YumSugar

Starbucks to Halt Continual Brewing of Decaf After Noon

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:30:53 -0800

Starbucks may be generously giving back to the community, but it's a bit more tight-fisted when it comes to labor and production costs. As part of a drive to save the coffee giant $400 million by September, Starbucks announced Tuesday its stores will stop regularly brewing decaffeinated coffee after 12 p.m. The company said in a statement:

For many of our stores, the demand for decaf is greatly reduced in the afternoon. With our current standard of continually brewing decaf after 12 p.m. regardless of demand, we have seen a high amount of waste.

This cost-cutting measure is one among many that have recently been implemented, including brewing smaller pots of coffee. The company also plans to slash 6,700 jobs and close 300 more stores.

So far this announcement has received lots of negative press, and I can see why: This business decision seems contrary to all logic. Personally, I only drink coffee in the afternoon if it's decaf - and in the morning, I'll only drink joe if it's got caffeine. Do you agree that it doesn't seem to make sense? Or is this a smart decision for Starbucks?

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Do You Drink Decaf Coffee?

YumSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:30:45 -0800

With the $2 billion business of decaffeinated coffee at a plateau, coffee companies are focusing their efforts on new "low-caf" blends. While decaf coffee has long been considered less flavorful, these breakthrough blends are genetically manipulated to be naturally lower in caffeine but complex in taste.

As an everyday coffee drinker, I hadn't realized that the decaf business was so lucrative, and was surprised to learn of the staggering numbers.

Clearly, there's a demand for caffeine-free coffee. Are you a committed decaf drinker? I'd love to hear your reasons in the comments below.

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Yummy Links: From Enhanced Water to SXSW Showcases

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:57:39 -0700

Confused by all the enhanced water choices out there? Check out the results to this seven bottle taste test. - Al Dente
Learn the secrets of Top Chef as told by their Chicago neighbors. - Time Out Chicago
Get a unique recipe for Easter Egg Challah. - Baking Bites
Not into Easter eggs? Try these fabric ones instead. - CasaSugar
Chefography is returning to Food Network, including one on itself. - Food Network Addict
Is there a cure for chocoholism? - Slashfood
Learn the pros and cons of decaf. - FitSugar
How did I miss out on Macaron Day? - Serious Eats
How did Rachael Ray's SXSW showcase turn out? - Chow

Next Up at Starbucks: Value Meals

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:00:05 -0800

Feeling the sting from other chains such as McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, a desperate Starbucks announced last week that it will soon be introducing value meals of its own. The chain plans to launch value pairings in all its company-owned US stores on March 3. Although regular prices for food and drink items vary by store location, Starbucks claims the pairings will provide customers with an average savings of as much as $1.20. This strategy is the latest in a slew of tactics - from creating loyalty programs to ceasing brewing of decaf after noon - that the company has tried over the past year to recover from troubling sales numbers. To see the recession-friendly $3.95 breakfast pairings, which were revealed today, read more.

Tall latte and Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal
Tall latte and slice of reduced-fat cinnamon swirl cake
Tall drip coffee and new bacon sandwich with egg and gouda cheese
Tall drip coffee and new ham sandwich with egg and cheddar
Tall drip coffee and classic sausage, egg, and aged cheddar breakfast sandwich
Tall drip coffee and peppered bacon, egg, and aged cheddar breakfast sandwich
Tall drip coffee and Reduced-fat turkey bacon, cholesterol-free egg, and reduced-fat white cheddar breakfast sandwich

Considering the saga behind Starbucks' breakfast sandwiches, I'm interested in trying out the two new breakfast sandwich options come March.

Do you plan to utilize this new value pricing to your benefit? Do you think it will help the coffee chain turn its sales numbers around?

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Meet and Eat with GraceAnn Walden - Eat Your Way Through North Beach

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 08:57:41 -0700

A few years ago I was looking for a great birthday present for the pasta-loving bf, and came across a walking tour of North Beach (the infamous Italian district of San Francisco). The tour, which is hosted by Bay Area food guru GraceAnn Walden, ended up being one of the best birthday presents I could ever give. Not being one to miss out on a food adventure, I bought myself a spot on the tour as well, and I was definitely glad I did. GraceAnn is a vivacious, well-connected SF food institution (she wrote for the SF Chronicle's Inside Scoop - local food & industry news column - for 14 years) and has been running various culinary/history tours of San Francisco for over 20 years. This particular 5+ hour tour was called Mangia! North Beach and we started it with an empty belly and ended it barely able to move.

The tour changes slightly over time, but when we were on it some of the highlights were: North Beach's oldest store, receiving traditional Italian baked goods and fresh focaccia, a lesson on how to make chocolate truffles, tastes from a new neighborhood hot spot, and a full meal at a fantastic restaurant. Since GraceAnn is quite vibrant and very well connected, she has relationships with every place she takes you. The chefs/owners know you're on the way and set aside some time (as well as goodies) to share with you. At this time, the tour costs $80 a person, but in my opinion, it's worth every penny, if not more. And even if you're not interested in the history of the region, Grace Ann's infectious love for the area will have you gobbling up every morsel of knowledge (and food).

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with GraceAnn, you can read the interview after the jump, or checkout GraceAnn's website for information on her history/culinary tours of San Francisco, read more

YumSugar: What did you eat today?

GraceAnn Walden: Breakfast: toasted onion bagel with lots of butter, 2 cups decaf; Lunch: chopped liver sandwich with sliced raw onion and a Diet Coke; Dinner: homemade textured soy protein & veggie loaf with tomato sauce, salad and two glasses of water. Weird huh?

YS: For a reader who might not know who you are, can you sum up your foodie career?

GAW: Julia Child once said, “I was never really interested in anything, until I got into food.” The same could be said of me. I enjoyed it all: cooking in a restaurant, catering, cooking for families, writing for a host of publications and creating a popular restaurant news column, the Inside Scoop, that has been copied a zillion times.

YS: What has been your toughest obstacle in your career?

GAW:Coming from a working class background. Not many of us get a leg up.

YS: How about the most exciting part?

GAW: One of the biggest thrills was to cook my first entrée for a paying customer, not a guest, not a friend. I snuck out to the dining room to peek at them eating my grilled swordfish with mango salsa. That was like 1983.

YS: How did your walking tours begin?

GAW: I had a cook’s job working weekday lunches. Since I had weekends off, I used to hang out in Chinatown and North Beach in SF. I am also a history buff. I just got this idea to put the history of a neighborhood together with info on food, tastes along the way and a terrific lunch… That was 20 years ago.

YS: Which tour is your favorite and why?

GAW: I lived for many years in North Beach and I know a lot of people there, so, Mangia! North Beach. But I enjoy Secrets and Tastes of Nob Hill, because I take people to Grace Cathedral, the Fairmont for a wine tasting, the Big 4 for lunch and dessert at the Ritz.

YS: If someone is visiting San Francisco for one night, where should they eat?

GAW: What a dilemma. I think the modern quintessential SF restaurant now is Nopa.

YS: If I opened up your refrigerator, what would I find?

GAW: Hahaha More of that soy-veggie loaf, homemade chicken soup, soy milk, homemade Bolognese sauce, hazelnut wheat bread, bok choy, napa cabbage, onions, cottage cheese and a couple of apples.

YS: What's your guilty pleasure food?

Avocados, butter, chocolate, macadamia nuts, a whole crab. I NEVER feel guilty about food.

YS: Anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

GAW: Eat with gusto and share food with friends and family. No eating standing up or on the fly.

Tour photo courtesy of about.com