Starbucks Downgrades Their Menu

Money is tight... coffee is expensive... people aren't spending as much on "the little things" in life (which is where Starbucks makes its bread and butter)... so... Starbucks has a plan: start selling happy drinks in newly named stores. Beginning with three Seattle-based locations, Starbucks will launch new stores under the pseudonym "15th Avenue Coffee and Tea" (because they are trying to give them a hometown feel, it is unclear if all the stores will have this moniker or if each one will have a different name to reflect its location) and will serve coffee, tea, wine and beer.

So much for my local, franchise coffeehouse.

As a pastor I often like to go (though, admittedly, not as often as I'd like due to cost) to Starbucks to read, research, sermon prep, and do office things out of the office. My wife and I also like to hit up the local Starbucks when we go on dates so we can just sit, talk and relax while drinking our favorite "foo-foo coffees," as my dad calls them. With the exception of the always loud music (that, no matter how often I ask them to turn it down, only seems to get louder) I love my coffeehouse! I love the smell, the people, the baristas (who, when I was going often, recognized me as a "regular" and would offer to start my "usual" Grande Java Chip Frappuccino, extra shot, light with light whip coffee before I even stepped to the counter to order it), the big, over-stuffed chairs and the all-around atmosphere. Now, it seems, I'll have to enjoy the new coffee-bar atmosphere as some patrons knock back coffee, while others allow their inhibitions to slip away as they plow through beer and women's beer (wine).

For those automatically jumping on the "he's a pastor and a Christian, of course he doesn't like to drink" stereotypical bandwagon, understand this has nothing to do with my faith. I loathe alcohol because of the number of people I see hurt as a result of people "escaping" through knocking back a couple with friends (in particular behavior brought on by being tipsy/buzzed/drunk - such as flirting with someone that's not their spouse, atypical "fun" behavior that would never be done sober, hurtful conversations, abuse, etc.). The last thing I want to deal with at the coffeeshop is someone looking to "escape" or who doesn't know their limit. I also don't want to bring my children in for their hot cocoa or chocolate milk box knowing they may be exposed to an atmosphere they are not prepared to handle (nor will be).

Here's hoping others feel the same way I do and this idea doesn't pan out. If it does, however, and my local Starbucks becomes "I-40 Coffee and Tea," I'll be traveling an additional 20 minutes to the Carribou coffee (or learning how to brew a better cup of coffee).

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Image borrowed from kayakman.
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