Starbucks customers say wait times have gotten really long, so I went to check it out

This Starbucks is located in a shopping center. It’s also near a major highway used by many people commuting between the suburbs of Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.

I ordered shortly before 9 a.m. on a weekday, and my estimated wait time was between seven and 10 minutes.

This was just over the maximum 10 minutes that the app had indicated. Still, it wasn’t too bad, especially considering that I ordered during one of the busiest times of the day at many Starbucks stores.

This Starbucks store was in an ex-urban area outside Washington, DC. Like the last store, though, it was near a highway and multiple large shopping centers.

The drive-thru at this Starbucks store wasn’t very busy around 12:30 p.m.

This time, my estimated wait time was three to six minutes.

I got a notification on my phone that my pick-up drink was ready just as the worker at the drive-thru window handed me the other.

This store is located in an urban area with several apartment buildings nearby. It’s also one of the few Starbucks locations in Washington, DC, proper, with a drive-thru.

Just like at the Maryland store, the Starbucks app advised me that my Frappuccino would be ready in three to six minutes.

This was the fastest drink of the day.

My second drink at this store was ready exactly at the upper limit that the app had given me.

All but one of the Starbucks I visited got me my drinks within 10 minutes. It took slightly longer at the Alexandria location, though that was at a busy time of day.

At the other two stores, it didn’t seem to matter whether I ordered through the app or by going through the drive-thru.

“Starbucks aims to provide an effortless experience no matter how a customer orders,” a spokesperson told Business Insider. The spokesperson added that Starbucks improved the algorithm that determines the wait time that customers see in the app during the third quarter.

The spokesperson also pointed to the Siren Craft System, which is meant to “address wait times and ensure efficiency for customers and partners across channels.”

One Starbucks employee told me last month that managers at his store have cut employee hours in recent years, leaving fewer people to fill orders during many shifts. As a result, customers there wait up to 30 minutes for their orders, he said.

And while workflow changes such as the Siren Craft System have helped cut prep time for some drinks, according to Starbucks employees, more people making beverages would be a bigger help.