Starbucks Is Out To Save Seconds In Serving Time-Pressed Patrons

A confessed Starbucks junkie, Steve Bush is a fixture at the coffee chain's Howard Avenue location, which has become a favorite haunt of the fit and fabulous of south Tampa.

In fact, the store has become such a hot spot for people- watching that Bush is writing a book that's set in a Starbucks: It's about a character who eavesdrops on customers' coffee shop conversations.

``Have you ever seen the line here?'' Bush said on Monday. ``At 7:30 or 8 o'clock [a.m.], the line will almost be to the door.``

But how long is too long to wait for a vanilla latte?
The question is a key one for the world's largest chain of coffee shops.

At Starbucks, it takes about three minutes on average from the time a customer gets in line until the order is delivered. That is down about 30 seconds since the company started measuring five years ago. However, waiting times in busy urban outlets at peak hours can be considerably longer than the average. Times for drink preparation range widely, from less than 20 seconds for a Tall black coffee to about 90 seconds for the Venti Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Blended Creme.
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