More than 14 million passengers stream through the South Bay airport each year, and a massive chunk of them apparently find their way to this specific queue — likely due to its proximity to the security checkpoint for Terminal B, which serves as a hub for both Southwest and Alaska flights.

The Yelp reviews, thusly, describe a chaotic daily scene:

“There were piles of food that had been abandoned by people who had had to catch flights,” one review from February reads.

And it isn’t a new problem: “The line here is longer than boarding lines for Southwest,” a review from 2019 notes.

“Expect 30+ minutes,” adds another from 2019.

Despite not even being the closest coffee shop to SJC’s Terminal B TSA line (there’s a Peet’s directly after the security checkpoint), the post-security Starbucks location almost always has a stream of people who spill out into the airport’s main concourse. 

What’s wild, though, is it doesn’t have to be this way at all.

I’ve flown in and out of San Jose dozens of times — usually because it has the cheapest Southwest flights — and when I do I use my one and only airport “hack” (if you can even call it that).

When my Lyft driver starts to get off the freeway exit to the airport, I pull out my phone, open the Starbucks app, and place a mobile order for that exact location. It’s mind-numbingly simple, but nonetheless effective. I always end up walking right past the “endless line of people waiting,” straight to the front to pick up my already-waiting coffee and breakfast sandwich orders (usually for our entire family of five).

As it turns out, I’m not the only one who’s discovered the hack.

“TLDR; use the mobile app to order, esp when the line is long,” posted Thomas N. on Yelp in August of 2022 — as part of one of the only four-star reviews for the location. “I got at the back of a very long line at 8:15AM. A young lady walking by told me to use the mobile app, so I did. Order was submitted at 8:17AM, my hot drink was ready by 8:20AM, and my hot sandwich was ready by 8:25AM. The people I was standing behind were still behind maybe 10-15 people! The workers were so slammed and I thanked them for their help putting everything out as quickly as they did. Be kind, y’all.”