Which Boba Shop in Kennewick is Worth Visiting?

Dutch Bros vs. Starbucks vs. Wake up Call: Which One Is Better?

By: Briana Martinez 

The Tri-Cities has multiple coffee shops located almost in every corner around Richland, Kennewick and Pasco. There are three main coffee shops that just about anyone knows; Dutch Bros, Starbucks and Wake Up Call. Although they all sell very similar drinks, they all happen to taste slightly different, and the 

prices vary. If you enjoy going to coffee shops regardless of the    time then you should consider a few things in each coffee shop such as the menu options, prices, and the service provided in all the different locations around Richland, Kennewick and Pasco. 

Menu Options: 

Dutch Bros: Dutch Bros is well known for their energy drinks; however, they have kid friendly options, chai options and coffee options. If you like energy drinks I would recommend this place out of the three, especially if you like sweet drinks. They carry many sugar free options as well for those who do not or can’t have sugar. Dutch also offers two smoothie options for kids and flavored lemonades which doesn’t feel like much if your goal is to get something for your kids. Their coffee options are also limited and don’t really taste like coffee if that’s something you are looking for. Dutch also offers a few pastries such as muffin tops which personally I could say are pretty good but beside that there aren’t many options. Overall, for their menu I would only recommend Dutch for their energy drinks as they seem to be the most popular ones and are what taste the best with various flavor options.

Starbucks: Starbucks is well known for their coffees and their pastries. They do only offer three energy drink options which is nowhere near the amount of options you get at Dutch and Wake Up Call. However, they have other options like lemonade refreshers, tea, hot chocolates, matcha and many more options. Starbucks also has multiple options for pastries as well as breakfast and lunch options and can substitute milks for any lactose-free. They also have sugar free options in case there are customers who don’t want to or can’t have sugar. Overall, Starbucks has a lot of more options regarding their drinks as well as options for your little ones not just with drinks but treats and food if that is something that you are interested in. However, if you are more into energy drinks, I would not recommend stopping by considering their limited options. 

Wake Up Call: Wake Up Call is known for both their energy drinks and coffee. Unlike Dutch, their energy drinks are less sweet, and their coffees actually taste like they have coffee in them. I would say though that their menu options are a lot smaller than the ones Dutch and Starbucks have to offer. Wake Up Call does offer infused drinks on their menu besides the coffees and energy drinks as well as pastries such as muffin tops, sugar cookies, cake pops, rice Krispy treats, donuts and a few more options which is more than what Dutch had to offer. However, they don’t offer any breakfast or lunch options like Starbucks. Overall, I would recommend Wake Up Call if you happen to like less sweet energy drinks. 

Service: 

Dutch Bros: The employees at Dutch all around the Tri-Cities are all kind with so much energy to spread to their customer especially the one on Clearwater. When you first arrive, they ask about your day and what your plans are to keep a conversation going. They all like to engage with their customers treating them like friends which is important when it comes to the customer service. Also, I feel like this kind of interaction with customers makes you want to return in the future. However, many can argue that it is only done because it is part of their job requirement, but each employee seems to connect with their customers. In my experience, I made a couple friends in these coffee shops based off our conversations and how well they can engage with customers and keep a conversation. 

Starbucks: The employees at Starbucks aren’t as interactive with their customers as those in Dutch. They keep conversations short with no direction on where to take it next and there is just an awkward silence afterwards. This does not apply to all employees since there are those who do like to engage with customers, but I’ve noticed it is rare. Overall, I would say if you are someone who can’t keep up a conversation or only do small talk this is the place I’d recommend only based off the way they engage with their customers. 

Wake Up Call: The employees from Wake Up Call are split in the middle where they like to engage with their customers and there are those that don’t. One thing that I’ve noticed is that this place is the one that tends to be the most understaffed where employees are taking orders and then making them on their own. They try to engage with their customers as much as they can, however, based off that they’re the only ones working that shift with at least one other person I can understand the lack of engagement with customers. Overall, you can see the effort that Wake Up Call employees try to give but it is understandable that they are doing multiple things at once and can’t engage with customers much. 

Prices/Size: 

Dutch Bros: Dutch Bros prices vary depending on their drinks and sizes. However, their cup sizes for cold drinks are larger than your typical size choice. When you order a small at Dutch it is a 16oz, a medium is 24oz and a large is 32oz. On the other hand, their hot drinks start with a small being 12oz, a medium being 16oz and a large being 20oz. Starting with their cheapest options ranging from two to three dollars for their small is basic brewed coffees and teas. Then, their special expresso drinks such as mochas and lattes drinks range from three to seven dollars depending on size. Afterwards, they have their premium drinks such as nitro’s, freezes and rebels which range from five to seven plus dollars. Lastly, their Dutch sodas are around two dollars for a small. Their pastries on the other hand vary from two to six dollars depending on what you are getting. For example, their muffins are one of the cheapest options starting at $2.50 and are almost as big as a CD.  

Starbucks: Starbuck prices are similar to those like Dutch and Wake Up call, however, the cups are normally smaller than Dutch. Starbucks’ small cup is 12oz, their medium is 16oz, and their large is 24oz with an x-large option of 32oz but only on selected drinks. Starting off with their cheapest option is brewed coffee starting at around $3.00 and their hot coffees starting at $2.70 for a small. Then, they have their expensive options which are their specialty drinks such as flavored drinks and lattes ranging from $5.00 to $7.00 or more. Their pastries also vary in prices ranging from the cheapest being a bagel for $3.50 and their most expensive being their Ham and Swiss croissant being $5.75. They also have many other options such as muffins, cake pops, croissants, doughnuts and many more options that are priced in the middle of the bagel and Swiss croissant. Their breakfast and lunch options are a little more expensive ranging from five to six dollars depending on what you are getting. 

Wake Up Call: Wake Up Call prices are again almost similar to the last two coffee shops. However, they have specials in what they call happy hour where they offer a medium drink option for three dollars. This happens every day and it is mainly for their madhatters (energy drinks) around three to six in the afternoon. Their sizes are similar to the ones in Starbucks, their small cup is 12oz, their medium is 16oz, and their large is 24oz with an x-large option of 32oz but on certain drink options. The prices are also similar to the ones in the other two coffee shops but a little more expensive starting with their cheapest option being an Americano for around $4.00 and their cold brew for $4.30. Then, it begins to get a little more expensive with their lattes and Mochas for around $5.60 and their macchiatos starting at $6.60. Lastly, they have their most expensive options being Dubai Chocolate Matcha and Rebels ranging from $6:00 or more. 

Pros and Cons: 

Dutch Bros: If you are someone who enjoys going out late at night then Dutch would be one of the best options since this coffee shop typically closes around 11:00pm in various locations and they do in fact also open early in the morning. Dutch Bros also has a mobile order option where you can order ahead of time which I personally think is convenient if you happen to be in a hurry. They do tend to have lower wait times so you don’t have to wait longer than two minutes to get your drinks and this coffee shop also offers a point system where you can earn rewards for purchasing drinks in which you can later exchange for free drinks. However just like any other place, this coffee shop also has its downsides. If you happen to go late at night, you have to wait longer than you would in the day because of how short staffed many of these shops are especially when they are is smaller neighborhoods.

Starbucks: Starbucks as well opens early in the day but varies depending on which location you go to (4:00am-5:00am). However, they do close earlier (9:00pm) than Dutch. Starbucks also offers a point system just like Dutch in where you get points that you can later exchange for rewards. However, unlike Dutch, you can exchange your points for things other than drinks, such as merchandise, sandwiches and pastries. If you are someone who is interested in things other than free drinks, this would be a good place to earn those points. On the downside, Starbucks usually has a little higher wait times than Dutch because of how short staffed it is, especially later in the day. 

Wake Up Call: These coffee shops are ones that are very in the middle regarding business hours. They do typically open at 5:00am and close at 9:00pm which is very similar to Starbucks. Wake Up Call also has a similar point system as Dutch in where you exchange points for free drinks, by giving them your number, but it doesn’t get any better than that. On the downside, Wake Up Call lines do tend to go a lot slower than Dutch and Starbucks because again it tends to be short staffed with only two people working most of the time. 

Overview 

Overall, each coffee shops have their weaknesses and strengths. However, I would take into consideration their menu options and who you are purchasing drinks because although they all have a variety of options some coffee shops are limited in choices. Then, I would take into consideration the service given to their customers because there are some who like to engage with their customers and there are those who don’t. However, this is more preferential on if you as the customer likes to engage in conversations in which Dutch would be the better option or are more reserve which in this case Wake Up Call seemed to be the best option