Starbucks

I need to preface this by saying the employees at this location are WONDERFUL and doing their best. Every single person in this store was friendly and professional, despite being absolutely SLAMMED with customers. The drive through was completely packed, there was a line going out the door, and there were at least 5 people waiting to pick up orders made through the app. During the 10 minutes I waited for my order - perfectly reasonable considering what I just described - I witnessed these employees get berated by no fewer than three customers. I was ashamed at how entitled these people were acting. What else do they expect? If you take a quick look around, anyone can see that there's no way in this chaos you are going to get your order quickly. Do better please, Hot Springs. Unfortunately, this Starbucks is just too small for how much traffic it gets. Do not come here any day of the week expecting a nice quiet drink, and definitely do not expect quick service. This is NOT the fault of the employees. Until the store expands or another one opens nearby, there is just nothing to be done about it. I recommend avoiding this location if at all possible, if not for your own sanity, then maybe to save these poor employees from the insane amount of traffic this place gets.

While on vacation from Texas, our daughter and I were craving a dragon drink with dragonlike ferocity. She found the nearest one on her phone, and were so glad we stopped. The barista in the drive thru was probably the nicest I've ever encountered. She chatted with us more than the usual "here's your drink!" She even noticed one of our drinks wasn't made correctly and had them remake it. As a gold card member who's visited her share of Starbucks in my 15 years of membership, this was a great overall experience.

Even though the younger baristas can be quite loud in many Starbucks, I actually enjoyed visiting this Hot Springs location. It's right off Central Ave, in a strip mall with adequate parking & a busy drive- thru. For its smaller interior, the floor- plan was well thought out. The baristas were very loud & obnoxious upon arrival, but as the orders started coming in, they settled down and got to work. Thankfully, I keep ear plugs with me wherever I go these days. Sadly, It's become a necessity & I wear them often.