The average American spends $3 a day on coffee, and while that may not sound like much on its own, it ultimately amounts to $1,100 a year, according to a report by financial services company Acorns. With so much of your money being spent on your daily caffeine kick, you likely have opinions as strong as your cup of joe as to which coffee houses are worth your hard-earned cash and which you'd rather drive right by. And there are probably a few factors that go into why you choose one cafe over another. Of course, there's taste preference and convenience, but the way you're treated by the baristas brewing your beloved beverage also likely plays a part. That’s why we at Best Life set out to determine the most hated coffee chain in America.
For our list of coffee chains in the U.S., we started with the 20 chains that have at least 25 or more locations either within a state or in different parts of the country. Then, we gathered the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) ratings of the different coffee chains across the U.S. (Scores were available for 18 of them.) The BBB uses public data, as well as information provided by companies themselves, to assess how well a business serves and interacts with its customers, such as the volume of complaints received from customers, whether or not those complaints went unanswered or unresolved, and if there is evidence of a pattern of failure to address complaints. In its overall assessment, the BBB also considers the transparency of a company's business practices, competency licensing, advertising, and government action. The resulting ratings are provided as both a letter grade, as well as a numerical score on a 100-point scale, both of which we've included in our analysis.
We also included, where applicable*, the number of stars a brand received on the popular review site Trustpilot. Lastly, we calculated the average Yelp rating for the locations in the state where each company's operations are based—in other words, where the brands are headquartered. (In the case of Tim Hortons, which is a Canadian brand, we used their Detroit locations based on the significant presence the company has there.) Both sites have five-star rating scales.
Finally, we gave each metric a weighted value before running them through our exclusive algorithm to see how each brand scored on our 100-point scale Dissatisfaction Index—with a score of zero indicating excellent customer service and 100 representing the worst. Read on to discover the most hated coffee chain in America, and find out how your favorite java joint stacked up. And for another rocky consumer experience to watch out for, find out The Online Store With the Worst Customer Service in America.
*Editor’s note: “N/A” indicates that data was not available for that particular metric. We adjusted the algorithm to ensure that each brand was scored fairly and accurately.
20 | The Human Bean
Braunger/ullstein bild via Getty ImagesBBB grade: A+
BBB score: 97
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 4.5
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 0.00
19 | Classic Rock Coffee Co.
ShutterstockBBB grade: A
BBB score: 96.99
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 4.5
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 0.03
18 | Hard Bean Coffee
Hard Bean CoffeeBBB grade: A+
BBB score: 97
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 4.25
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 12.22
17 | Ziggi's Coffee
Lewis Geyer/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty ImagesBBB grade: A
BBB score: 94
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 4.25
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 22.10
16 | It's a Grind Coffee House
ShutterstockBBB grade: N/A
BBB score: N/A
Trustpilot stars: 4.7
Yelp rating: 4.0
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 24.44
15 | Rock ‘n’ Joe Coffee Bar
ShutterstockBBB grade: A-
BBB score: 93.99
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 4.14
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 27.51
14 | Dunn Brothers Coffee
ShutterstockBBB grade: A+
BBB score: 97
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 3.92
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 28.35
13 | Caribou Coffee
ShutterstockBBB grade: A+
BBB score: 97
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 3.73
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 37.63
And for more insight into bad shopping experiences in person, check out This Store Has the Worst Customer Service in America.
12 | Aroma Joe's Coffee
Aroma Joe's via PRNewswireBBB grade: A+
BBB score: 97
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 3.66
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 41.06
11 | Coffee Beanery
BestPhotoPlus / ShutterstockBBB grade: A+
BBB score: 97
Trustpilot stars: 3.3
Yelp rating: 3.80
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 45.16
10 | PJ's Coffee of New Orleans
ShutterstockBBB grade: B+
BBB score: 89.99
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 4.0
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 47.52
9 | Starbucks
iStockBBB grade: B
BBB score: 86.99
Trustpilot stars: 2.63
Yelp rating: 4.03
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 64.98
And if you're fitness focused in 2021, make sure to check out This Gym Has the Worst Customer Service in America.
8 | Dunkin'
ShutterstockBBB grade: A+
BBB score: 97
Trustpilot stars: 3.0
Yelp rating: 2.95
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 77.42
7 | Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea
Smith Collection/Gado/Getty ImagesBBB grade: N/A
BBB score: N/A
Trustpilot stars: 3.0
Yelp rating: 3.71
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 80.16
6 | The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
ShutterstockBBB grade: C-
BBB score: 73.99
Trustpilot stars: 4.0
Yelp rating: 3.95
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 88.95
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5 | Biggby Coffee
ShutterstockBBB grade: C+
BBB score: 79.99
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 3.73
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 93.64
4 | Peet's Coffee & Tea
ShutterstockBBB grade: C
BBB score: 76.99
Trustpilot stars: 2.4
Yelp rating: 4.0
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 94.74
3 | Bottom's Up Espresso
Debbie Noda / Modesto Bee/ZUMAPRESS.com / Alamy Stock PhotoBBB grade: C+
BBB score: 79.99
Trustpilot stars: 3.0
Yelp rating: 3.57
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 97.78
2 | Tim Hortons
ShuttterstockBBB grade: A+
BBB score: 97
Trustpilot stars: 1.6
Yelp rating: 3.00
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 98.39
1 | Gloria Jean's Coffee
ShutterstockBBB grade: C
BBB score: 79.99
Trustpilot stars: N/A
Yelp rating: 3.60
Dissatisfaction Index Score: 99.99
And for more eateries that are leaving customers unsatisfied, This Is the Most Hated Restaurant Chain in America.
