Starbucks workers and customers alike are kvetching about dome lids that don’t fit the coffee chain’s drinks — contributing to spills, delays in service, and overall aggravation, according to social media posts.
TikTok users and Reddit posters have vented their frustration over the dome lids, which they say are difficult to attach to the top of a drink, particularly when it includes whipped cream.
A barista with the TikTok handle “emmalaflair” posted a clip showing two Starbucks employees giggling as they work feverishly to attach a dome lid to what looks like a caramel mocha frappuccino.
“If you see your local baristas struggling, it’s the dome lids,” she wrote in the caption.
As of Thursday, the video was viewed more than 550,000 times.
“I have begun to fear Frappuccinos,” a self-identified “former partner” at Starbucks wrote on Reddit.
“I could make a perfect spiral of whipped cream on top with a pretty drizzle over it, then have it be completely ruined by the upcoming battle i have with getting the dome lid to close onto the cup,” the disgruntled Redditor wrote.
A barista who posted a video on TikTok under the name “v1fonso” earlier this week declared: “I hate dome lids!”
The video shows the exasperated barista fumbling a cup as he attempts to fasten a dome lid to the top of a drink that includes whipped cream.
“These stupid f–king lids,” reads the caption on the video, which generated more than 2.6 million views, 377,000 likes, and 2,600 comments.
Another viral TikTok video shows a barista waging “everlasting war” against a dome lid.
“We all go thru this fight,” read the caption of the video, which as of Thursday afternoon had generated more than 475,000 page views.
The Post has sought comment from Starbucks.
Starbucks management appears to be aware of the struggles that come with fastening the lid.
In May, newly minted CEO Laxman Narasimhan said the company needed to cut the number of drinks that necessitate the lid.
“Currently, we have over 1,500 cup-and-lid combinations across our network,” Narasimhan, who took time to visit Starbucks restaurants and chat with employees, told analysts earlier this year.
“As we streamline, we will create a portfolio of fewer, more sustainable, and less costly cups while further simplifying operations in our stores.”
Starbucks is investing billions of dollars to shave off the preparation time it takes for baristas to process customer orders.
The biggest change will be implementing a new bar setup at all of the chain’s 9,500 US-based locations with what it’s calling a Siren System, which will bring all the items needed for making cold drinks within reach.