Starbucks to experiment with beer?

beerkrump said:

Sure the coffee at Starbucks is not the best. However, what was your gold standard for coffee before Starbucks, Denny's? Cappuccinos and espressos are common now.

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Just as far as chains go, we had Green Mountain Coffee Roasters all over the region for almost 20 years before Starbucks came to Maine.

But the gold standard would be local coffee shops, which long before GMCR were there making espresso and cappuccinos. And then regional chains like Tim Horton's have been known for their coffee since the 1960s.

Out west, Starbucks started off buying their beans from Peet's, who predate them and still make a better cup of coffee, IMO.

If you're going to name a big chain, Dunkin' Donuts has far better coffee than Denny's, and is on par with Starbucks for a simple cup of coffee.

Now, Starbucks does deserve credit for popularizing the frappucino-style iced drinks, which receive a lot of undeserved derision IMO. They're not interchangeable with a cup of coffee, but they're a great summer drink from time to time.

I like Starbucks, because I like to travel.
You can go into a Starbucks in most corners of the world and be assured of the following:
- Relatively clean bathroom
- Ok coffee
- Place to rest weary feet for as long as you want in a non-threatening environment
That to me is the value of the Starbucks brand.

I look forward to their new experiment.

lehr said:

I like the look on their face when I use crazy terms like small medium or large.

Pat

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I hate that they try to correct you, they know what you mean, so stop wasting time and pour my damn coffee!
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I saw this on the morning news. Not sure about whether or not it's a good idea. I think it will come down to the location (what are the laws and is there enough seating). The renaming will probably go over well on the coasts but I don't think it'll catch on in the rest of the nation.

As for whether or not I like them serving beer... well exposure is good, but it depends on what they're serving.


We had an unspoken understanding at the coffee shop in the Warren Tech Center. All of the engineers would order a "large" and the lady at the register would say "grande regular" to her coworker, who was pouring, without "correcting" us.

This works fine.

Of course the studio designers and marketing people order by the "creative" names.

Yes, I actually know some of the people who make Fourbucks a going concern. In Portland, all they'll have to do is serve PBR and the hipsters will never leave.

Tried searching for one 'near' my town, the search hung! I guess I'm out there. Not saying the Fat Cat (local shop) makes coffee good enough to drive into town for a cup.

thedigitale said:

I've always found it incredible that no one will admit that they like Starbucks, but yet they're the biggest chain coffee store in the country.

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Last I heard, Dunkin Donuts was bigger. Did Starbucks beat them back again? I couldn't find anything on that.

taylornate said:

Last I heard, Dunkin Donuts was bigger. Did Starbucks beat them back again? I couldn't find anything on that.

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Even if Dunkin' Donuts technically has more branches, Starbucks is definitely more widespread. In the Bay Area (including the south bay, San Jose, and East Bay) there are 2 DD's, over an hour apart from each other. I'm not even going to try to count the Starbucks in that same span of space

Starbucks in 2008 had almost twice as many units as Dunkin Donuts (16,680 to 8,835)and had almost triple the sales (13,500 to 5,500 (in millions)).

I also do not consider Dunkin Donuts to be a coffee house... they have coffee and are marketing it in response to the coffee craze, but they are a dooughnut shop, IMO.

Starbucks is the 4th largest chain, behind McD's KFC and Burger King. Dunkin Donuts is 10th, with Subway, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, Taco Bell, and Dominos in between.

Yeah, given I've personally witnessed two Starbucks branches at one intersection, I didn't see how DD could be bigger

MBasile said:

Even if Dunkin' Donuts technically has more branches, Starbucks is definitely more widespread. In the Bay Area (including the south bay, San Jose, and East Bay) there are 2 DD's, over an hour apart from each other. I'm not even going to try to count the Starbucks in that same span of space

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Well, that's west coast. On large parts of the east coast it's going to seem exactly the opposite--Maine has over 90 Dunkin Donuts and just 15 Starbucks.

Nationwide, there are 6,400 DDs in the nation compared to 11,000 Starbucks, so the numbers are heavily tilted toward Starbucks--but it's not like there are even 2 Starbucks for every 1 Dunkin Donuts in the country. There are plenty of places in New England where you see the silly "Dunkin Donuts across the street from Dunkin Donuts" thing like you see for Starbucks out west.

chefmike said:

I also do not consider Dunkin Donuts to be a coffee house... they have coffee and are marketing it in response to the coffee craze, but they are a dooughnut shop, IMO.

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FWIW, they started off as Open Kettle Coffee in the 1940s, then added donuts to handle hungry customers during coffee breaks. They changed the name to Dunkin Donuts in 1950, but they began with coffee and they've always billed themselves as "a coffee and baked goods chain".

When they canned the in-store donut cooking (around the time that they dropped the "time to make the donuts" campaign) in favor of regional bakeries shipping donuts around to stores, the donut quality went way downhill; nowadays, the only reason to go there is for the coffee, IMO.

hal2814 said:

There is a bar in Athens, GA that sells good coffee and also has a full bar. I personally think it's an incredible idea and has worked well for them.

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Brewin_CRAZY said:

About two blocks from my house is a new coffee shop (its a local mom and pop shop) and they have 5 beers on tap with out side seating across the street from campus.

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There was a great coffeeshop/pub I used to hang out in when I was working on my undergrad. They had the best coffee in town, 4 craft taps, a small but awesome selection of bottled beers and wines, plus sandwiches, salads, baked goods and dessert stuff. And, lest I forget, they had a pipe/cigar room in the back, and a well stocked humidor to go with it. It was AWESOME and always busy with a diverse crowd of people. Open until 11 most nights, and later on the weekends. Great live music, too.

Starbucks is never going to have the same atmosphere as that joint, BUT I think it's a completely reasonable idea for them to pursue.

SumnerH said:

FWIW, they started off as Open Kettle Coffee in the 1940s, then added donuts to handle hungry customers during coffee breaks. They changed the name to Dunkin Donuts in 1950,

the donut quality went way downhill; nowadays, the only reason to go there is for the coffee, IMO.

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i didnt know that first part... about pre 1950... interesting.

i gavent had coffee or donut in one since kurt cobain was fresh on the scene! plus i live in the land of krispy kreme now.

And I just realized I cited international total units above... not just US. oh well.

Here's to a good doughnut, coffee or beer... pick your poison!

chefmike said:

i gavent had coffee or donut in one since kurt cobain was fresh on the scene! plus i live in the land of krispy kreme now.

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The donut mecca was the early 1980s Dunkins. Cooked fresh on site, like current Krispy Kreme, but with all the variety of modern Dunkin Donuts. Nowadays you choose between fresh but limited selection at Krispy Kreme, or not-so-fresh but wide variety at Dunkin. Neither is really satisfactory.

A fresh Boston Creme Filled, hot out of the fryer with the chocolate still warm, was heaven on earth.

that is what I remember from high school... I had a warm crueller once. Never had one as good since.

But krispy kreme... at midnight or so... hot, fresh, now.... just the glazed thank you.

It is like jumping out of an airplane, only you feel your arteries hardening as you suck down each one.

i should likely be in a program...

They have one of these opening near me. It's on 15th Ave. and the name will be, I've heard, 15th Ave Something. So i'm guessing they will all have different names across the country? Hard to believe, because it's harder to brand.

Personally, when I want a beer, I go to a bar. But maybe living in the land of great beer, I have more/better options then other people in the country/world.? Or maybe it's that there are SO FREAKIN coffee shops out here that you can get a beer and a decent coffee with the blink of an eye.

MBasile said:

Yeah, given I've personally witnessed two Starbucks branches at one intersection, I didn't see how DD could be bigger

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Come to New England. I can drive the 10 miles from work to home, and ALWAYS be within sight of a DD's...

I think I know where a Starbucks might be around here...

Dang, my google-foo is weak this morning, was looking for the Starbucks Rivendell (LotR) photoshop but came up dry.

I did here they are opening a Starbucks in the parking lot of the Starbucks though.

Boondoggie said:

Come to New England. I can drive the 10 miles from work to home, and ALWAYS be within sight of a DD's...

I think I know where a Starbucks might be around here...

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Precisely....I lived in Boston for a stint and found it was hard not to notice a DD on every block. I don't think it's a surprise that DD is oversaturated up in NE and Starbucks up in NW: those are the regions they started afterall. One thing that I've noticed recently is that I'm seeing a lot more DDs here in the South the past year. They've really taken a lot of business away from Starbucks in this economy....so this experiment Starbucks is doing will be interesting. Instead of competing with DD in offering just regular cheap coffee, they're going to expand on more specialty drinks. Only time will tell if this strategy will work for them.

davesrose said:

Precisely....I lived in Boston for a stint and found it was hard not to notice a DD on every block. I don't think it's a surprise that DD is oversaturated up in NE and Starbucks up in NW: those are the regions they started afterall. One thing that I've noticed recently is that I'm seeing a lot more DDs here in the South the past year. They've really taken a lot of business away from Starbucks in this economy....so this experiment Starbucks is doing will be interesting. Instead of competing with DD in offering just regular cheap coffee, they're going to expand on more specialty drinks. Only time will tell if this strategy will work for them.

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More DD in chicago than Starbucks too. That being said, I'm from MA originally, so maybe I just notice them more. I'm also not downtown, so there may be more Starbucks down there. IMO, DD sells a better cup of coffee, doesn't confuse people with stupid sizes, and is much cheaper.


As to Krispy Kreme, any pastry is good hot. Its the ones that are still good cold that are special. Cold Krispy Kreme donuts are vile. Cold Dunkin Donuts are still decent.

samc said:

Redhook used to use & promote Starbucks coffee in the Double Black Stout. Now when they sell it, it just says coffee.

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I loved that stuff - haven't seen it in years, though I haven't been looking terribly hard.

mookie1010 said:

I loved that stuff - haven't seen it in years, though I haven't been looking terribly hard.

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Redhook to Launch Limited Release Program in Fall 08 w/ Double Black Stout - BeerAdvocate

Can be found at Total Wine if you are fortunate enough to have one in your vicinity. I used to love RHDBS, but having it again with this reissue, it just didn't seem the same. That, or having tried so many more beers over the years, I have just found ones that are better.

Synovia said:

...
As to Krispy Kreme, any pastry is good hot. Its the ones that are still good cold that are special. Cold Krispy Kreme donuts are vile. Cold Dunkin Donuts are still decent.

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Try the Krispy Kreme Blueberry Cake doughnut, it is great cold. In fact it would probably be horrible warm.

Just had a Krispy Kreme last weekend that was cold... was some sort of fund raiser.

It was terrible. I microwaved it for 10 seconds, it was almost as terrible.


I used to live 5 minutes from a KK and I remember their doughnuts being pretty good. But man they don't improve with age!

I always liked them cold VV

MBasile said:

I hate that they try to correct you, they know what you mean, so stop wasting time and pour my damn coffee!
[/rant]

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That's what I'm talkin bout !
Pat

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

They would never have a Euro style cafe in my town. A local restaurant is not even allowed to serve wine with their outside meals. Some poor little bugger might see an adult drinking responsibly, become a crack head and start murdering old ladies for their medication.

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Dude, you live in OHIO... you got it backwards. They are worried the old lady murdering crackheads might see an adult drinking responsibly and become drinkers of craft beer.

Anyway... I think it's a great idea, and I'd like to see more beers with coffee in 'em even if they will be $4 at Fourbucks...

Personally I hate Starbucks. Those places are always filled with young yuppy highschoolers, and aging hippies, and I can't stand either group. It's not the coffee, and it's not stupid names they have for sizes of coffee, but it's the whole atmosphere of the place I can't stand.

pffffft Starbucks

lehr said:

That's what I'm talkin bout !
Pat

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You may like this then! (NWS for language)

::ill Will Press:: NEUROTICALLY YOURS CARTOON: COFFEE-HOUSE PROPAGANDA

marubozo said:

Will their beer taste burnt?

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Hahah, I thought I was the only one who thought that way....

I'm a bit worried that with starbucks selling beer where will all the beer and wine licenses go? at least here in San Diego we are limited to a certain # per neighborhood. It would suck if someone wanted to open a brewpub and were refused because the six starbucks around you had the last licenses-

Boy, this is going to suck for one of my Arabic instructors. He loves coffee and has his after class linguistic studies at Starbuck's. He doesn't drink though, and doesn't go to any places that serve alcohol. He's screwed.

lehr said:

I like the look on their face when I use crazy terms like small medium or large.

Pat

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Every now and then when I'm in an ornery mood I'll deliberately do that just to see if I can get in an argument - "no, I don't want a tall cup, I want a small cup - that should the smallest cup you have, not the tall one."

Once we got into a whole Abbot and Costello type or argument, but that clerk was cool, he realized I was pulling his leg and went along with it.

In any case the whole tall, grande, venti thing is borderline ridiculous. It's nothing more than naked pretension.

Hercules Rockefeller said:

Every now and then when I'm in an ornery mood I'll deliberately do that just to see if I can get in an argument - "no, I don't want a tall cup, I want a small cup - that should the smallest cup you have, not the tall one."

Once we got into a whole Abbot and Costello type or argument, but that clerk was cool, he realized I was pulling his leg and went along with it.

In any case the whole tall, grande, venti thing is borderline ridiculous. It's nothing more than naked pretension.

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Starbucks does have a "short" size. It's generally reserved for kids' drinks, but you can order a short drip coffee. It would be smaller than a tall.

Starbucks bringing this idea back? - http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-starbucks-beer-20120124,0,5910879.story

$5 for a Rogue Dead Guy and Free Wifi? Sounds pretty good to me! Or as an option when someone suggesting going there for afternoon coffee, of which I can't stand their burnt product.

there is a Starbucks on ever street corner in the city, and there is still a huge freakin like to get coffee How da heck are they loosing money?

hmm... BrewBucks.... well, like the man said "I do not see it ending well" but could be fun to try

I think that in most civilized countries beer is not really an alcoholic beverage so it's sold in soda-machines and what not ... If your are in a hotel, there is a soda-machine on your floor and there is no beer inside your in US...

I read an article today that they are rolling this out as a test market here in Atlanta. Maybe if they start with $1 pints of Sweetwater...but I'm not holding my breath.

Don't you need a liquor license to sell beer?

A local coffee shop in my area is working on getting set up to serve beer. They're going to focus on Belgians.