The latest
Starbucks controversy is giving new meaning to the phrase “keep a lid on it.” Starbucks baristas and their customers have turned to TikTok to express frustration with the coffee shop’s dome cup lids.
The dome lids are typically used for Frappuccinos to make room for whipped cream and other toppings. But the issue is, putting the lids on the cups and making a proper seal can be quite challenging for baristas.
A barista on TikTok going by the username @emmalaflair demonstrated to viewers how difficult the lids can be. At one point, she even recruited the help of a fellow barista to put the lid on.
“This is our plea to Starbucks to make the tall dome lids different because they don’t work. And we’re just gonna show you how many baristas it takes to put a dome lid on a Frappuccino,” she said in the video.
You can literally hear the plastic-on-plastic struggle as the pair of baristas attempt to seal the dome lid on the cup. In addition to the time it took to secure the lid, they nearly went through three lids to get a proper fit.
The video has received over 1,000 comments, with fellow baristas chiming in with their own experiences. According to one employee, it once took five people to get a finicky lid on.
“Our grande/venti ones don’t work at the moment. Took us 5 ppl to get it,” they wrote.
“THIS IS WHY YOUR DRINKS TAKE SO LONG,” another person added.
@emmalaflair’s TikTok is far from the only video of someone calling out the dome cup lids. While customers don’t have to deal with the stress of putting the lid onto their cups, some see the dome cup lids as flat out embarrassing.
View full post on TiktokView full post on TiktokA Starbucks manager in Virginia spoke to Insider earlier this year about the issue, saying, “There have been times I’ve tried to put a lid on a Frappuccino and just had the whole cup collapse and spill the drink all over my hands and the counter, while the customer who had ordered the drink was watching.”
When asked for comment, a Starbucks spokesperson said, “We are constantly gathering feedback from our partners (employees) and customers to improve their experience, and we are currently evaluating and improving our cups and lids.”
Back in May, new Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan said the company should reduce the high number of lid-and-cup combinations, which adds up to 1,500.