Summer fun food and drink - Starbucks in decline chapter two · Thursday July 10, 2008 by colin newell
Listen here for our radio interview today… Flash thingie below – if you cannot see that, click here for the mp3.
Starbucks in decline chapter two
“We are immune to economic ups and downs!” At the dawn of the 21st century, that has always been the bleat of the Starbucks upper Echelon.
While most restaurants feel the squeeze in hard times, as consumers stay home for more Mac and Cheese, Starbucks’ Vente-latte-sipping well-to-dos will keep coming back for more. Or so the economic theory dictates.
Truth is – luxury brands attract premium customers who are less sensitive to economic swings. Better job security and more income to ride out the lows. “When Starbucks continued to rack up impressive gains through 2002 and 2003, analysts went so far as to label the company “recession-proof.” Like the Titanic I suppose.
The past few years have seen a multi-faceted rebuild and re-branding of the Starbucks mission. In its insatiable desire for unchecked growth, the company automated too much of the artistry once known as specialty Coffee. Out with the La Marzocco manual machines – and in with robotic coffee. Starbucks as a therapeutic “alternative – not the home not the office space” for its customers, has given way to drive-through windows, interstate off-ramp kiosks and questionable reconstituted greasy breakfast sandwiches and Cd shills.
Two sucker punches come along. Overbuilding and under-training, and coffee that suffered – even to my grizzled taste buds. As people became more educated about what a real coffee should taste like (thanking Starbucks in the 80’s): consumers sought out the mom-and-pop coffee shops (in the U.S. up 40 per cent to 14,000) — with an seemingly endless cortège of thirsty Starbucks refugees.
During one of its costume changes, Starbucks has attracted a new type of customer, one drawn to the fashion statement of the specialty coffee experience, but lacking the requisite bling to sustain a daily double-tall Vente Macchiato habit.
So, the U.S. housing market collapses – a threat of layoffs, these lower- and middle-income Americans are forgoing the to-go cups. Caramel lattes or a a gallon of gas? Gas wins.
They wanted to win everyones heart in order to sustain their growth – and have ended up leaving us with a caffeine withdrawal induced headache – that isn’t going away anytime soon.
Remember this? Chairman Howard Schultz once said coffee drinkers who try out cheaper competitors will upgrade to Starbucks.
“Those consumers over time are going to trade up. They’re going to trade up because they are not going to be satisfied with the commoditized experience or the flavor,” he said.
Your right Howard. We got sick of the flavor. And we moved on.
Thanks for the memories.
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Summer fun food and drink - flowers and travel · Tuesday July 8, 2008 by colin newell
If you are like me, and living in the month of July… ah, like me. You are probably wondering what you would like to do this summer. Better get on it now. Because summer… for some of us… is here.
And let me just say this: Summer in Victoria B.C. Canada is a pretty subtle thing. It arrives… gradually. Sometimes by surprise. And it is a curious thing… because Victoria B.C. Canada does not actually experience seasons. I would hard pressed to explain how there is much difference between night and day.
Photo above – Took this (last night) with my Canon EOS-30D dSLR and a F2.5 55MM Macro Lens at Government House, Rockland, Victoria B.C. Canada
Seasons (and summer) is a funny thing here. On any given day in June, July and August, it might average 22 degrees © for 70 something (F). It is a rare thing indeed when the temperature rises to 30 – and when it does, it too arrives in a subtle way – like overnight. One day it is 22… and then it is 30 for a couple of days… then it is cool again. Anyway. I am getting off track.
If you live here you are busy planning your get-away. If you are a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, (for example) where the average temperature during the day is about 325 (F) then you have your sights on Victoria as a destination. Because Victoria (compared to Arizona) is the equivalent of stepping from a blast furnace into a mountain stream.
And as you can see from the top photo above, the flowers are insane here. This was one of dozens of different kinds of roses that were fully in bloom. I think I saw every color of rose except for Green and dark blue. I saw every other web safe color in the Government House garden. Click on the photos above for a mind-blowing enlargement. Mind blowing. Hmm. Showing my age with expressions like that. Let’s try this. The green in Victoria is dope and if you stay in Phoenix this summer you are, like, whack. There. Better.
Hey. Quick piece of travel advice if you are flying from anywhere in the U.S. into Canada – particularly Victoria B.C. Canada… and you are wearing a T-Shirt. Many people wear T-Shirts right? Make sure there is a pleasant and non-violent message on your T-Shirt. Examples:
-Anything with Kittens, Puppies, Flowers (like the ones above), American flags and pictures of Jesus are good.
-Things like guns, rifles, grenades, and Peace signs are definitely a no-no. Go figure. Cartoon characters like Transformers: Bad! Especially if they are holding ray-guns. Ray-guns bring down airplanes you know! Here is the T-Shirt in question.
Also. Avoid words on your T-Shirt like Boom, Bang, Attack, Peace or any script in any language other than English… because if it ain`t English it looks like Arabic to the TSA.
So. Play it safe folks and silk-screen one of my flower pictures onto your travel safe T-Shirts.
And Bon Voyage!
Uhm. That means Safe Travel for those that do not understand Arabic.
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Summer all fun, food and drink marathon - The Otto Espresso maker · Sunday July 6, 2008 by colin newell
Sydney Australia – A city of 4 million souls who live in an espresso crazy society. For Craig Hiron, a youthful 36 year old living in one of Australia’s most populated cities, bright ideas are merely a cup of coffee away.
And so it was – that he and his circle of free-spirited 30-something friends would gather (like so many other young people around the globe) looking for the answer to life’s age old problems and questions.
Photo above: The Otto Espresso maker is the product of passion, Australian ingenuity and the burning desire for award winning fine design.
For Craig, a young man who has plied his trade as a professional roofer and successfully migrated into the film and entertainment industry… the question burned within him: “What does this city need? Why do my people need? What contribution can I make?”
Sydney is noted for its spectacular Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and its beaches. The metropolitan area is surrounded by national parks, and contains many bays and inlets. But on the street level, Espresso coffee is the language of its people. Australia, in general, is quickly becoming an espresso-centric society – and that means, Espresso coffee is the building block of all its coffee beverages. Neato. For me, that means heaven!
Minor digression. Sydney resident Craig Hiron’s creative light-bulb kind of flashed in an unexpected and amusing way. He had urged his friends to talk amongst themselves – and those friends with their tertiary friends… “What is that it thing that we Sydney young people need… that would be really cool? If we can collectively think of it, I promise you… I will build it!”
Good thing – Craig was good and ready to put his money where his coffee cup was… but what came of this exercise?
In the middle of one of their brain-storms, one of the gals popped into it, midstream, offering… “Those blasted people over at Ya-da Ya-da Coffee Company are useless! I am trying to get a widget-gadget for my 50 year old Atomic coffee and they are hopeless!”
The idea hit Craig like a sack of unroasted Arabica coffee.
Take one 50 year old coffee maker. Update that coffee maker. Sydney society needs a coffee maker to put Australia on the map and into the coffee culture history books for all time. It just made sense.
But what of the name Otto? True story. The name of this new coffee maker comes from the 1st born Son from within Craig’s creative and bright circle of friends.
Additionally, all the research and development is taking place within the community of Sydney, Australia – all paid for by Craig and a handful of his friends.
Craig and I spoke over a trans-pacific phone line for over a half-hour. His infectious laugh and sense of humor did little to hide his burning passion for all things caffeine. We will be hearing more from this story – as it happens.
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Summer all fun, food and drink marathon why is this family smiling · Friday July 4, 2008 by colin newell
Why is this family smiling? Well. To be honest, I think they have been watching my latest CoffeeCrew.Com poll with great interest. I picked out, what I thought, were the most promising 12 cafes in Victoria – excluded communities include Oak Bay, Esquimalt, Western Communities and anything North of the Malahat.
And yes, that leaves out some pretty amazing places – but one thing at a time.
The purpose of all of this, apart from the shameless self-promotion that I am getting… walked into The Black Stilt cafe today and introduced myself to the owner and he pointed out the giant banner over the food display case… CoffeeCrew.com is holding a poll of the cities best cafe – so vote for us or get the heck out!
Or something like that. Cannot be sure really. Seemed threatening. Then again maybe not.
That and the winner gets a custom Reg Barber tamper for the Bar – made in solid gold, silver or maybe aluminum… and a handle of organic farmed bird friendly balsa.
It also gives me a sense of how many CoffeeCrew readers, if any, live in Victoria.
So far I am pretty sure that there is at least 1. We have had about 200 votes in 24 hours – and you can only vote once in 24 hours… unless you change locations really quickly.
The 3 voters in the photo above seem pretty cheerful. I figure they have visited all 12 cafes today and sampled most of the drinks – the kid is probably on her 20th espresso – which would account for her cheerfulness. The parents, I gather, will be awake for a few more days.
Anyway. Vote for your favorite.
And feel good about it.
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