I’ve been spending a lot of time at Starbucks lately, mainly because one recently opened on campus. I’m also fairly certain that since it is now so accessible, it is where most of my meal card money has been spent and my daily caffeine intake has, in fact, doubled.

In addition to the amount of time and money I spend at Starbucks, I spend even more time thinking about the dynamics of Starbucks. To be more specific, I think a lot about who the company is as a brand.

When we walk into a Starbucks, there is a certain expectation that we all have as customers. For instance, we know that ordering can be a bit difficult if you’re not used to the unique style of sizing at Starbucks. We also expect a certain sophisticated atmosphere to be upheld and we can probably expect our names to be spelled wrong.

How strange is that – to expect a mistake from a trusted and renowned franchise? Think about it, we’ve all been there. We’ve ordered our favorite beverage, paid a bit too much for it and then excitedly waited for our names to be called. Then, when our names are finally announced, we find that they have been spelled incorrectly; even the simplest of names like “Nick” or “Jen” can undergo many variations of butchering.

It initially shocks us, then confuses us and ultimately sends us into a mini identity crisis. It really gets you to wonder why in the world anyone would think that your name could be spelled in such an unorthodox way. We do eventually shake it off, think of it as a small quirk of the brand or even of the individual barista who made your drink.

Even if this quirk does annoy us a bit, we still continue to go back. Starbucks’ quality coffee certainly makes up for their incorrect spelling, but, as a brand, the way you in which you connect with your consumers is important.

So, shouldn’t Starbucks care about spelling your name correctly and recognize your identity? Do we, then, just go to Starbucks for the thrill of it and in the hopes that one day they will spell our names correctly? Or is it more? Maybe Starbucks spells our names incorrectly on purpose.

Consider this: perhaps Starbucks does not train their employees to spell names incorrectly, but instead encourages a nonchalant nature when it comes to scribbling names on cups. “Don’t worry about their names; it’s not as important as our coffee,” they might say.

But it may go even further than that. When your name is spelled incorrectly, don’t you show your friends? You most likely post your Frappuccino with your butchered name on it to your Snapchat story, Instagram and/or Twitter. You want everyone to see how “ridiculous” it is that they spelled the name Jessica with one s and a q.

Now that you’ve informed your friends about your drink mishap, they’re thinking about Starbucks too; this is how Starbucks comes out on top in this situation. They’re thinking about the last time they went to Starbucks and a barista spelled their name wrong.

Now they’re thinking about their favorite Starbucks drink. They will go to Starbucks and get that drink they’re craving, even though their name might be spelled wrong because the superb taste of their coffee and the overall expectation of the brand make up for it.

We forgive them because the coffee is good and the misspelled names are comical. It’s their “thing;” it’s what their brand is known for.

To contact the Ionian’s Alexa Filipe, e-mail her at [email protected].