Starbucks closes to learn how to make coffee
Thanks Benn for the heads up, because the news of Starbucks' innovative "learn how to make coffee because you work in a coffee shop" programme really rocked my world.
I live in Wellington, so the fact is I am incredibly spoilt when it comes to coffee. On one street we have Astoria, Fuel, Mojo, Supreme and Caffe L'Affare, and yes, we have a Starbucks or four. But that is the crux of the issue many people have with the ubiquitous coffee brand - it is freaking everywhere!
Some will decry and denigrate Starbucks simply due to the number of stores you find in any reasonably sized city. while I sympathise with that attitude I don't think it is their fugly aesthetics and anti-globalisation sentiment inspired by their 'everywhereness' (new word) that are the worst result of this policy.
I think if we dig deeper and draw a comparison between cafe culture and coffee shop culture we will find the real reason behind Starbucks' slump.
- Where cafes are a labour of love, coffee shops are there to make a buck.
- In cafes it is the coffee, its' aroma, texture, colour and taste, that is the focus, in a coffee shop much of this is secondary to speed of delivery and the recipe - nevermind the effects of humidity, and the quality of the milk on the final product.
- In cafes, good ones, being a barista is a profession, an art, a thing to take seriously and be joyful about, in a coffee shop it is about performing a function, delivering a service.
There is more that can be drawn out of this comparison but I am going to stop there and take a deep breath, because I don't think that Starbucks has to be a coffee shop, it doesn't have to remain at the transaction-based end of the experience scale.
Some simple things Starbucks could do to drive their stores towards the value-add end of the experience scale:
- Focus on the local area, and fit out your stores with something that represents that, while retaining the Starbucks name as a familiar touchpoint. A Starbucks in Queens, New York should not look like a Starbucks in LA, let alone one on the other side of the world.
- Give your people better training - yeah, closing the shops Nationwide for three hours is good but it is symptomatic of crap training in the first place. Include advanced techniques in your training.
- Instill a love of coffee by giving staff the opportunity to explore other cafes and return with their findings about what makes them special. Actually listen to them.
- Start offering traditional coffee, Long Blacks, Short Blacks, Machiatto, Flat Whites, Lattes. The point here is to show your customers how different coffee can be when treated with a variety of techniques.
- No mugs - use coffee cups. Don't disrespect the coffee by dumping it in a mug. You may want to keep the mugs around for the diehards, but using traditional cups will help you create stronger, better crafted coffee.
Now if only someone would sell People's Coffee on Lambton Quay.
Benn's Post @ getbusyliving: For my American friends
