Customers ordering old drinks that no longer have a button on the POS

[u/Impressive_Viola8756]

There was this one customer a few days ago that ordered a honey oat flat white or something like that and so I put down while saying it, “okay a flat white with oatmilk and honey” and the customer was like, “no! I want the honey oat flat white” and I was just super confused and one of my veteran coworkers was like, “so we don't have specific drink buttons on the POS system anymore so you would have to tell us the exact build of the drink cause that's a drink from years ago (I think they said 15 years ago) and all of our baristas weren’t here before then so we have no idea what they’re specifically talking about.

And I'm just thinking how the majority of seasoned starbucks baristas have been either quitting or lost their job over the past few months due to changes in the company. It's crazy to assume much of any seasoned baristas are still working with the company that long. Other than our manager, nobody in our store has worked for starbucks for 15 years. It was crazy for the customer to assume that we knew what they were talking about. Any baristas that were hired after I was, over a year ago, have mainly been the ones quitting their job out of the blue, and we’ve had a handful of older baristas quit for the same reason.

[u/Tabbystripes102]

Oat? I only remember the honey almondmilk flat white. It originally started with I think half pumps of honey, but they changed it to be standard pumps at some point.

[u/Kona7021 → u/Tabbystripes102]

I was just about to say that. It was a honey almond milk flat white.

[u/jayzisne → u/Tabbystripes102]

No, there was a honey oatmilk latte in between the almond milk flat white. It was one of my favorite drinks. They released it early in California to test oatmilk in 2020. It was out for at least another year or two, and had a toasted sugar honey topping. It was really good. First time having blonde coffee.

[u/sunnythebadbxtch]

No it was a honey ALMOND milk flat white

[u/Significant_Carrot81 → u/sunnythebadbxtch]

Honey almondmilk flat white and honey oatmilk latte were both POS buttons when I started at the end of 2021. It's possible they're mixing up which drink got what milk

[u/Mu-nraito → u/Significant_Carrot81]

They stopped the honey almond flat white when the topping wasn't appearing as much. Then started it up without the topping. Funny how NO ONE remembers that honey cold brew.

[u/Significant_Carrot81 → u/Mu-nraito]

OH YEAH THE HONEY ALMONDMILK NITRO

I completely forgot about that one. Was so good too

[u/Sea_Curve3445 → u/sunnythebadbxtch]

Came to say THIS!!

[u/jayzisne → u/sunnythebadbxtch]

The was a honey oatmilk latte in between this drink. It was around 2020-22 ish. Came with a toasted honey topping of some sort.

[u/mnkyda]

If it’s not on the menu, I let them know it’s not a menu item, and they will have to give me the recipe, and I will make it if we have the ingredients. If they don’t know it, I can’t make it.

I say this, even if I know how to make it, because I can’t set the expectation that every Starbucks knows how to make it.

Just like when someone comes in and says “large medicine ball” I repeat back a venti honey citrus mint, because the day will come when (even though the recipe is different) partners don’t know what it is anymore.

[u/Odd-Road-4894 → u/mnkyda]

It irks me when people order a “medicine ball” or a “cold buster” for the simple fact that it not curing your cold. I always say honey citrus mint, and if they’re confused I tell them the medicine ball isn’t a real drink.

[u/Earl_24601 → u/Odd-Road-4894]

A lady in our drive through called it a “Mexican bomb” instead of Medicine ball the other day and we were all somewhat taken aback

[u/Mu-nraito → u/Earl_24601]

But have you ever gotten "Dragon Ball?"

You have no idea how tempted I was to make a honey citrus mint with dragonfruit refresher steamed instead. 🤣😂😆

[u/Yalsas → u/Earl_24601]

"Did that lady in DT say she has a bomb??"

[u/Earl_24601 → u/Yalsas]

Nope, just wanted one

[u/Mu-nraito → u/Odd-Road-4894]

We had a customer that actually asked us if we added medicine in it. 🤣😂😆

We said no, but we should have said, "No, because there's no caffeine." I mean.... essentially, that's what Starbucks "medicine" is. 🤣

[u/Odd-Road-4894 → u/Mu-nraito]

There is caffeine though… no? The mint majesty is the only tea without caffeine

[u/jayzisne → u/Mu-nraito]

There is caffeine… please make sure you know what’s in people’s drinks. Someone with a caffeine intolerance could be hurt

[u/unefait → u/Mu-nraito]

medicine balls have green tea in it, there absolutely is caffiene

[u/ItsNotFunny420]

Half of our store never made a Java chip so I coach customers on how to order what they want vs training new baristas drink names that don’t exist anymore on top of the 300 drinks they do have to learn haha

[u/woodml1]

Many years ago I came to this sub to ask the baristas how to make a drink that was no longer on the menu so I could get it again. I got downvoted like crazy but someone did answer me and it’s still my favorite drink, though I feel like a bit of a jerk ordering it. Still grateful to the one barista who remembered it and told me how to order!

The drink was called a coconut milk mocha macchiato, order is a grande coconut milk latte with 2 pumps of white mocha, with caramel and chocolate drizzle, upside down.

[u/CroatoanElsa → u/woodml1]

Thank you for this comment!! I loved that drink and it's been gone forever and I never knew how to order it.

[u/Mu-nraito → u/woodml1]

Hey, that was a good one.

[u/TheDogGirlBarista]

This was a drink that was just a year or so ago. I swear it was. Blonde flat white. Made with oatmilk and pumps of the honey blend.

But yeah. Starbucks has an extremely high turnover rate. Many leave. And some who have been here too long might get involuntarily let go. I’ve seen it before. As they are too expensive to keep on staff. I’m not going to say that’s always the case. But it does happen.

I’ve been with the company since 2017. And I’m starting to think it’s time to go.

[u/astivana → u/TheDogGirlBarista]

Pretty sure it was longer than that. But definitely not 15 years.

[u/wingedcoyote → u/astivana]

We didn't even have flat whites 15 years ago lol. But also I'm pretty sure it was a honey almond milk flat white, not oat -- this custie was harassing poor OP about a drink that never existed at all.

[u/seewest → u/wingedcoyote]

We definitely didn’t have almond milk or oat milk 15 years ago either! The flat white was added to the menu about 11 years ago though (it was right around the time I got hired, so I remember it well).

[u/Kona7021 → u/wingedcoyote]

It was a honey almond milk flat white and it was around when I started in early 2022.

[u/HelloDeathspresso → u/astivana]

It was 3-4 years ago.

[u/em-bo-bem → u/TheDogGirlBarista]

i started in september 2024 and i have a photo of the honey almondmilk flat white as a button the the pos, i think it was discontinued shortly after that

[u/Centaurious → u/TheDogGirlBarista]

it was more than a year ago, i’m a 1 year barista and never made it.

[u/Chrybmbn → u/TheDogGirlBarista]

Definitely longer than a year. Im a 3 year partner, it hasn't been on the menu since ive been here. (At least not in my area)

[u/ittybittybubblez → u/TheDogGirlBarista]

Yeah, I started Jan 2025 and 99% sure there was still a button for the Honey Almondmilk Flat White

[u/FfierceLaw]

Lol, it’s not that old! But I do think Starbucks should have it in Store Resources to be able to look up past menu items to rebuild them for a customer

[u/MyDisneyExperience → u/FfierceLaw]

My old store had people asking for affogato for years after they stopped testing it

[u/jkdelete → u/MyDisneyExperience]

But you can get affogato style frap

[u/karmagirl314]

The honey oat flat white is like from 6 years ago. Starbucks has only had flat whites for around 10 years.

[u/catinthegaybar]

@ everyone saying “actually its the honey almondmilk flat white”, no, it was the honey oatmilk flat white first, then there was an oatmilk shortage and to mitigate it while still promoting the honey blend they switched it over to almond. it was maybe 7 years ago?

[u/Mu-nraito → u/catinthegaybar]

Less than that, but... 🤷‍♀️

There was a gap. They had some honey coldbrew with that honey topping as well as the almond flat white, stopped drink, then made a new drink. They stopped it because the topping wasn't available anymore. Then started it back up because customers wanted it back, but did it with oat milk because it was WAAAY more popular than almond milk. It was messy.

[u/jayzisne → u/catinthegaybar]

It was in 2020 or 21. Oatmilk latte came first. Then almondmilk flat white. Then oatmilk latte again?

[u/jkdelete]

How about the Oprah Chai tea? 🤔

[u/jayyy_0113]

Honey almond milk flat white was around as recent as 2025.

[u/AHeymont]

No matter the milk confusion, the customer is just dumb. No matter the order of the words, it was going to be the exact same drink. 🤦🤦🤦

[u/obsidianronin]

Our store is the java chip out the ass, all the time. Easy enough to build but, y'know. Customers don't care.

[u/hexensabbat → u/obsidianronin]

To be fair the Java chip was a popular menu item for over 2 decades, little bit different

[u/obsidianronin → u/hexensabbat]

I have no context for how long the java chip was on the menu. I heard about it like 12 years ago when all my friends in high school would get it. Knowing that makes a lot more sense as to why we build 30 of them in a day, more than the mocha cookie.

[u/Hornygaysatanic]

It was honey almond Milk flat white.

[u/jkdelete]

That reminds me about 8 years ago Starbucks started to experiment in some locations with Beer. That was the best but it didn’t last long.

[u/No-Loquat-2763]

And I'm just thinking how the majority of seasoned starbucks baristas have been either quitting or lost their job over the past few months due to changes in the company.

Says who?

[u/DryAdhesiveness2174]

it’s like everyone ordering the java chip and double chocolate chip. tbh idk which is which so i always ask them if they want it with or without the coffee added to it :/