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Longing for a Mocha Frappuccino? Here’s how to get your Starbucks fix
Social distancing, in practice, means discouraging crowds of people from gathering. And few places attract more people than restaurants, bars and, you guessed it, coffee shops.
The lack of open dining across the country has been a demoralizing factor for many Americans in the last few weeks. And even if your favorite spot is open, your options are typically take-out or delivery only. Tap or click here to find out how to disinfect your food delivery orders.
Coffee shops like Starbucks, in particular, are almost completely closed to walk-in guests. As bad as this sounds, though, the company is still keeping leaving low-contact options on the table for anyone with a caffeine craving. If you’re hankering your beloved soy latte, here’s how you can get your hands on one.
Closed, but not really
Starbucks was one of the first chains in the market to shutter its dining rooms for walk-in customers. For some locations, this effectively means the stores are closed all the way through May 3 — a full month longer than the company’s original projection.
Still, you don’t need to talk to a barista in person to get the coffee you crave. Between takeout, drive-thru and delivery options, Starbucks is keeping stores open for business in partnership with some of the web’s most popular delivery services.
But that’s not all. Starbucks is also considering “adding an entryway handoff as an option for [mobile order and pay] customers,” which will help mitigate long lines for drive-thru locations.
If you’re wanting coffee, here are the best ways you can get Starbucks right now.
Delivery deliciousness
Back in January, Starbucks partnered with Uber Eats to offer coffee delivery for more than 30 different states.
But Uber Eats is no longer the only game in town. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Starbucks is now offering delivery options with the following apps and services:
- DoorDash
- GrubHub
- Postmates
- Seamless
- Uber Eats
Not all locations are participating with every service listed, so make sure to call your closest Starbucks to see if it’s open and offering delivery with your service of choice.
Oh, and don’t forget to tip your delivery driver. Today, delivery workers are facing incredible risk and high job demand, so it’s important they know how appreciated they are. Tap or click here to see which other jobs are still hiring.
…and drive-thru, too!
These delivery options aren’t even counting the nearly 60% of Starbucks locations with drive-thru windows. This option will still put you face-to-face with a Starbucks employee, but you’ll be separated by a couple of key factors.
First, you’ll have the distance between you and the window keeping you away from aerial droplets. Second, employees are now required to wear gloves, which helps reduce the risk of catching germs from their bodies on to your food and drinks.
Once you’ve grabbed your order, place it in a safe place in your car and be careful not to bring the cup or bag too close to your face before you get home.
When you arrive, practice the “airlock trick” to keep your wallet, keys and shoes separate from the rest of your home, and take time to disinfect your cup and packaging. Tap or click here to learn the astronaut “airlock” technique to staying germ-free.
Now, you can enjoy your coffee or what have you in peace without worrying. And keep in mind, viruses can’t survive in a hot beverage, so your risk of acquiring coronavirus by way of a Pike Place Roast is low.
It’s good to know that more companies are giving Americans options to reduce the impact of social isolation. Hopefully, more businesses take a socially-distant approach to serving customers, which will keep us all safer in the long run. Tap or click here to see which places are still open in spite of COVID-19.
Tags: apps, bars, coffee shops, delivery, delivery services, disinfect, pandemic, restaurants, social distancing, Starbucks
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