Introduction:This morning, many consumers discovered that their Starbucks and Luckin Coffee delivery orders placed via Ele.me or the brands’ official platforms had not been prepared for a long time, with some deliveries being completely interrupted. The issue stemmed from a database anomaly in the SF Intra-city delivery system, which both brands use in partnership, preventing riders from receiving orders and stores from processing delivery tasks. This article provides a detailed overview of the incident and offers practical advice for consumers facing similar unexpected situations.
This morning, after placing orders for Starbucks and Luckin Coffee via Ele.me or the brands’ own apps, many consumers found that their orders remained stuck at the "order successfully placed" stage for an extended period, with no riders coming to pick up the orders. Some orders were not delivered until noon. This large-scale delivery disruption was primarily caused by a database anomaly in the SF Intra-city delivery system, which both brands use jointly. The glitch affected riders' ability to receive orders and the display of recipient information, leading to a paralysis in the overall delivery process.
According to on-site feedback, Starbucks and Luckin Coffee orders placed through Ele.me, as well as those from official delivery channels (such as Specialstar Delivery and the Luckin mini-program), were mainly handled by SF Intra-city. However, this morning, a database anomaly occurred in the rider information service system of SF Intra-city, resulting in orders not being properly assigned to riders and the system backend being unable to display complete recipient information. This caused a large number of delivery orders to fail to be dispatched as scheduled.
As riders did not arrive at the stores to pick up the orders in time, many cups of coffee and light meals that had already been prepared could only be temporarily placed in the pickup areas of the stores, gradually cooling down as time passed. Staff at Starbucks stores revealed that they had followed the normal procedures to prepare the drinks, but due to the failure of the delivery system, they were unable to deliver the products to customers. Store personnel had to temporarily act as customer service, proactively calling consumers to explain the situation and advising them to pick up their orders in person or use other delivery platforms instead.
Notably, it was not just Starbucks that experienced this issue—many Luckin Coffee outlets also faced the same difficulties. Since Luckin’s Ele.me orders and official mini-program deliveries also rely on SF Intra-city, the system anomaly directly impacted their delivery services. Multiple outlets were unable to fulfill orders normally, and staff had to contact customers one by one to apologize and suggest alternatives such as self-pickup or other delivery options.
As the issue escalated, some consumers noticed that many Starbucks and Luckin outlets on the Ele.me platform displayed “temporarily closed” in multiple locations. Even though the stores were still operating, they had to temporarily shut down their online ordering channels due to the disruption in delivery services. This simultaneous, large-scale online service outage for two major, well-known coffee brands due to a system anomaly with the same delivery partner attracted significant market attention.
In addition, many consumers reported that after the system failure occurred, they often found it difficult to get through to Starbucks and Luckin’s official or telephone customer service due to busy lines. Even when they managed to connect, the efficiency of after-sales handling was low. Many customers’ refund requests were not responded to for a long time, and some even encountered the frustration of being “unable to cancel orders,” further exacerbating consumer dissatisfaction.
Although some consumers gradually received their meals redelivered by stores around noon, most customers neither received their food and drinks nor were able to successfully cancel their orders. They expressed disappointment with the brands’ after-sales handling and believed that appropriate compensation should be provided for this delivery anomaly, such as refunds or discounts for future purchases. As of press time, neither Starbucks, Luckin, nor SF had issued an official response regarding this large-scale delivery disruption. However, the online stores of the two brands on the Ele.me platform have gradually resumed their order-taking functions, allowing consumers to try placing orders again.
Faced with delivery disruptions caused by third-party delivery system failures, consumers can pay attention to order status updates in advance. If an order remains unprepared for a long time, it is recommended to actively contact the store to confirm the delivery status, consider using alternative delivery platforms, or choose to purchase directly from the store to ensure beverage quality and timely enjoyment.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
