My visit to the recently opened Starbucks in Guyana a mere four days after its launch was purely ad hoc. I had no intention of joining the people who are going out en masse to experience the franchise in the first few days of its operation. It came at a price – 90 minutes of my time from the moment I entered the door to being served, plus the commute from Georgetown to Providence and back.

Was it worth it? Well, what prompted me to go there in the first place was my observation of a spike in traffic to the Coffee Guyana website. On closer examination, I noticed that some of the keywords that were used to land people on the website include Starbucks Guyana and Starbucks Menu.

This suggested to me that people were looking for first-hand information, so I felt an obligation to offer visitors to the website my personal experience as well as any other useful information on Starbucks Guyana.

Physical Facility

The café's interior is very large and spacious. There are lots of comfortable seating with little nooks for small groups. The lighting was soft, giving the space an intimate feeling. A large mural across one entire wall pays homage to Guyana's geographical location with rainforest-themed painting.

Despite the crowd, the temperature inside was cool and comfortable. For those who love the outdoors, there are seats just outside the entrance in a shaded area.

Starbucks recognized that we live in a connected world, and have catered for it with their offering of free WiFi and charging ports for their customers' devices. This is noteworthy since Guyanese businesses are generally stingy when it comes to WiFi.

A drive through section allows people on the go to order and pick-up without leaving the comfort of their vehicles. The layout of the entire premises makes for a nightmarish condition once you enter the compound. With the explosion of vehicles in Guyana, not much consideration was given to parking and the flow of traffic once you get there.

In my judgement, the waiting time in line to order whether inside the cafe or in the drive-thru is about the same.

Staff

To compare this experience with previous ones at Starbucks cafés outside of Guyana may not be fair. At first glance it appears that the Guyana operation is inefficient. I understand that this is new to Guyana and the staff likely has little or no experience working in a Starbucks. I am also aware that since the doors were opened, there has been a constant stream of customers that keep them on their feet.

Making matters worse was that fact that only one of two cashier stations was open. The staff seemed overwhelmed, but I am sure that this will be resolved in a few weeks.

The Menu

The offerings are pretty much what you would see in any Starbucks café across the globe. A healthy mix of hot and cold beverages are being served, although my observation is that the majority of orders are for cold ones.

My personal favorite is the Caramel Macchiato, but I tried the Caramel Frappuccino for the first time. I was not disappointed. It was delicious.

Since I skipped breakfast, I wanted to try the Impossible Sandwich but they were out of it. I hope I will get better luck next time.

For those who are not coffee lovers, there are other options including Chai Tea Latte, another favorite of mine.

Cup Sizes

Starbucks Guyana serves beverages in three sizes: tall, grande and venti.

Products

Coffee afficionados would be pleased to know that they can buy whole beans to grind and brew at home. There is the popular Pike Place roast which is my personal favorite. Café Verona and Expresso roast are also available.

If you are into single-origin coffee, there are beans from Kenya, Guatemala and Colombia. All the beans are in pouches of 250 grams (8.8 oz.) and cost GYD$4000 (approximately US$20).

For the tea lovers, there's the Teavana brand featuring English Breakfast, Emperor's Cloud & Mist, Hibiscus, Mint Citrus and Chai. These come in boxes of 12 packets.

As is the norm at Starbucks stores, you can find branded cups, mugs, tumblers and similar merchandise.

In the end

The Starbucks experience is a novelty for many Guyanese and I suspect that the crowds will eventuall subside when everyone get a taste of their beverage. For now, a trip to Starbucks is a time-consuming excursion since you must go out of your way through the unforgiving traffic and then wait in line just to experience it.

Starbucks opens from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. If you are in a rush, Starbucks Guyana is not the place to go for a hot cup of coffee. You might want to get your Keurig k-cups to brew at home or in the office. Your k-cup brew is pretty close to the coffeehouse brew at a fraction of the cost and time. There are also tons or roasts, blends and flavours to choose from.

What has been your experience? I would love to hear it.