Modern Vespa

This post is for Sarah and the Seattle based MV'ers...

Curious to see how many Starbucks locations are closed in your neck of the woods? Knowing that in some parts of town, there was one on every corner, will be interesting to see which one's they "weed out".

Here in So. Cal S.B had a big thumbprint, but never say 3 or more on a given intersection....

Let us know....what you find.

Glad they are closing a lot of stores...those rat bastards...charging $4+ for a cup of coffee. I hate their coffee anyway...too strong. Much better coffee at Dunkin Donuts and half the price.

From news:
As many as 12,000 Starbucks workers will lose their jobs when the company begins closing 600 U.S. stores this summer.
The Seattle coffee company is cutting 5 percent of its U.S. locations as part of a wide-ranging effort to boost its bottom line and its stock price. The chain is accelerating international growth.
Starbucks officials said the closures are happening in "all major U.S. markets" between late July and March. Florida and California are among the largest states affected.

I haven't seen any closures here personally but then again, I don't ever really go to Starbucks so I'm not sure I would notice right away. I like some of the smaller local coffee shops (even though yes, Starbucks is technically local here). I'll keep my eye out and let you know! I'm sure my coworkers are doing their part to keep the one down the street open.

I can think of a few locations in Seattle where you only have to walk 1/2 a block or cross the street to go from one Starbucks to another. It will be interesting to see if some of those locations are shut down.

This is just conjecture on my part, but I bet they close some of the smaller Starbucks which were located inside other Starbucks...

Makes gasoline seem downright cheap - especially considering what goes into making it...

I'd expect to see the most closures in those areas whose housing markets are being hit the hardest. In other words, don't fret about your favorite downtown S.F. SBUX being closed come Monday, but if you live in Central California, there may be some changes...

We have 4 in a quarter mile radius here...in Redlands. About 7 total. I think we can spare one.

Ha! Or 3!

Indeed.....

Dunkin Donuts and Micky D's "cheaper" coffee mos def. eroded/gave em' some competition.......

I was always a fan of the "indie coffee" houses myself....
Let us know....what you find.[/quote]
Glad they are closing a lot of stores...those rat bastards...charging $4+ for a cup of coffee. I hate their coffee anyway...too strong. Much better coffee at Dunkin Donuts and half the price.[/quote]

That new McDonald's coffee is hard to beat...and a lot cheaper than Starbucks. However, I still buy Starbucks whole beans for home use, and the price keeps going up. I guess I'm addicted.

I like my local guy... the beans are roasted at the other shop about 2 miles down the road too. There's always free coffee at closing time. It's like freakin' Mayberry over here! everyone gathers round and hangs out and everyone knows each other and there are free refills-

My favorite blend is called "Hammerhead" and at $1.50 for 10 oz. it's a deal

I feel pretty good about giving money to a friend.

It's always been interesting to me how much Starbucks serves as a proxy for people's opinions about everything related to American (or the rest of the world, FTM) culture, EXCEPT the actual coffee.

Conservatives hate it.
Liberals hate it.

It's a typical poseur, hipster drink.
It's a typical wanna-be, fly-over, rube drink.

It's a symbol of everything right with [whatever].
It's a symbol of everything wrong with [whatever].

It's a symptom of everything wrong with [whatever].
It's the cause of everything wrong with [whatever].

Their coffee is too strong.
Their coffee is too weak.

Sometimes a cup of coffee is just a cup of coffee.
(Except when it's a triple soy, mocha latte chai with whipped cream and cinnamon, doppio).

I neither go out of my way to avoid Starbucks, nor do I go out of my way to seek them out.
If I had my druthers, every cup of coffee I drank would be from Peet's, but I am not that particular about it. Just gimme the goddam caffeine! And make mine black.

I have wondered why I have seen 2 Starbucks stores right accross the street or kitty corner at an intersection from one another? Suppose someone made the call at headquarters, maybe not such a good plan after all...

I personally don't hit Starbucks that often here at home but when I have travelled they have been my saving grace on more than one occasion!

right on, thanks sarah.

Seeing a complete intersection of starbucks always cracked me up.

apple store or vespa store...now we're talking...

hope all is well....

Starf#$ks have been greedy and over charging people long enough. I'm surprised it took this long for people to realize that their coffee is actually over roasted crap.

Sorry for the ppl who will be losing their jobs, but absolutely delighted that Starf#$ks is going to sh!t.

It's a vile liquid... the entire industry could disappear for all I care. And the Nuke/Pave/Franchise business model is for shit, no matter the purveyor.

here's an interesting article from Fortune on how Starbucks hit the Wall:

http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/07/02/why-starbucks-is-hitting-the-wall/

I like Columbian made in a French Press. I never understood Starbucks. Around here we call it Charbucks. Of course D&D started here. Even their coffee is a bit thin. Sorry for all the job losses but really make it at home. One more thing how did they manage to keep their prices up when there were so many stores close to each other. Shouldn't they have competed and lowered the price or was that set at corporate?

As the great Cameo once said...
"WORD UP!"
If I dont have time to make it myself, D&D it is
although they do have a wicked hot caramel apple cider, their coffee is crap...

French Press FTW!!!

QFT!

scooterjenn is on the money.

our local roaster, jersey shore coffee roasters, is way good.

small place with a cool vibe and always fresh.

you can smell the coffee roasting from blocks away.

peace..I'm out...

The international house of pancakes is my health club as well...

The thing that bugs me about the local Starbucks here in the bay area is that two of them near me both kicked out a local coffee shop and stole their locations. Outrageous! Sophia's Coffee, on Charleston in Palo Alto (they actually moved to a new location 3 blocks from my house, so that's okay), and Clocktower Coffee on Middlefield in Mountain View (they also moved to a new location). Now how crazy is that?

I've always said that "Starbucks is the Microsoft of coffee". Mediocre product, but it's everywhere so everyone uses it. (I say, as I type this on a Windows laptop, sipping my Starbucks latte).

-Dan

Homogenized coffee for a homogenized culture. Obviously I'm a hater, but a reporter on the San Francisco TV news did a search on his GPS for Starbuck's within a one mile radius in SF and 32 came up. 32! I think they got what they deserved.

Favorite coffee in my realm of the Bay Area:
1. Broken Door Espresso, San Jose Downtown
2. Great Bear, Los Gatos
3. Lulu Carpernter's, Santa Cruz
4. Monsieur Beans, San Jose Willow Glen
5. Orchard Valley Coffee, Campbell
6. Barefoot Coffee Roasters, Santa Clara
7. Coffee Society, Campbell
8. Westside Coffee, Santa Cruz
9. Los Gatos Roasting Company, Los Gatos
10. Rollo's Donuts, San Jose

Had not been in a Starbucks in about 2 years, but the Sunday paper had a "Get a FREE Starbucks Iced Coffee every Wednesday until July something or other" coupon, so I got suckered in last Wednesday. Got my cup of iced coffee, took one sip as I was heading for the door, and dropped the cup and coupon in the trash before I was gone.

Crappy schlock

At least I didn't have to go out of my way to try it
(2 years ago my town got its first starbucks. We now have 5. The 2 supermarkets that sit right next to one another each have one inside, and damn if they didn't build a third in the parking lot right in front of the supermarkets.

Coffee makes me piss too much... Tea is much better! 8)

We love our K-cups. We both have our favorite coffees and we can each have a different flavor. It works perfect for us.

Yup...sad state of affairs.

viva the indie mom and pops coffee houses....if there are any left.

Taken a cue from Dongoose, here are some notable westside/hollywood coffee houses.

1. LaMill Coffee- Silverlake (high end coffee barista experience).
2. Coraltree Cafe- Brentwood
3. Literati- West L.A
4. Peets Coffee (albeit a chain)* the exception

more to come...

others?

good. their coffee sucks, very burnt and too hot.

imho, Peets beats Starbucks by far.

The best coffee in SF is Blue Bottle and Cole on College Ave in Berkeley.

Comedian Lewis Black says that was done for people with Alzheimer's.

That would make it in Berkeley - not SF! Or does that make it the best coffee shop in San Jose?

.......

godoggo

-

If only Tim Horton's would close a few locations. Coffee flavoured hot water.

I forgot to add SF "area", in my imho.

Cole coffee on College Ave

Glad they are closing a lot of stores...those rat bastards...charging $4+ for a cup of coffee. I hate their coffee anyway...too strong. Much better coffee at Dunkin Donuts and half the price.[/quote]

Rat bastards? Kind of harsh. I know everyone and their mother has something to say bad about the company, and I'm not going to spend my time fighting everyone. But as a Starbucks partner, I do have to say one thing... A company that can give 40,000+ partners medi/dental/Vision benefits at part time hours, or a company that that helps out it's partners whose homes were burnt in the So-cal fires last year, or had to be relocated because of katrina... nobody seems to care about that. Yeah 4$ for a Venti White Mocha, for a is a bit of money, but since I just got off work from there a couple minutes ago....It's a 1.80 for a cup of coffee. So yeah, we're a huge a company, there is one just about every other corner, But still, there are 600 stores closing (in the next 9 months) whose partners are getting relocated to nearby stores, times aren't easy for anyone, why try to rub in the salt? oh yeah, it's because we're on the internet... where nobody needs to care about anyone else.
now im off my soap box
thanks

Among the many blessing of living here - no Starbucks. No "chain" coffee shops at all. Lots and lots of family owned cafes serving great java drinks.

A&A

Having spent most of my life in Seattle and being a big coffee drinker I've never been a fan of their brewed coffee. The beans, yes, but not when they make it. That being said they don't charge $4 for coffee - that's the price you pay for some of the goofier drinks with crazy ingredients.

McD's iced coffe is $1.89 and Sbux is no more than $2.25 or less depending on this size. And the Sbux iced coffee is really good for some reason (probably the roast).

Oh - Ritual in SF/Mission is one of the better shops.