Starbucks -- By the Numbers

A memo released by Starbucks chairman, Howard Schultz has brought to light a growing concern among regular patrons of the coffee chain. Apparently, Mr. Schultz is bringing awareness to the fact that somewhere in the grand scheme of things, the focus of the company began to shift away from quality coffee and more towards meeting growth expectations. According to him, the 'experience' of going to Starbucks is no longer what it once was and because of that, the coffee giant looks to soon become a relic of the past. Although I feel that that revelation may still be a long time in coming, it does make sense to me. I have often mentioned the fact that not to far from my home there are literally dozens of Starbucks, some no more than fifty yards from the previous one. With such saturation, it does indeed seem as if the focus has shifted from the coffee to having a firm market presence.

I have enjoyed Starbucks since college and I have related in past blogs about how I have now enjoyed Starbucks coffee in places as diverse as London and Dubai. In all these places, the core experience was always the same, but things are certainly different from the time I first started going to the stores back at the University of Maryland. At that time, the coffee house trend was just starting to pick up steam and Starbucks was not saturating the market. Part of the appeal of the whole thing was the feeling that you weren't simply getting a cup of coffee but more like a cup of coffee at a fancy restaurant or cafe. I'm sure there are those out there who would scoff at such an insinuation but it was true. The machines were more like the traditional machines found in European style coffee houses and were loud, large and often times complicated. It was part of the experience to see the baristas mixing up your coffee and presenting it to you within a few minutes.

As with anything popular, the more people you have, the faster you are expected to serve. This lead to a lot of the glamour going away and the experience being dumbed down a bit. That's not to imply that the baristas job is any easier. On the contrary, they are often expected to meet the same exact standards while serving the coffee in the least amount of time possible. I have been to several of the Starbucks in my area that are located along major thorofares and at peak times, usually early in the day or late in the afternoon, these places can have upwards of twenty people in line. And of those twenty people, not all of them are in the mood to wait. So what do you do? One obvious solution is to open up multiple locations within a short distance (or within the same building). Another is to simplify the process.

Early days at Starbucks often had the barista measuring each individual order out before preparing the concoction. These days, in an effort to speed up the process, there are measuring cups and the like that are created for specialized tasks and are meant to help reduce the 'brainpower' and individuality of the cup of coffee and standardize it. Little differences are still to come here and there but the overall effect is to get people there java as quickly as possible. This is where the problem lies. People want a great many things, but they aren't prepared to wait for them. I choose to look at it in this light. I like to eat steak and I can go to Sizzlers and have one or I can go to a place like Clyde's and order one.

Both places will essentially serve me meat, but it's the presentation, the ambiance and the assumption that what I'm getting at Clyde's will have just a bit more flavor, care and preparation that what I may get at Sizzlers; I'll probably pay a lot more for it too. Therein lies the rub. You are paying more for something so you would assume that means that it should taste better or be special. By moving away from the true coffee house experience and moving into the realm of fast food, you tend to take away that special experience and make it average, ordinary and regular. I'll continue to go to Starbucks every so often, simply because I enjoy the drinks and the ambiance at my regular locations; but if the company continues in the way of a fast food joint, the days of that experience are likely numbered.