoid it and grab you our coffee elsewhere. The baristas (2 in particular) are so rude and inattentive. There were two instances where my drink was not made and I had to remind them. I can’t even count the number of times they have gotten my drinks wrong. And like other reviewers have mentioned, this place is filthy. I always slather my hands in sanitizer after leaving. Unfortunately as a student, the location is so convenient. But I strongly advise against going here.

I’m surprised that this place does not have any reviews considering the number of customers they have per day (is someone deleting the reviews?). It’s always crowded, the lines are long and slow, and most of the workers are not as friendly as one would hope/​expect from Starbucks.
I’ve only encountered two friendly staff members there-​a woman (I think her name was Leah) and a man who took pride in his work (and fixed my coffee once he realized I had asked for no foam – he said, «I take pride in my work and want to make the best coffee for you). I haven’t seen these folks in a while-​my fear is that they left this store because of the other employees.
There is one in particular – he’s a barista and wears a name tag that says, «Heisenberg» (oh please give me a break). I’ve witnessed him berating the other employees (Leah) when she didn’t respond to him immediately (she was busy helping a customer and she probably didn’t hear him). Additionally, he complained loudly about her to the other employees (who did nothing) and in front of customers, which was extremely unprofessional. Every time I see him, he doesn’t seem to work well with the Starbucks mission /​vision. I’m surprised he is still there. The atmosphere is not what I expect at this Starbucks so I’ve decided to take my regular business elsewhere.
If you like waiting in long lines and appreciate poor customer service, this is the place for you.

Spent A LOT of my study time at this Starbucks when I was in nursing school… This is the only coffee-​shop in the area that was open ²⁴⁄₇ during the academic year. A lot of overnight cramming. This Starbucks is ALWAYS busy especially around the time of midterms and finals for the college students. I gave this location four stars due to the lack of timeliness of the Baristas. I also deducted for cleanliness: The restrooms need more attention. Other than that, great study spot if you don’t like super quiet libraries or like to people-​watch while your reading.

Fiiiiilthy! Has the ambiance of a morgue. Just a dirty, nasty place.
They even managed to make the coffee taste terrible somehow!
The bathroom gives off that vibe that makes you feel like you’re at risk of being stabbed.
My advice: don’t go unless it’s a last resort!

The lines are always insanely long here especially with all the students and it’s the only Starbucks in a five block radius. Also none of the comfy seats or cool corners I like. That’s really what gets it the few stars.
Pluses are that the frappucinos are a little bit better here.

Make sure to leave plenty of time here. It usually takes about 15 – 30 minutes from the time you get in line until you get your beverage. They just don’t have very motivated employees (most of the time they are distracted, walking around not doing very much) and usually one person on the dual espresso stations. Given the volume of traffic in this place, the drink orders just tend to back up. They also tend to forget baked foods — either putting them in or taking them out of the oven. The quality of the products is like every other Starbucks on earth… the difference is how desperate are you for your coffee today? If you are desperate then go here. If you can stand to walk a couple blocks, the Starbucks on K St and 22^nd St is much faster and much more friendly.