Look, in the grand scheme of global blackouts wreaking havoc on airlines, banks, supermarkets, television stations and countless businesses, not being able to order a Trenta iced coffee from Starbucks with my smartphone is just a minor inconvenience. But you can add the company’s mobile ordering system to the casualty list of this CrowdStrike BSOD situation.
The Starbucks app itself is working, but the order-ahead feature is currently unavailable at all locations. It looks like some Starbucks stores have closed (temporarily) completely to avoid dealing with this technical hassle until the situation improves.
It’s worth mentioning that, as of press time, Dunkin’ mobile ordering system appears to be working smoothly. CrowdStrike has deployed a fix for the bug that caused global headaches today, and the company’s CEO issued an apology.
I’m afraid you’ll have to live without Starbucks Star Points today. Use inconvenience as motivation. Get rid of that cold brew coffee maker gathering dust in your kitchen cabinets—or support your local coffee shop. We will get through this.