Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Not quite a issue worthy of debate but from a business perspective it is interesting.

Starbucks (SB's) built their business on the historical coffee house platform borrowed from the Europeans.

They also brought the bold (over roasted) European brews and offered them to those who patronized their kiosks.

Initially patrons came to enjoy the coffee house ambiance. The coffee was tolerated.

SB's recognized early that those who came and purchased coffee were leaving their cups half full/empty--you decide depending on your attitude.

So SB's began to provide "candy bar coffee"---it started with chocolate and cream to hide/mask the awful over-roasted bitter brews and extended into cappuccino, lattes, caffe' latte's ,mocha's and other offerings that would cover the bitter/off flavor notes caused by over roasted coffee.

Smart business decision--but like many decisions made by SB's they had not thought beyond the next shareholder's meeting.

SB's built their coffee houses with reckless abandon and to keep the business afloat (cash flow) they began selling cold drinks, snacks and even today soup and sandwiches. Not enough pure coffee drinkers were around.

Wouldn't the "coffee connoisseurs" keep them in business? You know the fellow snobs who purchase just a very special cup of "Verona" fast and easy -compared to a non-fat, soy latte with extra foam-- (Pleaaassse). But those long lines are not made up of "connoisseurs" they are made up of "the masses" trying to cover the awful SB's brew with all sorts of concoctions--caramel, egg nog, chocolate--extra cream--please anything to lessen the taste of this terrible burnt brew..

The long lines of patrons could be lessened and perhaps ever more NEW customers would arrive if the coffee was palatable and not requiring a chemist from DuPont to cover the acid..

The reality is:

If you took away the food, cold drinks, sugary flavored drinks--and iced beverages the Starbucks connoisseurs would not have a line in which to wait and they --in time-- would not have a place to sit and use their Wi Fi because SB would be filing for bankruptcy protection.

So the "masses" who know more about coffee than SB.

Howard understands this and is attempting to build a Dunkin Coffee program with the franchise--so far the brand he built is smothering him in this attempt.

If he doesn't figure this out soon as other smaller coffee franchise have, then Starbucks is doomed.

The food is excellent--great sandwiches.

@iliana: loving the "concept" of starbucks = the accessability of
having a cafe experience here in america. a totally unique experience,
pre-SB -- except in ethnic neighborhoods. not the same thing as having coffee in a "coffee shop" or diner.

i think they started taking themselves too seriously. i don't want to detract from the SB success story/phenonomon -- which was at first, seemingly spontaneous. they just started orchestrating too much, in my opinion - making it like a SB religious experience or something. it's only coffee....