On the evening of August 5th, Sexy Tea (Chayan Yuese) hit the top of the trending searches due to its rule of "not supporting two people queuing simultaneously for ordering and picking up," with reads reaching 300 million times, sparking intense discussions among netizens. Many consumers questioned that this "standing punishment" queuing was actually hunger marketing, intended to extend customers' stay in the store and create a false impression of a bustling business. In fact, this is not the first time the brand has trended for its queuing rules—at the beginning of the year, some stores required customers to wait on-site after ordering, and leaving meant having to re-queue, and they even closed the mini-program ordering. Some customers reported that a single person had to complete two queues alone, while those with companions could split up, causing those who ordered first to wait longer. The brand had publicly apologized for this, stating that the adjustment was originally intended to enhance the consumption experience and drink taste. This article sorts out the context of the incident and various viewpoints, and includes related recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Chagee has recently opened new stores in Hainan, Fujian, Guangdong and other places, launching a 9.9 yuan promotional offer that has attracted large numbers of consumers to line up to buy. However, many customers who ordered in advance through the mini-program still encountered a second queue when picking up their drinks at the store. Employees at some stores did not check the pickup codes and distributed drinks on a first-come, first-served basis, causing chaos at the pickup scene. Consumers complained that what was supposed to save time turned into waiting in line for more than half an hour, an experience inconsistent with the official claim of "pick up in store without queuing." Long-time users were not surprised by this phenomenon, believing that low-priced promotional items are made in concentrated batches and that employees ignore pickup codes and taste notes in order to improve efficiency. But most netizens are worried that this move will affect the brand's image, and some even speculate whether it is done intentionally to create a bustling scene. [more…]

This morning, delivery orders for Starbucks and Luckin Coffee experienced widespread disruptions, with many consumers waiting in vain for riders to pick up their orders after placing them on Ele.me and the brands' official channels. It is understood that the problem stemmed from an anomaly in the rider information service database of SF Intra-city, the delivery partner for both brands, which prevented orders from being dispatched and recipient information from being displayed. Store employees were forced to act as customer service representatives, calling customers one by one to apologize and suggesting they pick up their orders in person, while multiple store locations on the Ele.me platform temporarily showed as "closed." As of press time, none of the three parties involved had issued a formal response, and online stores had gradually resumed accepting orders. [more…]

Recently, news about a large number of ants being found in takeaway coffee has sparked heated discussion on social media. According to consumer reports, the coffee drink purchased through a takeaway platform actually contained dense swarms of ants, and the scene was unpleasant to look at. The merchant later responded, saying that it was caused by the delivery rider picking up the wrong order, and that there was no problem in its production process. What is the truth of the incident? How should the food safety of takeaway drinks be guaranteed? This article summarizes the course of the incident and the responses from all parties, and also includes professional coffee knowledge exchange channels and Front Street Coffee recommendations for coffee lovers' reference. [more…]

Recently, many Luckin Coffee customers have encountered an unexpected situation when picking up their orders in-store: normally quiet staff members are proactively speaking up, asking customers to leave a positive review. Behind this phenomenon is Luckin's internal "Countless Smiles" competition targeting store positive review rates. In some regions, stores have been forced by management to participate, and positive review rate rankings directly affect employee performance evaluations and disciplinary rewards and punishments, forcing frontline employees to solicit positive reviews from customers picking up orders, and even asking regular customers to help boost reviews. However, the frequent solicitation of positive reviews has also triggered consumer resentment, with some customers bluntly saying it is "annoyingly unbearable," and even considering filing complaints with 12315. Employees are equally full of complaints, believing that this mandatory requirement puts them in a difficult position. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of the conflict between stores and customers caused by this positive review assessment. [more…]

A customer purchased a Starbucks Frappuccino coupon on Meituan, successfully placed an order and received a pickup code, but upon walking to the store to collect the drink, discovered that the store had already closed down. The store's phone was disconnected, and Starbucks customer service and Meituan customer service passed the buck to each other over refund responsibility, leaving the consumer in a predicament. An investigation revealed that the store is located at Suning Plaza on Jiefang Road in Xi'an, where the mall is undergoing comprehensive renovation, and the store has actually ceased operations—yet the official app still showed it as open, and orders could even be placed through "Feikuai." Ultimately, after the customer's feedback, Starbucks shut down the ordering channel, Meituan refunded the order amount and stopped delivery services. The incident also sparked discussions among netizens about wrong-store pickup services and the 12315 complaint channel. [more…]

A cup of milk tea labeled as made five days ago has pushed the new-style tea brand Molly Tea White into the eye of public opinion. After placing an order on a delivery platform, a consumer unexpectedly received a cup of drink that had long gone bad. At first, the store admitted it was caused by a backlog of delivery orders and failure to clean up in time, but afterward the brand stepped in to clarify, saying the drink had actually been abandoned by a customer in a public area of the mall, and that management authority belonged to the mall rather than the store. The incident went through multiple reversals—who exactly is responsible? And how should the blind spots in the food delivery chain be filled? This article sorts through the entire course of the incident and appends Front Street Coffee's observations on food safety management in the industry. [more…]

The subsidy war ignited by food delivery platforms has drawn in chain brands like Luckin Coffee and Mixue Bingcheng. A Luckin store in Chengdu was recently overwhelmed by a flood of orders due to a "0-yuan purchase" promotion, with some stores receiving over a thousand drinks to be made within an hour. However, after the promotion ended, staff found a large number of unclaimed drinks while cleaning up the counter, with the ice long melted. Impulse orders driven by consumers' "bargain-hunting" mentality not only caused food waste but also increased the burden on store workers. In response, some suggested switching to in-store freshly made orders, but Luckin employees said this would be fraught with practical difficulties. This article takes you through the full picture of this order surge and the views of all parties involved. [more…]

A post about a Luckin Coffee service experience recently sparked discussion on social media. The poster said that while organizing an office event, they ordered 60 drinks from a local Luckin store. When picking up the order, they found the coffee had not been packed into boxes and had to carry it to the car bag by bag, while the staff did not offer help on the grounds that they could not leave the store entrance. The customer also complained that the entire order had no discount and said that even if they ordered 600 cups next time, they would not choose this store again. However, most netizens sided with the staff, arguing that chain coffee stores do not normally offer group-meal discounts, and that Luckin has strict requirements for food safety and operating procedures, making it difficult for employees to leave their posts to help with carrying during peak hours. [more…]

In an era when chain coffee brands are densely expanding, Manner and M stand are often hard for consumers and delivery riders to tell apart, since both adopt a minimalist black-and-white style and a prominent letter M logo. Recently, a customer ordered Manner takeout on Meituan but received a product from M stand, sparking a refund dispute. Such incidents are not isolated: some people have scanned their M stand membership code at the Manner counter, some only discovered after ordering that another brand's item was sitting in the pickup locker, and some customers even went to the wrong store to ask about specialty drinks. The two brands are not only similar in visual identity, but also often located next to each other, further increasing the chance of confusion. This article sorts out the reasons behind these mix-ups and looks at how baristas and consumers are responding. [more…]

Recently, a netizen discovered a notice in the pickup area of a Nayuki store that read "Not Heytea. If picked up by mistake, compensation at full price," with the words "call the police" also handwritten in the blank space. After the photo was shared online, it quickly sparked heated discussion. Netizens familiar with tea beverage brands pointed out that Heytea and Nayuki differ noticeably in name, logo, and store style, so confusion should not occur under normal circumstances. Some even joked that the words "Heytea" highlighted in red and enlarged on the notice could instead easily lead hurried delivery riders to mistake this store for Heytea, making the reminder counterproductive. Through this strongly warning notice, many people saw the helplessness of Nayuki employees—after a delivery order is taken by mistake, the employee on duty not only has to deal with customer dissatisfaction but also has to bear the corresponding loss. [more…]

Recently, a customer in Guizhou, unable to find the store for a self-pickup order, demanded delivery instead. When refused, they went to the shop and poured coffee over the bar counter. The incident, reported by multiple media outlets, sparked widespread discussion. The barista, working alone, could not leave the store to deliver, while the customer vented frustration through harassing phone calls and pouring coffee. Netizens generally agreed the barista's actions were understandable and the customer's behavior was excessive. The shop involved did not call the police, and employees cleaned up themselves. Front Street Coffee reminds that self-pickup orders can be handled via errand services, and only civilized communication can resolve conflicts. [more…]

The "Crazy Saturday" that just passed once again saw major chain beverage brands flooded with free redemption orders. Yet after the revelry ended, store counters were piled high with sealed drinks that no one came to collect, with some stores pouring out nearly a hundred cups in a single night. Staff members felt both heartache and helplessness, while onlooking netizens bluntly said, "If you're not going to drink it, don't order it." What problems does this waste phenomenon, fueled by platform subsidies, actually reflect? How should consumers, merchants, and platforms find a balance among themselves? This article takes you through the full picture of the incident, and you're also welcome to follow Front Street Coffee to chat together about the things behind beverage consumption. [more…]

Recently, a video of a Mixue Bingcheng employee crying while making drinks due to a flood of orders spread rapidly online, drawing widespread attention. The incident occurred in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, where a delivery rider picking up an order found that only one employee was handling order labels several meters long alone, emotionally breaking down yet still not stopping work. After the video was posted, many netizens expressed sympathy for the plight of tea beverage workers, while some pointed out the contradiction between delivery platforms' price wars driving surging sales and staffing not increasing. Mixue Bingcheng later responded that the employee was the store manager and that the crying was due to family conflicts rather than work pressure. Behind the incident, it reflects the operational difficulties and employee mental health issues in the tea beverage industry under low-price competition. [more…]

The Jellycat-style milk tea cup plush blind boxes launched by Chagee have seen a surge in popularity recently, with limited-edition sets selling out in many places shortly after going on sale. However, some consumers discovered upon picking up their orders in-store that the blind boxes they received had already been opened by staff in advance, turning them into "open boxes" with the contents fully visible. Some stores explained that this was done out of a need for quality inspection, but many users were not convinced, suspecting that someone had deliberately opened the boxes to screen for popular styles. Once a blind box loses the surprise of the unknown, the fairness of the campaign and the consumer experience are called into question. Amid this box-opening controversy, brand employees have also offered their own accounts, with both sides sticking to their stories, keeping the incident simmering. [more…]

Starbucks dropped a bombshell at its latest earnings call: it will completely phase out the "Pick-up Only" pure pickup store format by 2026. This decision affects nearly 90 stores across more than 20 states in the U.S. Once upon a time, these small stores focused on "order online, pick up in store" were seen as the future of coffee consumption, especially beloved during the pandemic. Yet six years later, Starbucks executives have found that consumers crave face-to-face interaction and the warm atmosphere of a coffee shop, not a cold pickup window. The CEO bluntly called such stores "too cold and lacking human touch," running counter to Starbucks' core brand philosophy. This article will review the rise and fall of the pickup store model, Starbucks' strategic pivot, and the brand's future plans on its digital path. [more…]

Luckin Coffee has partnered with the classic animated IP Tom and Jerry to launch an anniversary-edition mascarpone cheese raw-cheese latte and a series of merchandise, sparking an enthusiastic frenzy among young consumers. From cup sleeves and paper bags to stickers and badges, these designs full of childhood memories have inspired a wave of creative DIY makeovers among the public, with all kinds of handmade creations popping up on social platforms. In order to collect the full set of merchandise, many people have bought drinks multiple times without hesitation, and some have even rummaged through trash bins to pick up discarded paper bags. This article will take you through how this collaboration storm has turned young people into a "scrap-collecting army," and their unique obsession with coffee merchandise. [more…]

Recently, a post about a Starbucks employee accidentally spilling coffee on a customer sparked heated discussion on social media. The poster said that while picking up their order, their newly bought white coat was stained by coffee knocked over by the employee, and the employee only apologized in a low voice before continuing to work, while the store manager said compensation was not possible and only suggested trying to clean it with alcohol. As the incident continued to escalate, many Starbucks employees revealed in the comments that company training already requires drinks to be placed on the counter for customers to pick up themselves, but in unexpected situations, staff should immediately apologize and take responsibility. As of press time, the person involved had still not received a formal reply from Starbucks. [more…]

Luckin Coffee launched the Drum Deer Deer series metal badges this week, paired with a blind box promotion where buying two cups earns a badge, quickly sparking a buying frenzy among consumers. However, the random distribution mechanism of the blind boxes has left many Luckin fans struggling to collect their desired styles—some drank multiple cups without success, while others opened sixteen blind boxes in two days just to complete a set. To crack the blind box challenge, some consumers took a creative approach by bringing electronic scales to stores to weigh the packaging boxes and determine which badge was inside, with some even compiling the precise weights of the five badges for others' reference. This trend of weighing to pick badges has gradually evolved from a spontaneous act by netizens into a common practice at stores, and Luckin employees have shifted from initial confusion to understanding, even actively helping with weighing during idle times. This article provides a comprehensive overview of this amusing phenomenon triggered by coffee blind boxes. [more…]

Molly Tea has teamed up with Hello Kitty to launch limited-edition drinks and merchandise, drawing a flood of fans who raced to snap them up the moment sales opened. Yet once the promotion began, consumers in many cities reported that their payments went through but they never received the merchandise, and some stores even canceled orders without any notice. Customers who showed up to collect their orders were told the merchandise was first come, first served and would be given out only while supplies lasted, leaving some people to make the trip for nothing. As frustration mounted, disputes between customers and staff broke out at some stores, prompting calls to the police; officers advised those affected to defend their rights through channels such as 12315. The collaboration drew widespread complaints because of problems with merchandise inventory and order management. [more…]