POLL: WHAT'S WRONG WITH STARBUCKS?

[unit_number_43]

I sum it up like this, when starbucks comes to a town or neighborhood it's all about starbucks. When and independent opens its all about the community.

Really? Because my Starbucks donates all it's leftover pastries to the local foodbank. They sponsor local walk-a-thons, and often have local musicians playing throughout the day. The employees know most of the regular customers by name and drink. And there are tons of other community building projects Starbucks participates in throughout the year.

Starbucks is a franchise, and it's easy to think that because of that, they don't plant roots in the community. But in actuality the stores are run by people that live in the community, they aren't shipping in robot baristas.

Starbucks, like Ben and Jerry's, got big because they were good at what they did. They got popular, and were able to expand. But they still keep the same principles that Starbucks was founded on, when it was just one local coffee shop. It's not the evil empire that people would like to associate all franchise organiations with.

 

[Muddycup]

kudos to you and starbucks

 

[MrBox]

Why

I don't like how their coffee tastes.
Not sure if they have mugs for dinking in
Rarely do they have single origin coffee
Usually their coffee is old and not fresh
JM

 

[harpua]

Umm...Starbucks is not a franchise organization.

 

[desert rose]

EXCEPT the price. it is very high, not just for the coffee but for the cakes and the sandwiches too. in my counrty one cup of starbucks coffee costs $4 and the cake also cost $4. I think there should be more variation in the food they are serving, or at least they should change from time to time. :roll:

 

[coffeebabe16]

i have had starbucks before they do have very unique and nice coffee but we payed about $12 a cup for me and my mum each so we dont go there anymore as it is to pricy even the new maccas restrants coffee is getting better and they are very afforadable coffee the mac caffes i think they are a exclent idea but if there is not one near buy we just go to a samll stall coffee shop which we like to pay about $3 each which is a afforadble price. :grin:

 

[unit_number_43]

Umm...Starbucks is not a franchise organization.

oh god. A chain store then. That doesn't change anything I said.


$4 a cup? That's crazy. 16oz of coffee is $1.80 at the starbucks here. Where do you live?!

 

[SactoMike]

High cost of pastries......

Unless I'm starving, I try not to fork over $1.95 for a pastry.

 

[alunabay]

Re: Confusing the customer to sell more lattes

one word....

Macchiato


Call a Latte a Latte.

Except that a latte isn't the same as a macchiato. A latte is espresso with steamed milk and a little foam, and a macchiato is made like a long black (espresso and hot water) except that it has a little milk/foam on the top.

Personally, I don't mind Starbucks (and I shouldn't say that as I work at a 'rival' store *g*), but I'm not a huge fan of their hot drinks (their frappuccinos and iced drinks, however...yum!).

 

[topher]

actaully a macchiato is a shot of espresso with a dollop of froth on top...it translates to espresso stained with milk...so maybe starbux was trying to say stained with caramel..the only carmel in their carmal macchiato is on top of the drink...the syrup is vanilla

 

[alunabay]

actaully a macchiato is a shot of espresso with a dollop of froth on top...it translates to espresso stained with milk...so maybe starbux was trying to say stained with caramel..the only carmel in their carmal macchiato is on top of the drink...the syrup is vanilla

Ohhh, probably just confusion due to different places. We've got both a short and long macchiato, the short being the espresso stained with milk, the long being the long black style one.

I nearly bought a caramel macchiato today, too...I really wish I had now!

 

[unit_number_43]

the difference between a latte and a caramel machiatto is that the shot goes on top of a machiatto. And the caramel and vanilla, of course. What this does, is creat layers in the drink. It's very evident if you get an iced machiatto, since the cup is clear. Where as with the latte everything is mixed together by the pouring of the milk.

 

[harpua]

Re: Confusing the customer to sell more lattes

one word....

Macchiato


Call a Latte a Latte.

Except that a latte isn't the same as a macchiato.

Yea, that was my point. My problem with Starbucks is what they call a macchiato is actually a latte.

 

[unit_number_43]

what you're describing is an espresso machiatto. traditionally a shot with just alittle bit of milk on top. the carmel machiatto however is a full drink. if you wanted to call it a latte it would be a Vanilla Latte, Affigato style, with caramel drizzle. saying that a caramel machiatto is a misnomer is just being anal. Next you're going to say that the Frappacino doesn't actually come with a pair of nice slacks. Maybe the name was butchered, but it's now very obvious as to what yo'ure getting.

It does bother me that the "caramel" drinks don't usually have any caramel in them. Caramel Apple Cider for instance only has caramel on top, not actually in the drink.

 

[CafeNomad]

So the coffee taste burnt and it appears overpriced and there competitive practices can be a bit preditory. But no one has mentioned how they treat their employees? Part-timers get health insurance, profit sharing, and 401-k's don't they? Isn't that good for a local community? Maybe that is why their prices are high, so that employees can be fairly compensated. They certainly aren't Wal-Mart or McDonalds.