A Venti Book on Getting Starbucked

New York seems to have a love/hate relationship with the branded beanery Starbucks (their seasonal Peppermint Mochas sure are tasty, but their sterile generic storefronts keep the siren's call muted). While the local mom and pop collects our $3/day coffee allowance, there are plenty lining up at the corner 'Bucks for their daily buzz. Alas, there is now a book to appease the haters and the adoring herds of the establishment.

Taylor Clark has gone and written a 304-page tell-all about the company called Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce and Culture. The Observer has a review of the even-keeled tome, which is written with a tone somewhere between the aforementioned love and hate. So how did a relatively small business out of Seattle, that was hailed for giving part-time employees full health benefits...become the bane of city-living existence? It succeeded.

When New York’s first Starbucks opened in 1994, it wasn’t greeted with alarm, as phase one of an insidious plan to colonize the city. In that innocent era, Starbucks, with a mere 425 stores—compared to more than 14,000 today—still enjoyed a reputation for being kind of hip and even a little bohemian (O.K., upscale bohemian).

Now the storefronts represent gentrification, greed and uniformity -- a homogenized outlet in which to procure overpriced novelty drinks (and the latest Josh Groban holiday cd!), often transforming a neighborhood into a Starbucks-themed MC Escher painting. However, people still go (whether they'll admit it or not) -- just as they go to the Duane Reades and the Chase banks of the neighborhood. Starbucks changed the face of the cafe to the point where "Americans barely bat an eye at paying $4 for 'pitchers of milk and espresso'.” While Clark tells of the sweet and sour sides...we thought of more cons than pros -- so think twice about where you dip your biscotti! Some food for thought after the jump...

The cons: • "the 100,000-plus network of low-wage employees and the Third World tobacco-coffee farms supplying its beans impact on communities and local culture."
• Only a small percentage (about 3.7%) of Starbucks coffee is Fair Trade-certified.
• "Phase Two".
• Ten more reasons here.

The pros: • Mostly liberal quotes on their coffee cups.
• Seattle's Starbucks Center is green certified.
• Did we mention the Peppermint Mochas?

Some "fun" facts: There are over 170 Starbucks in Manhattan alone, and the average customer comes in 18 times a month! There are currently more than 24,000 coffee shops in the nation, whereas in 1989 the US had a total of 585. And think twice about crossing the coffee-pushers, once the company put out a warrant for a man's arrest after he paid for a coffee brewer but accidentally took the wrong (more expensive) one home.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on November 14, 2007 10:06 AM

Comments [rss]

bgirl

the first starbucks in new york was at 87th and broadway. it's not there anymore.

oinonio

Does anyone know of a website listing independent coffeshops in the city? Where I live in midtown there are five Starbucks within a half-block radius, but two new espresso bars seem to be doing well: Cafe Zibetto on Sixth Ave near 56th St and Fika on 58th between Fifth and Sixth. I recommend both, Zibetto has good pastries and music, Fika could sandwiches and pretty employees.

galvo

the one thing starbucks has going for it over all the small mom and pop good coffee shops is bathrooms. i noticed a couple of the newly opened good coffee houses with plenty of indoor seating do not have a bathrooms for their customers? WTF ?

all this talk about washing hands for mrsa and ecoli and they are serving to-stay hand foods without a bathroom.

the espresso is good in many of those places , but i will stick to the ones like "Joe" with bathrooms

JenChungsBaby

I used to work for Saul Zabar and both Saul and the Zabar's coffee department manager both go off on Starbucks. Saul sends his people out to buy coffee there and they agree with people here who say that the stuff is overroasted and tastes burnt.

smitty

Grey Dog has comparable prices to Starbucks - I was shocked to go there a week or so ago and see a Chai (which is basically from a carton that you can buy at any grocery store) for $4.50 I think. Sigh.

S.D.

Starbucks is a Cult...

Neil Epstein

Tissarie, while really good, is usually more expensive than Starbucks.

rtd2101

I've seen a lot of good independent coffee shops now turn to the coffee shop by day/wine bar by night model. I don't inspect their books, but they seem to do good business, especially in the evenings...

matty

want to hear fucked up? chicago has something like 350 starbucks here already and the company wants to open another 200 in the coming year. omg.

TK

how does starbucks and their expensive, bitter coffee set in sterile, generic storefronts push out independent coffee shops serving cheaper, higher quality coffee in a more comfortable atmosphere?

should we blame the company or the consumer?

coffee shops fail all the time and they were failing before starbucks entered the fray primarily b/c they are unprofitable to break-even ventures in the long-run.

ChampionOfTheSun

At this point, Starbucks could serve hot piss (they pretty much do already), and they'd still stay in business. 1)They're trendy as hell and, 2)they're on every corner. There's just something so damn insidious about them.

rtd2101

Oh, and where was the first New York Starbucks? Anyone know?

rtd2101

Starbucks drives local coffee shops out of business, its trade practices are questionable at best (though so are most coffee buyers) and they make every neighborhood in NY a little more like a Nebraska mall, blah, blah, blah. But the real reason I hate Starbucks is more self-centered: their coffee sucks! Ever had a shot of espresso there? It is the most bitter, burnt tasting swill I've had, and I've had a lot of coffee.

I will admit that the sugary, chocolate cream syrupy drinks are good, and that's why they stay in business. People who go to starbucks don't like coffee, they like sugar. Sad thing is, you see people order those things every day like it was a cup of joe from the deli and then wonder why they weigh 300lbs. Its because you're basically eating an ice cream sundae every morning you fat idiot!

Tgirl

me too- I say 'small' to the counter person

'grande' sounds so dumb

thirtyseven

There is no reference or verification to that story about a man being arrested for taking the wrong coffee brewer. It's just a story on an anti-Starbucks website. I'm sure Starbucks is PR-savvy enough to know not to sue their own customers for a mistake like that.

matty

i only say "medium" or "large" instead of grande and venti. It really irritates the barristas for some reason.

barryap

Ever see the South Park where Tweek's father is pissed off at the big chain because they're forcing his family-run coffee shop out of business? Then he finally tries their coffee, it's spectacular, and he realizes that they've been so successful because they make a great product?

Yeah.

TK

i thought soaring real estate prices drove all the independent coffee shops outta the east village...

Toby von Meistersinger

I am glad I don't like coffee, since I have no desire to go to Starbucks and spend $8 on something that sounds like Jackie Mason clearing his throat.

smitty

...and Starbucks pays health insurance to their part-time employees. Yes, they are totally homogenous and on every corner, but they wouldn't exist if people didn't keep them in business.