Chain Leader

David Farkas

Half Full
March 19, 2007

Starbucks is clever at calling attention to itself. Last month, for example, a memo from founder and Chairman Howard Schultz was allegedly leaked to starbucksgossip.com. In it, Schultz bemoans “what some might call the commoditization” of the brand.

Howard, it’s a 13,000-unit chain! And coffee, like it or not, is a globally traded commodity—not a rare and expensive beverage (unless you’re talking about Ethiopia Sidamo, which you sell for $13 a half-pound).

Yes, I, too, might like Starbucks better if the place had retained the retail feel it had until sometime in the 1990s. All that stuff made me feel I had lots more to learn about coffee. Yet today’s atmosphere—more coffee hall than coffeehouse—suits me just fine. The lattes remain great, I never feel like I have to order more, and, best of all, I’m always surrounded by people of my ilk. That in itself is a great draw.

Posted by David Farkas on March 19, 2007 | Comments (0)