Woman gets sandwich from Starbucks. Then she opens it up and looks inside: ‘Who is in charge of making these?’

Getting food or a beverage from Starbucks can be a “sweet treat” for many people. But one woman is calling out the company after receiving less than what she expected from one of the chain's sandwiches.

Chrissy (@chrissyjai_) posted a video that received more than 872,000 views on TikTok. In it, she explained that she was disappointed in a “Tomato & Mozzarella on Focaccia” sandwich she purchased from Starbucks. She highlighted how little filling she received, which shocked some viewers. 

What did Chrissy receive?

The “Tomato & Mozzarella on Focaccia” normally comes with roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, spinach, basil pesto, and focaccia bread. But when Chrissy opened her sandwich, she noticed a paltry amount of basil pesto, little to no spinach, and roughly three roasted tomatoes inside. The mozzarella, too, seemed thin. There was only a small amount melted on one side of the sandwich. 

As a few commenters pointed out, the item did not look like its picture on Starbucks' website. The picture includes more tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, and pesto than what Chrissy received. 

Chrissy's comment section featured the voices of many people who also felt shortchanged by the menu option. Some websites say the sandwich can range from $8.95 to $9.25, which can feel steep for some customers.

“sbux worker here, i agree!! sometimes i get tomato mozzarellas with literally 1 tomato and 1 piece of spinach … i throw it away and grab a fatter one cuz i'm NOT serving anyone no empty sandwich,” one person said. 

“As a barista, the tomato mozzarella is really disappointing these days,” one person explained.

Another self-identified barista added, “No bc when I worked there 10 years ago the sandwiches were STACKED and the quality was so much better.” 

Other commenters said that Starbucks' breakfast sandwiches seemed smaller, too. They discussed an overall drop in quality from the large-scale coffee company.

“dude as someone who works at starbucks it's actually ridiculous how the quality has went down,” one person said. 

@chrissyjai_ About to stop going there tbh…. #starbucks ♬ original sound – Chrissy.

How does Starbucks get its menu items?

Starbucks relies heavily on distributors to offer a variety of items for customers, but where does the food come from? Most offerings are distributed to Starbucks by third-party companies. One commenter pointed out that Starbucks sources some of its items from Taylor Farms. Other companies such as FGF Brands and SK Food Group Incorporated have provided items for the coffee chain, according to On The Seams.

In late 2024, Starbucks had 35 consolidated distribution centers that managed roughly 70,000 deliveries per week. On The Seams says that “Basically for all products that aren't coffee, tea, or the Evolution juice, Starbucks relies on third-party vendors.”

From 2024 to 2026, Starbucks has had supply chain issues, according to Reuters. The supply chain issues led to shortages on Starbucks products, miscounts on what stores have available, and “overstuffed warehouses.”

It's unclear, however, why so many people have negative experiences with the Tomato & Mozzarella sandwich. Either way, many of Chrissy's viewers said they aren't visiting anytime soon.

“starbucks is just aesthetic and fake substance,” one viewer said.

Buzz News reached out to Chrissy via TikTok direct message and Starbucks via email for comment.