Starbucks Closes Its Doors for 3 Hours

This morning began like thousands of other chaotic mornings I've had before. Wake up at the inhuman hour of 5 a.m., feed my infant son, get ready for work, and fight the traffic to drop him off at daycare before heading to work. On weekday mornings, without fail, I stop at Starbucks to grab some liquid energy between the daycare dropoff and the drive to work. I'm a middle school teacher, and those kids can smell fatigue like a shark smells blood in the water. If I'm not at the top of my game, in other words...caffeinated...I'm in big trouble.

So this morning, like thousands before it, I made my Starbucks run. I should have been tipped off that something was wrong when I parked the car. The usual bevy of sluggish exhausted people wafting in and out of Starbucks was missing, and the parking lot was almost empty. The shades were drawn on the windows and the door, and a large sign was posted, politely explaining that Starbucks was closed for a three-hour employee espresso training session.

I thought perhaps I was the only one on Earth who was not aware of this until I noticed that there were several other people, also trapped in a sluggish state of confusion, staring forlornly at the door. One woman, perhaps under the impression that this was all a sick, cruel joke, even tugged at the locked door, looking as if she were about to cry. I was fully expecting her to fall to the ground, banging her fists on the pavement and screaming, "Why God?! Whyyyyy???" However, one is unable to do this before they have their morning coffee. See the conundrum?

So what caused this temporary shutdown of a business that millions consider not to be a luxury, but a necessity? Simple. The need for impeccable customer service quite simply outweighed the bottom line for the three hours it would take to insure its return. Every Starbucks location temporarily closed its doors between the hours of 5:30am and 9am, local time, to rejuvenate their barista's training and customer service perspective.

Apparently, Howard Schultz, President, CEO, and Chairman of Starbucks felt that there was room for improvement on their previous mission for the company. Upon his return to this leadership position after an almost two month hiatus, Schultz sensed a need for refocusing the company's energies on the customers. Schultz was quoted in a company memo referring to his locations as, "stores that no longer have the soul of the past and reflect a chain of stores vs. the warm feeling of a neighborhood store." This morning's training was designed to re-instill some of that essence Schultz felt was lacking. Many customers most likely felt that paying, what some consider to be, a fairly excessive price for a high quality cup of java warranted at least a pleasant attitude from the folks behind the counter. This zealous need for improvement extends throughout the company, everywhere from customer service to marketing and partnerships. Starbucks is undergoing some serious streamlining, all in the name of improved customer service and functionality.

Now my personal experience at Starbucks has always been fantastic. Some mornings, my favorite barista, Mike, will have my drink already made when I reach the front door. Several of the employees know my car, and my special concoction is no easy task to master. You have to be a truly dedicated individual to handle the daunting task of creating an iced-quad-venti-nonfat-light-ice-stirred-caramel machiato without even flinching. They do all but holler my name when I walk in the door, ala Norm on Cheers. I never even had to throw a hissy fit to get this to happen, it's just something they do to keep their regular customers happy, and they take pride in this attitude. I love the fact that the energetic, upbeat, wonderful employees pay such close attention to their regular clientele. Who knew that something as simple as getting my coffee right could make someone feel so special?

Personally, as a habitual customer, I find this restructuring a comforting measure. Although I've always received stellar service, it's nice to know that the company takes this aspect of so many people's morning ritual seriously. Starbucks is encouraging their employees to not make this type of service optional, but necessary for maintaining its loyal customer base and encouraging a new generation of clientele to try its product.

While this morning, millions were forced to find their "fix" elsewhere, it was a small price to pay for the dedication and quality we come to expect from Starbucks. Take comfort fellow caffeine junkies, tomorrow morning our universe will be back in order and better than ever, thanks to Starbucks.