Sneak Peak Inside Starbucks’ 15th Ave Coffee & Tea
Friday, 24 July 2009
After several days of hooing and hawwing over what the new Starbucks store would look like, images are now up and the store set to open tomorrow. Josh C managed a sneak peak inside the shop to get a feel for the atmosphere and vibe. Myself, like many others in the industry, felt that Starbucks was ’stealing’ the indie coffee vibe. However, I now think that this is one of the best things for quality-focused indie shops, as it vouches for our commitment to quality and brings that offering to more consumers. The ones that should fear this new venture are the shops that have invested little to no time into training and quality (unfortunately which are the majority). Starbucks has stepped up their game, and in doing so will force other to do the same. Public cuppings will be held every day, and drinks are brewed via clover, french press, or pourover. I’ll be curious to see if I get any Abid orders from 15th Ave Coffee & Tea. Without further ado, here are some photos. Check out Josh’s Flickr Set
Brewbar + requisite hipster
Interior
No. 1 — July 24th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Clinical precision will never allow the soul and character to creep in. Don’t you think that till the time the baristas and managers feel the intimacy with the cafe and its patrons there will not be the great running cafe.
I have read reviews of lots of cafes which do not serve god-shot coffee, but with a combination of decent coffee and inherent soul attract people over and over. It is like the fashion shows where clothes are shown off to prove a thing or two, but never to apply the same craftsmanship to every batch of clothes sold.
I really like your articles and I look forward to reading them.
Thanks,
Abhishek
No. 2 — July 24th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I rarely go to coffee shops, but several years ago I was in a Starbucks @ the Pgh. Waterfront. My first impression was that I felt like I was in a stark beat-up McDonalds. So we shouldn’t be surprised that McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts are capable of giving Starbucks some stiff competition. However, Starbucks will most likely run over indie coffee shops with their new (hi-jacked) model.
No. 3 — July 25th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
That Flickr set is a great peak inside. Are those open containers of coffee beans just to look at, or, as I fear, are they really storing their coffee beans exposed to the air? Flies will probably get caught in the sticky coffee oils released by over-roasting. Not to mention the coffee will stale more quickly.
But honestly, the store and lots of the objects in it look pretty great. The thing that would make this store worth visiting (from a coffee drinking perspective as opposed to a coffee history/tourist perspective) would by if the Bucks decided to do some special small batch roasting just for that store (or this kind of store), and if this roasting was done with more respect for the flavor of the bean (lighter, among other things). Otherwise, I don’t see the point of the rest of the fanfare. Go buy yourself a bag of the best-case scenario coffee from Starbucks (probably a “light” roasted American coffee), and brew it the best way you know how. It still tastes like Starbucks.
No. 4 — July 25th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Oh, one other thing: Will this cafe have higher freshness standards than a regular Starbucks? That might help a bit.
Also, I didn’t mean to sound so down on this whole operation. It can only be good for there to be another cafe out there that brews by the cup and treats coffee preparation as a craft. My worry, however, is that casual drinkers will wait four minutes for their (presumably more expensive than they’re used to) cup of joe, take a sip, and decide that it still needs sugar and cream (or *shiver* skim milk). You can’t blame that person for thinking: what’s the point of all this fuss?
No. 5 — July 26th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Abhishek, while I think that Starbucks can’t provide the authenticity of a small store, Starbucks has made a point to offer a form of hospitality to their customers. Starbucks has its Green Apron book, a guide for workers at the stores. It gives new hires a framework for how to interact with and treat customers. I think this would be beneficial for some of the indie shops that I’ve gone to, where some baristas can be cold and off-putting. While Starbucks doesn’t have it all together, they’ve at least made a pretty solid effort.
No. 6 — April 21st, 2010 at 3:14 pm
посмотрел и разочаровался………….
After several days of hooing and hawwing over what the new Starbucks store would look like, images are now up and the store set to open tomorrow…..
No. 7 — June 10th, 2010 at 3:35 am
Please e-mail me your contacts. I have a question webmaster@spottovo.ru” rel=”nofollow”>……
Thank you!!!…