Starbucks Can Kiss My ....

[Poppi]

So I went into a Starbucks today at a quiet time and asked the manager if it would be possible to see the ingredients list for the frappuccinos. It was a crazy hot day and I was jonesing for a Frappe.

He flat out refused to show or tell me anything. He said other than fat/calories he wouldn't give me any nutritional information.

Is this company policy now? I usually get the Passion Lemonade Iced Tea but I was angry so I just left.

Thanks for nothing Starbucks.

[rosetapper23]

Some folks more knowledgeable than I am wrote on another thread several months ago that Starbucks has added gluten back into some of their drinks. Since then, I've ordered only coffee or Frappucinos that are coffee-based--no special flavorings. Because I can't remember which specialty drinks have gluten, I feel that these are my only options. Every time I buy my coffee there (which isn't very often these days), I always gripe about how they don't sell gluten-free snacks anymore. Grrrrr.....

[plumbago]

That bites.

I was going to say look up their web site, but it's useless as far as listing ingredients goes.

Open Original Shared Link

I used to gulp those things down. Now I don't get any blended ice drinks in any coffee stores. It's the syrup label we need to see, write down the ingredients and hit the internet at home to investigate. That's terrible that the employee didn't let you see the label.

[gfkikamonster]

So I went into a Starbucks today at a quiet time and asked the manager if it would be possible to see the ingredients list for the frappuccinos. It was a crazy hot day and I was jonesing for a Frappe.

He flat out refused to show or tell me anything. He said other than fat/calories he wouldn't give me any nutritional information.

That's crazy.. I've totally had them pass containers with ingredient labels over the counter for me to look at. It may be that you needed to be more specific (since Frappuccinos have a base and then lots of things they add in, rather than one big mix like they used to). But if he wanted to be more specific he should have told you that.

IF you want to go back to Starbucks, just be aware that the Frappuccino light base contains gluten now. And they don't put it into separate blenders from the regular Frappuccino base. So basically, all Frappuccinos have a chance of being CC'd unless you're really lucky (e.g. they cleaned really well and no one gets a Frappuccino light).

I switched to getting iced drinks (non-blended) because they just dump all the ingredients in the cup--much less chance of CC, and it turns out I like 'em better that way!

I would contact Starbucks about this, and if there's another Starbucks around, check there. That manager might have been having a bad day or just be not a good manager. You could ask to see the ingredients of the Frappuccino bases instead of the Frappuccinos as a whole--the rest is milk, coffee, and syrups, which as far as I know are all gluten-free!

Kika

[GlutenFreeManna]

Even if the drink you wanted to get was gluten-free, if they use gluten in ANY of their blender drinks you could have a cc problem. I used to work at a coffee house. We didn't clean our blenders in between drinks. We simply rinsed them quickly in the sink. I know Starbucks is the same from havign friends that worked there. The blenders are only taken apart and throughly cleaned at a shift change or at the end of the day (and they won't be cleaned at the shift change at all if it is crazy busy).

Also take a look at what they are selling in the bakery case. While they have to use gloves or tongs when putting it out and also when getting things out if a piece breaks or is sampled out it's very likely that the workers will keep some under the counter or in the back room and nibble on it throughout their shift. Unless everything in the case is plastic wrapped the workers have probably touched lots of gluteny crumbs and then touched cups and other things. Sure they are supposed to wash their hands but that's really only if they eat, go to the bathroom or touch their hair or something and it's not really enforced. Actually the place I worked had food in the bakery case but wasn't subject to the same sanitation inspection as restaurants so it was very lax. Scary huh?

In addition, we were NEVER told anything about allergies or preventing cc and I don't think it ever crossed anyone's minds that someone could be allergic to something were were making. At the espresso machine this would be a big issue for those with milk or soy allergies. The same wand (the thing that make the milk frothy) would be used for the soy milk and for the regular milk. We tried to keep them separate (using one at one end for milk and the other one for soy milk) if we had a crowd but that was only for our convienience not for avoiding cc. We were supposed to blow them out when switching from one type of milk to the other but that takes time and was not always done. We were rated on our speed--how fast we could make the drink was more important than wheather we carefully cleaned the wand before proceeding. Wands would be cleaned when it was slow, when a shift changed and at the end of the day.

[domesticactivist]

Maybe this has changed, but I used to work in a Starbucks and received no training re: gluten free. We washed those blenders constantly, but only by hand through most of the day and at lightning speed - more of a rinse. I wouldn't trust it at all unless all the syrups and other ingredients were gluten-free. I'm pretty sure they are not. As for refusing to show you the info, that's weird customer service. I'd report him to his manager. Maybe he didn't know where to find the info and didn't want to tell you that.

[domesticactivist]

Oh, just saw the post abou. The wands. I almost added that, too. Exactly.

[Skylark]

Is it even legal to refuse to give out allergy information? Starbuck's gets on my nerves. I usually go to Peet's.

[RacerX35]

I never thought about it, but I think they are supposed to have an ingredient list. At all the fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Jack in the Box etc.) they have a big board up on the wall. I think this is also for health people looking into their caloric intake. It's funny, but I am like a local at one or two of the Starbucks here in Temecula and also one of the Jamba Juice places. The people know me and know what I can have. I went to Jamba Juice and they had a book of all their drinks listing ingredients for each one (plus the calories). I found that I cannot have the brown sugar crumble for the oatmeal since it has flour in the crumble. They now know this and do not include it in my oatmeal order. I ordered a rice crispy treat from Starbucks one time and they girl saw that it had been resting against a banana bread and replaced it with one that was "clean". If you find the right people, they are very concious and helpful in these regards.

Later,

Ray

[Poppi]

I never thought about it, but I think they are supposed to have an ingredient list. At all the fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Jack in the Box etc.) they have a big board up on the wall. I think this is also for health people looking into their caloric intake. It's funny, but I am like a local at one or two of the Starbucks here in Temecula and also one of the Jamba Juice places. The people know me and know what I can have. I went to Jamba Juice and they had a book of all their drinks listing ingredients for each one (plus the calories). I found that I cannot have the brown sugar crumble for the oatmeal since it has flour in the crumble. They now know this and do not include it in my oatmeal order. I ordered a rice crispy treat from Starbucks one time and they girl saw that it had been resting against a banana bread and replaced it with one that was "clean". If you find the right people, they are very concious and helpful in these regards.

Later,

Ray

Um. The rice krispie treats and oatmeal aren't safe. Rice Krispies have barley malt in them and unless the oats they are using at Jamba Juice are certified gluten free (highly unlikely) the oatmeal is not safe either.

[GlutenFreeManna]

I never thought about it, but I think they are supposed to have an ingredient list. At all the fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Jack in the Box etc.) they have a big board up on the wall. I think this is also for health people looking into their caloric intake. It's funny, but I am like a local at one or two of the Starbucks here in Temecula and also one of the Jamba Juice places. The people know me and know what I can have. I went to Jamba Juice and they had a book of all their drinks listing ingredients for each one (plus the calories). I found that I cannot have the brown sugar crumble for the oatmeal since it has flour in the crumble. They now know this and do not include it in my oatmeal order. I ordered a rice crispy treat from Starbucks one time and they girl saw that it had been resting against a banana bread and replaced it with one that was "clean". If you find the right people, they are very concious and helpful in these regards.

Later,

Ray

Hi Ray,

I just wanted to mention that you should not be eating oatmeal unless it is certified gluten-free oatmeal. Regular oats are processed with wheat and heavily contamianted. Also I very much doubt the rice cripsy treats are the gluten-free variety. They only recently (last month) came out with gluten-free Rice Krispies. The regular ones have always had malt in them which is derived from barley.

[love2travel]

As an aside, am I the only one here who has never even been to a Starbucks?

[RacerX35]

Well as stupid as it sounds, so far so good and Like I've said on other posts, I know when it is something I should not be eating since I will have multiple siezures if I am contaminated with gluten (I think I mentioned that I stole one pepperoni off my son and daughter's cold pizza after they went to sleep and paid the price the following day with multiple seizures during a meeting and had to limit my driving to just myself and only short distances).I rarely even get the oatmeal, but have not had a problem with it, even the oatmeal at home. Maybe the consentration is low enough for me as I am (hopefully only) gluten sensitive. Every thing else is cut from the diet. The only rice crispies I eat are the ones from a cereal brand that I can not remember right now, but eat them with my kids (Koala Krispies)and the treat maybe every other month. The only other things that I eat are the things that say gluten free, which is around a lot now a days. I go to my local supermarket (Vons) and they have a little section of a freezer next to the bakery that has a blue square sticker on the glass advertising (Gluten Free). The products are from "French Meadow Bakery". Anytime I read that something has Wheat, Barley, Rye or Malt,,, I will stay away from it. Even at home, either my wife or I make the kids sandwiches for lunch. We always have a separate cutting board for me and I always put the knife I used for their sandwiches in the sink and use another for myself. It is nothing that we take lightly. My wife has made egg-foo-young a couple of times. We bought the gluten free soy sauce from the SanJay brand to use for it and the rice. Back to Starbucks, I only order things I know do not have gluten in them, sometimes I get a passion iced tea lemonade with no classic sweetener. I also have an app for my android phone that has a laser scan for all poducts with the bar code. If it is food, it will bring up any possible allergens. I was playing with this all night at home when I first got it.

Thaks for the input, it really is appreciated ,

Ray

[GlutenFreeManna]

Well as stupid as it sounds, so far so good and Like I've said on other posts, I know when it is something I should not be eating since I will have multiple siezures if I am contaminated with gluten (I think I mentioned that I stole one pepperoni off my son and daughter's cold pizza after they went to sleep and paid the price the following day with multiple seizures during a meeting and had to limit my driving to just myself and only short distances).I rarely even get the oatmeal, but have not had a problem with it, even the oatmeal at home. Maybe the consentration is low enough for me as I am (hopefully only) gluten sensitive. Every thing else is cut from the diet. The only rice crispies I eat are the ones from a cereal brand that I can not remember right now, but eat them with my kids (Koala Krispies)and the treat maybe every other month. The only other things that I eat are the things that say gluten free, which is around a lot now a days. I go to my local supermarket (Vons) and they have a little section of a freezer next to the bakery that has a blue square sticker on the glass advertising (Gluten Free). The products are from "French Meadow Bakery". Anytime I read that something has Wheat, Barley, Rye or Malt,,, I will stay away from it. Even at home, either my wife or I make the kids sandwiches for lunch. We always have a separate cutting board for me and I always put the knife I used for their sandwiches in the sink and use another for myself. It is nothing that we take lightly. My wife has made egg-foo-young a couple of times. We bought the gluten free soy sauce from the SanJay brand to use for it and the rice. Back to Starbucks, I only order things I know do not have gluten in them, sometimes I get a passion iced tea lemonade with no classic sweetener. I also have an app for my android phone that has a laser scan for all poducts with the bar code. If it is food, it will bring up any possible allergens. I was playing with this all night at home when I first got it.

Thaks for the input, it really is appreciated ,

Ray

Seizures are one of the symptoms I suffered from as well. As far as the oatmeal goes--you may "get away with it" now and then as in your body has no symptoms but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to keep eating it. It's like playing Russian roulette with your health--you just never know when you will get a heavily contaminated batch. Also for some people there is a culmulative effect of when they have had lots of little amounts of cc it adds up and all of a sudden their symptoms start full force and they cannot track down the source becaus ethey were fine the first X number of times they ate the cc food. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't taking the gluten-free diet seriously. I just wanted to let you know in case you were unaware that oatmeal and rice Krispie treats at restaurants are not usually safe unless specially gluten-free.

[CarolinaKip]

As an aside, am I the only one here who has never even been to a Starbucks?

I haven't been to one!

[love2travel]

I haven't been to one!

Cool! We should start up a "I-haven't-ever-been-to-Starbucks Club"!

[RL2011]

My thoughts about getting poor service:

Speak with the owner, the manager or the corporate office anytime you go to a store, restaurant, or coffee shop after getting bad service or being frustrated by improper or lack of labeling or unknown ingredients. To affect positive changes going forward we all have to voice what happens for a number of reasons beyond the obvious of getting a refund. Proper use of complaints will in the long run (hopefully) improve our lives as we interact with non-celiacs.

If all of us just boycott every place we get poor service from without being the voice for improvement by properly complaining to the right individual(s) we will end up having no places left to go to. So, state your mind and complain to the right person to affect positive change. Try to always lodge your complaint first with the onsite manager in a logical manner then afterwards to the owner of privately owned shops and the corporate office for chains.

In the event you are told by the owner or coporate office after you complain to stay out of their shop or don't buy their product then let us know who they are. Complaints should not be limited to just bad service but also to improper or lack of labeling or unknown ingredients.

Your voice is needed...

Enough ranting from a grumpy guy.

[RacerX35]

Seizures are one of the symptoms I suffered from as well. As far as the oatmeal goes--you may "get away with it" now and then as in your body has no symptoms but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to keep eating it. It's like playing Russian roulette with your health--you just never know when you will get a heavily contaminated batch. Also for some people there is a culmulative effect of when they have had lots of little amounts of cc it adds up and all of a sudden their symptoms start full force and they cannot track down the source becaus ethey were fine the first X number of times they ate the cc food. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't taking the gluten-free diet seriously. I just wanted to let you know in case you were unaware that oatmeal and rice Krispie treats at restaurants are not usually safe unless specially gluten-free.

I agree with you on that. As I said, I only have these things once in a while. The oatmeal is for the kids mostly. Usually I eat after I have taken the kids to school and get a Jamba Juice (of wich I read the ingredients of in the available book) or some eggs and bacon. I stay away from sausage. Carolinakip & love2travel, you have to go to Starbucks if you are a coffee drinker. They know me by name at a couple of the local stores in my town . I even went to Starbucks when my family (Wife, kids, mother and niece) traveled to France and England. The Cafe Creme was much better than Starbucks over there though.

Later,

Ray

[love2travel]

I agree with you on that. As I said, I only have these things once in a while. The oatmeal is for the kids mostly. Usually I eat after I have taken the kids to school and get a Jamba Juice (of wich I read the ingredients of in the available book) or some eggs and bacon. I stay away from sausage. Carolinakip & love2travel, you have to go to Starbucks if you are a coffee drinker. They know me by name at a couple of the local stores in my town . I even went to Starbucks when my family (Wife, kids, mother and niece) traveled to France and England. The Cafe Creme was much better than Starbucks over there though.

Later,

Ray

Not a coffee drinker (although I love the aroma of brewing coffee!) so that is the main reason I have not been to a Starbucks.

[CarolinaKip]

I agree with you on that. As I said, I only have these things once in a while. The oatmeal is for the kids mostly. Usually I eat after I have taken the kids to school and get a Jamba Juice (of wich I read the ingredients of in the available book) or some eggs and bacon. I stay away from sausage. Carolinakip & love2travel, you have to go to Starbucks if you are a coffee drinker. They know me by name at a couple of the local stores in my town . I even went to Starbucks when my family (Wife, kids, mother and niece) traveled to France and England. The Cafe Creme was much better than Starbucks over there though.

Later,

Ray

I love coffe Ray, but even after a year, too afraid to go try them. Starbucks was a 30 minute drive for me until about a year ago, then I got one in my town. I was DX by then and learning how to be gluten-free.

[smsm]

I am a Starbucks addict and drink Starbucks all over the country (I travel a great deal). They have gluten free granola bars and sometimes other snacks. I don't do the blended drinks - always get lattes - but I have never had a problem.

[chasbari]

As an aside, am I the only one here who has never even been to a Starbucks?

You are not alone... Never been there either.

[love2travel]

You are not alone... Never been there either.

YAY! Another one of "us". Anyone else out there who has not been to McDonalds in at least a decade?

[T.H.]

I haven't been to one!

Me either! Well, not to drink coffee. I have accompanied my husband on a few occasions, though, since he seems to have some kind of Starbucks spidey sense and can find one within minutes, any city in the USA, I swear.

[lynnelise]

I would send an email to Starbuck's customer service and make them aware of the issue. My local Starbucks never has a problem showing me labels and such. So far I've never gotten sick at Starbucks and I go at least once a week with a friend. I don't do fraps though. They made me terribly sick before I went gluten free so I won't chance it now! Cold coffee in general doesn't agree with me (I have a slight coffee allergy) so I usually get a soy misto.