Starbucks is well-known for its creative coffee concoctions. With over 170,000 ways to customize one’s drink, people do get creative with their orders. We get it. But some customers simply come up with their own elaborate (albeit odd) drink requests.
Baristas have taken to Reddit to share their grievances and have mentioned the strangest (or most annoying) orders they’ve ever had to make.
Read on for a collection of the most outrageous Starbucks orders baristas have faced over the years.
One memorable order was an “iced venti caramel macchiato with 15 pumps of vanilla syrup, heavy whipping cream, barely any ice, a single shot, whipped cream, and extra caramel drizzle,” according to Reddit user kayteeee.
GreenTourmaline13 wrote: “Today’s was spicy curdled grass: iced matcha lemonade w peppermint…..and almond milk.”
Another customer took the White Chocolate Mocha to an extreme. Redditor ComputerPaint described it as “a hot venti White Mocha with 10 packets of Sugar in the Raw and 10 pumps of white mocha… So thick.”
Sweetener Overload for Green Tea
BionicBeans described two frequent customers who ordered “two trenta green teas with 43 and 47 Splendas, respectively.”
Redditor kayala81 mentioned a regular customer with a peculiar daily order: “a venti 9-shot, 1-pump mocha, nonfat, no whip, with exactly four shakes of cinnamon stirred in… every single day.”
An anonymous Reddit user shared a bizarre request: “a venti vanilla latte with nonfat milk, whipped cream, and 7 Splendas—6 mixed in and 1 sprinkled on top of the whipped cream ‘to make it crunchy.'”
Another barista, JMan719, had to make a “half caramel macchiato, half hazelnut latte.” Despite suggestions, the customer insisted on the exact combination of the two drinks.
A particularly detailed order included “an iced, Ristretto, 10-shot, venti with breve, 5 pumps of vanilla, 7 pumps of caramel, 4 Splendas, poured, not shaken,” as reported by hbizzy.
Redditor stephmook recounted a customer who wanted an “iced chai with 25 pumps of syrup… essentially syrup over ice.” The customer was upset when charged extra for the additional chai.
Some orders are simple yet strange. Bwat4ou shared, “a venti black coffee with 2 chai tea bags. Simple. Gross.”
Redditor pangirl99 described a drink order that included “a venti 7-pump vanilla soy, 12-scoop matcha, 180-degree NO FOAM green tea latte.” The customer made the barista remake it multiple times due to foam issues.
The Most Ridiculous Starbucks Order Ever?
There are countless ways to be the most annoying customer at Starbucks. After waiting in line behind multiple people and having ample time to decide, how do you still not know your order? And please, don’t fuss about your name’s spelling, Katy-with-a-y, especially when you’re the only one who ordered a tall Reserve.
Above all, don’t present a list of special requests that takes longer than two sentences to explain. For those responsible for a 20-plus step monstrosity, CEO Howard Schultz should personally visit to express his disapproval.
A Reddit user named Nuiofrd posted a picture of an outrageous order—continuing down two full stickers—sent by a friend working at Starbucks. The order started as a Grande Vanilla Bean Creme Frappuccino (in a Venti cup) and spiraled into a mess of dairy and non-dairy milks, extra caramel drizzle, coconut flakes, Greek yogurt, bananas, strawberries, protein powder, and a specific serving temperature of 34 degrees.
No. Just no.
Several Reddit commenters debated its authenticity, but anyone who’s been to or worked at Starbucks knows such a customer likely exists.
“I think for some people being high maintenance is a badge of honor,” wrote a former barista named Mrs Anthropy. “They want to show just how specific they can be because they know themselves (and this industry?) so well. It’s a luxury to spend that much time deciding how fancy you want this coffee drink to be.”
It’s a good thing Starbucks is known for its great customer service. Otherwise, these baristas wouldn’t take such ridiculous drink requests so kindly.