The Latest Surprise Me TikTok Trend At Starbucks Just Backfired
It's understandable to feel indecisive, especially when the menu is as large as Starbucks'. When you're inside the store, you have more time to look at the menu, even if that means letting others cut in line. But when you're in the drive-thru, decisions can be harder as you don't see the menu until seconds before ordering. When there's a long line behind you and you're feeling pressured, you might say the presumably magic words, "Surprise me."
A Reddit user asked bartenders in a thread how they feel about "surprise me" requests, and it seems like most of them have a method of how to handle them. "I ask them to pick a color, then go off of that," read a comment. One user wrote, "I usually go with something off the beaten path." In another thread, a Redditor asked if anybody has ever tried the "surprise me" technique. One commenter tried it at a Dunkin' and ended up with three donuts the first time and a heart-shaped donut on the second attempt. Another tried it at a bar and wound up with mostly liquor with a splash of Sprite. This concept is now spreading rapidly through TikTok, but sometimes it doesn't go as expected.
These requests might result in plain water
In a now viral TikTok video, user @kristenalk pulled up to a Starbucks' drive-thru and ordered a "surprise me drink." The barista was confused, so Alk asked the question once more. Then, the barista said something unexpected. "Yea I can get you an iced water ... that sounds good," they said. Shaken up, Alk switched to asking for "something that sounds good" in tall. Upon pulling forward, she commented that Starbucks' baristas usually don't do this, and that this one "didn't pass the vibe check." Still, she acknowledged it could be annoying to order this way when the workers are busy.
Commenters didn't understand why the request was such an issue. "I used to work at Starbucks and I loved when people would do this!" wrote one TikToker. "You should email Starbucks! They'll refund you for sure," wrote another.
Apparently, other Starbucks workers feel the same way as the one Alk spoke to. In a Twitter post, @skylartruu wrote, "If you come to Starbucks and ask for a 'surprise me' drink, [you're] getting a water sorry I don't make the rules." In another post, a customer was on the receiving end of the issue. "Went to Starbucks and asked the barista to 'surprise me' for my drink and she gave me water," they wrote. In other words, if you're thinking of asking an employee to surprise you, you need to be aware of the consequences.