August 2011

Featured Clover Starbucks: Fountain Valley, California

by Melody on August 29, 2011

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We continue our journey visiting as many Clover Starbucks as possible.  Next stop:  Fountain Valley, California.  This store launched their Clover on July 7, 2011, and  they even have the new logo up and it looks great!  This is a great little cafe-only Starbucks is on the corner of Brookhurst and Ellis in Fountain Valley, California.

On Saturday the 27th, I flew into John Wayne Airport, rented a car, and headed to Fountain Valley to squeeze in a Starbucks store review before meeting up with my mom.  Lucky for me, this store actually is a very short drive from the airport; it was only about a fifteen to twenty minute drive, and easy to find off of the 405 North.  Here’s the address:

Starbucks store #5769
18523 Brookhurst Street
Fountain Valley, California 92708
(714) 378 5931

The entire time I was at the store, there was a steady flow of customers.  I walked up to the register and ordered an iced Kenya Tana River from the Clover, and grabbed a sesame noodle bistro box because I was quite hungry.  I asked the register barista (who had “Erin” embroidered on her apron) who was the store manager, and she said, “We don’t have one at the moment.  We’re all the managers now I guess!“  I really like that answer!  Of course she could have meant many things by that, but I read into that top-shelf answer a sense of ownership for the store:  We are all responsible for what happens here.

The barista who made my beverage was “Nicholas.”  My drink was perfect.  I asked him how long the store has had the Clover brewer, and he stated that it was launched on July 7th, this year.  I asked him how he remembered the exact date and he said, “I started at this store on the 6th, and the next day we had the Clover!“  This store has two Mastrenas, one Clover, and recently underwent their major ten-year renovation.  It looks just great.  And I really enjoyed the small chance I had to talk to the partners.  Everyone was absolutely friendly! Nicholas also mentioned that the new logo on the exterior of the building had only been up about two weeks.  I did some digging on my own and learned that this store originally opened brand new on June 2, 2000.

I stayed a while hoping to get some good photos of the store, but the flow of people was very steady, and a few people stayed sitting for quite a while.  I realized that I would have to come back early the next morning to get some good photos of the cafe, which in fact I did.  Sometimes I will stay sitting at a store for a while trying to wait for people to leave to get pictures, but I really couldn’t stay for an extended visit.  (I was also quite glad that the partners all seemed familiar with the current Starbucks photo policy.)

While I was visiting on the 27th, a customer came in who appeared very excited to try her first Clover cup of coffee.  We got to talking, and I mentioned that there are few Clovers in Orange County, but many in Washington State.  She laughed and said, “I’m from Tacoma!  I just haven’t gotten up to Seattle to try it, and I’m here visiting my dad.“  This customer (who I later learned is “Lori”) is truly a Starbucks fan.  I was nearly green with envy when she told me about getting one of the few precious invitations, and attending the special Coffee and Conversations with Howard Schultz event in Lakewood, Washington.  Having heard Howard speak in person, she was inspired.  (On this blog, I have a handful of audio recordings and miscellaneous blog posts directly related to Howard Schultz messages.  Click here to browse the Howard Schultz category.)  I enjoyed chatting with her and helped her pick out her first Clover brewed cup of coffee!

This store itself is fairly small, but it’s warm and welcoming, and has an inviting design.  I like what they’ve done for the community board too!  And notice the huge wall that is the chalkboard for the Reserve coffees.  Very cool!

As I mentioned previously, I am trying to visit as many Clover Starbucks as possible.  Obviously that’s not what this blog is solely about, but it’s a fun adventure to visit Clover stores.  I think there could be around 225 of them company-wide.  I really don’t know exactly how many, so that number could have a very wide margin of error.  I assume at some point they will stop adding so many Clover stores.  In order to keep the smaller-batch Reserve coffees truly small, there really is a top limit to how many stores can be Clover stores with Reserve coffee offerings.  In any case, looking back, I wanted to share some previous blog articles of memorable Clover Starbucks store visits:

So here are the photos of this store. I hope you enjoy them!  I was really happy I squeezed this Starbucks into my visit to California.  Absolutely great to visit a store where the partners connect, look like they’re enjoying themselves, and the store is so warm and welcoming.  Please feel free to comment.

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Hand-held ordering devices at Starbucks?

by Melody on August 26, 2011

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Starbucks is experimenting with new technology:

Imagine, if you will, this scenario:  It is 8:15 a.m., and you need to be at work in fifteen minutes.  You haven’t had your first cup of coffee.  You might even be a little grumpy.  You run into your local Starbucks, and you’re greeted by a painfully long line.  There are literally ten people ahead of you in line!  As you stand dutifully in line, a barista greets you and takes your order.  You’re still six people away from the registers!  The barista has in his or her hand an ordering device.  On the side facing the barista is a screen that appears to look like a sophisticated register screen.  The backside has a strap for the barista’s comfort in holding the machine.  The barista takes your order, “One short morning pick with walking room, and an oatmeal.“  Little do you know, the hand-held machine transmits the order information to the register area, and a labeler prints out the drink label for your  to-go cup.  When you walk up to the register, you just hand the barista your card, or scan your mobile phone payment.  (Of course there is the possibility that you might use cash to pay too.)

How does that sound to you?  Is this something you would like?

I’ve heard rumors that Starbucks would like to launch something like this in their very busiest stores, in places like New York City.   A very small test of this is already underway.  It’s only a test at this stage, and the idea is that this technology may improve  speed of service during the morning rush hour.  (If you like reading about test products at Starbucks, click here.)

Labelers have been around for a few years, but seem to have become more common recently.  Is this something Starbucks should do?

What do you think?  My own personal feelings are a little bit ambivalent on this.  I think eventually this is coming.  It might be later rather than sooner, but there’s such a powerful trend to automate in this fashion that I don’t think Starbucks can resist.  It seems like most people want something like this because speed of service is vital to so many.  Personally, I’m fine waiting an extra two minutes and to just tell my order to a barista, and see a cup and a sharpie, but that “touchology” of Starbucks is fading a bit.  I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t see any need for hand-held ordering devices, but I don’t see it as worth having a fight about either.

Before you make up your mind so fast about hand-held ordering devices, I recommend that you read this article by John Moore about Starbucks “touchology.”

^ Note that that is 2005 article written by a Starbucks marketing partner, and it discusses handheld ordering devices.

And one more article that is also critical reading, also from John Moore‘s blog:

 

***

It’ll be several days until I update the blog again.  Feel free to talk about anything Starbucks-related.

 

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Featured Clover Starbucks: Queen Anne store in Seattle

by Melody on August 24, 2011

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Today (July 24, 2011), I dropped by a friendly Starbucks in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle.  It was a hot Sunday in Seattle.  I was visiting with a friend who lives in that neighborhood, and we decided to walk down to Starbucks for afternoon iced drinks.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love highlighting the Clover Starbucks, so here is one more to talk about.

Here is the address:

Starbucks store #314
2135 Queen Anne Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 301 – 9477

Though I almost never visit this store, I know the store manager, Miriam.  (I’m not sure if I am spelling that right.)  This store’s manager was previously an Assistant Store Manager at 7th and Pike Starbucks, so I got to know her there.  Unfortunately Miriam was not in when I dropped by - maybe next time.  She really is a great partner, and I’m sure she is an excellent manager.

This store first opened on April 29, 1989, in this very site where it still operates.  Store 314 is on the corner of Boston Street and Queen Anne Avenue in Seattle.  That four way intersection has businesses at every corner, and I can recall that at some point in the late 1990s early 2000 every corner was a coffeehouse.  For sure I remember that there was Peet’s Coffee (up until recently) at the site that is now “Homegrown” (a sandwich shop) located at 2201 Queen Anne Avenue.  And at one point there was a Tully’s at this intersection too.  So, once upon a time, the four way intersection of Boston and Queen Anne had a Peet’s, a Tully’s, and a Starbucks, all right across the street from each other.  I think there was an indy coffeehouse too at this intersection.  Today, only the Starbucks remains.  Peet’s and Tully’s are gone.

In November 2007, this store went through a minor interior remodel to accommodate the Clover brewer.  At that time the Clover was very new, and as far as I know, only the Queen Anne Starbucks, and the 6th & Union Starbucks downtown had Clovers in the entire company.  Essentially, this store is the earliest Clover store.  In late 2007, and early 2008, Starbucks was marketing the Clover coffee as “fresh pressed,” and hadn’t yet fully integrated the Clover branding into the stores.  I have an old blog article that talks about this very early Clover era, the Black and Tan beverage, and the early experience:

If Beans Could Speak – The Clover Coffee Experience and the tale of the Black and Tan.

This store underwent a dramatic major renovation last year, and it was complete June 27, 2010.  The store now features the latest Starbucks design elements including reclaimed wood, repurposed materials, and a warm and welcoming design.

One thing that I am glad about is that this store kept its fireplace!  That is such a nice touch in a store:

Since it was literally a hot summer day when I visited, the fireplace is not on in the above photograph.

I am also a fan of walls decorated with burlap coffee sacks.  It looks cozy to me, and I like seeing the sacks that the green coffee beans are shipped in:

Here are a few more photos of this pretty store.  You can see from the pictures below that it was an extremely bright and sunny day in Seattle on the 24th of July:

One thing that is important to know about this store is that it is always busy.  The above photos take on July 24, 2011, do not do it justice.  I decided that I would go back and try to get some better photos, hopefully when the store is slow.  This is easier said than done!

On August 23, 2011, I visited the store late in the evening.  I had a delightful time as I ran into a friendly face there (another attorney) and I chatted with him until the store closed.  The two partners working (Lauren and Andrew ?) also were totally nice, and I had a perfect Sumatra Tapanuli from the Clover.

I hope that between the two sets of pictures, you get a sense of what this store looks like.  Unfortunately, since it was 10:00 p.m. when I took the second set of pictures, the store is a little dark:

Last but not least, for those who don’t know, I am slowly trying to write articles and store reviews about as many Clover Starbucks as possible.  I have my own list of Clover stores, which is not complete:

^ That list might be missing as many as 75 stores.  One thing though, as I visit Clover stores and write reviews about them, I’m adding links in to that old blog post.  You can click through and easily find old Clover Starbucks store reviews.

I hope you enjoyed this store review!  If you ever get a chance to visit this Starbucks, it is a must see.  Very pretty store with friendly partners in it.

(I hope it is obvious that this article is a composite of two visits to the store, once in July, and once on August 23, 2011.)

Enjoy!

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Framing a few thoughts over coffee

by Melody on August 21, 2011

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I have a friend in Belltown who runs her own framing business.  Molly has  a classic small, solo business, and she has a passion for framing.  I love dropping by her store nearly every weekend.  It’s  like a fast rotating art show.  And she’s doing it all herself.  She takes a lot of the photos that I use too.

For a long time now we’ve talked about framing Starbucks coffee stamps using some scrap mats.  She has about a dozen stamps that I’ve collected, and each one is to be beautifully and individually framed.  I helped pick out some mat colors but that’s the extent of my help.  She is working on all the little stamps, squeezing them in between her much larger and time-sensitive projects.  She has a number of the little stamps matted, but not yet framed.  Once she showed me the matted coffee stamps, I couldn’t wait to see more!

The image here is just a teaser of what will be coming later, courtesy of Seattle Custom Framing.

On a more serious note, right now I am going through a brief period of slowing down content on the blog.  I have tons to do at work, and next weekend I will be out of town.  I’m in a funny lull of wondering what to say on this blog.  In the news, Starbucks is launching a Facebook game tomorrow where a person can earn the chance to get the Pumpkin Spice Latte to be pre-launched in their city.  Also in the news, Starbucks is now giving away iphone apps.  New store opening are always a lot of fun, and I think that Western Washington will get a few new stores this fall (as always, I hope to be able to preview them), but that’s still too far away to really write about.    For those who missed it, Starbucks’ own Stephen Gillett was named “Geek of the Week” by GeekWire.com.  I’d say that’s better than getting named “Customer of the Week”  every week for a whole year! ;)   Howard Schultz has been in the news numerous times talking about political campaign donations.  For those who have been reading this blog since the very beginning, you may recall that a couple of long-standing things I’ve wanted to do were interview Howard Schultz, be able to do a tour of the roasting plant, and a few other projects related to Starbucks history lessons.  I’m no where near close to accomplishing those things.  In a previous blog post, I announced that Breakfast Blend Via is coming this fall, but sadly it looks like I might have posted that in error.  I was sure that at the quarterly conference call I heard Howard talk about Breakfast Blend  Via (and House Blend Via too!) coming this fall, but one partner told me that there’s nothing in the upcoming workbook to suggest that this product is coming soon.  In the absence of any official word from our friends at the SSC, I’m left to surmise that Starbucks toyed with the idea of launching Breakfast Blend Via this fall, but it’s not happening now.  This remains a part of the Via lineup in the UK.

So far right now, at least over the next two weeks or so, it will be a little slower than usual at StarbucksMelody.com.

Talk amongst yourselves.

 

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Pledge your support to Howard Schultz’s call to end political campaign donations

August 17, 2011

Dear Readers, Here’s the pledge I’m asking you to sign: Sign a pledge that you support an end to political campaign donations This week in the news, Howard Schultz  (CEO, Starbucks) publicly called on business leaders of major corporations to end political campaign donations.  The debacle and political inability to reach a resolution in the [...]

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How many sentences can you make? Starbucks word magnets

August 16, 2011

I’d love to see what kind of sentences you can come up with these Starbucks word magnets.  How many sentences can you make?  This is not easy given the small range of words you get to work with (see article image).  You can do silly things like, ‘You thought of tantalizing sidewalks,’ but that hardly [...]

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Grass Valley, California Starbucks: peering through the windows

August 13, 2011

Last month I took a trip to California to try the Pink Lime Frozt Frappuccino.  While I was there I caught up with a former partner, who shared with me  some photos he had just taken, and we had a great conversation about a Starbucks in Grass Valley, California.  It’s not an area with very [...]

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T-shirts at Starbucks – Another episode

August 11, 2011
Thumbnail image for T-shirts at Starbucks – Another episode

As many of my readers know, I like featuring Starbucks t-shirts and talking about the stories that they represent.  I kind of think that most Starbucks t-shirts have some history lesson behind them, and it’s fun to take a look at pieces of Starbucks of yesteryear. This is the third episode of Starbucks promotional t-shirts.  [...]

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Message from Howard Schultz: Leading Through Uncertain Times.

August 9, 2011

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company, is now back to work full time at the Starbucks Support Center.  Many readers  may remember that he took about a one month leave to undergo a neck surgery:  I mentioned this at the bottom of  a June 30, 2011 blog post, and it has been in the [...]

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Starbucks Ramadan Cups

August 5, 2011
Thumbnail image for Starbucks Ramadan Cups

On July 27, 2011, Starbucks Indonesia launched a seasonal Ramadan cup with a beautiful batik-style design.  My understanding is that this is about the fourth year in a row that Starbucks has offered Ramadan cups, and that they’re in use in Indonesia and the Middle East.  This year’s design is all new. From what I hear, [...]

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