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Do You Enjoy Starbucks's Holiday Drinks?

partysugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:58 -0800

Yummy Links: From Cranberry Bars to Drink Sticks

partysugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:50:34 -0800

Make your own Starbucks-style cranberry bliss bars. - Serious Eats
An inside look at New York's Top Chef season seven casting call. - Eater NY
Speaking of Top Chef casting calls, here's what the head of casting has to say. - Andrew Zimmern
Why you should give Spanish paprika a try. - The Atlantic
Jay Leno does his best impression of Gordon Ramsay. - Eat Me Daily
Feeling adventurous this Thanksgiving? Then learn how to deep-fry a turkey. - Chow
Catch up with Top Chef season three alum Chris CJ Jacobson. - Grub Street LA
At your next party, serve cocktails with homemade swizzle sticks. - Hostess With the Mostess

Starbucks To-Go Cold Cup Tumbler: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:00:59 -0700

Even before my afternoon stint as a barista, I was an enthusiastic fan of Starbucks. I go there on an almost daily basis, and often bring in my reusable Starbucks "to go" tumbler. When I first bought it, I had the manager at my local store use a Sharpie to scribble shorthand for my regular order on the side (genius!).

This Summer, Starbucks developed an even edgier tumbler for the warm weather: a cold to-go cup, complete with green straw, constructed in clear lucite. It sold out almost immediately, and is now being sold on eBay for as much as $50 a pop. What do you think of it: impractical or brilliant?

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VIA Instant Coffee to Arrive in Starbucks Stores Nationwide

YumSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:50:33 -0700

If you're a frequent or occasional instant coffee drinker, look out for a new kind of brew coming to a store near you. On Sept. 29, Starbucks will be rolling out its much-discussed instant coffee, VIA, in stores across the US and Canada.

When VIA Ready Brew was first introduced back in March, the insta-packets were only available in limited markets: Seattle, Chicago, London, and online. “Consumers have quickly adopted our instant coffee as their coffee while on the go,” CEO Howard Schultz said in a statement. “We were overwhelmed and humbled by the positive response from our customers and partners after tasting Starbucks VIA."

Unsurprisingly, Starbucks is not only marketing VIA as coffee on-the-go, but also as a creative element in the kitchen, playing a part in recipes from coffee sodas to cupcakes. Starbucks fans, do tell: Will you try out VIA once it hits your side of town?

My Afternoon as a Starbucks Barista

YumSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:10:52 -0700

Chaotic as things may appear behind a Starbucks counter, every drink is made custom and to order in a systematic, organized way. I know this because I spent an afternoon as a Starbucks barista. Laurel Village Starbucks store manager Deanna Barbagiovvanni put me to work yesterday behind the espresso machines.

The trickiest part of being a barista is deciphering the code on the side of a Starbucks cup. It was like trying to read an unknown foreign language. "That's a nonfat, two-pump white mocha," Deanna said, reaching for espresso shots, as I stood there, still trying to make sense of the notations. Customers rarely place orders for standard drinks, she explained: "One girl comes in every day and orders a venti Coffee Frappuccino with a grande scoop of ice, double blended, with light whip and just a little chocolate drizzle." Find out what else I learned and check out a video of me as barista when you read more

Christian Siriano to Collaborate With Starbucks

YumSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:30:43 -0700

Starbucks' free pastry promotion may be over - but the coffee chain's slated to announce even more exciting news.

New York magazine reports that Project Runway winner Christian Siriano has plans to unveil a partnership with Starbucks for the upcoming holiday season.

Because further details about the collaboration have not yet been released - and news organizations have been barred from reporting them until Nov. 17 - we're left with nothing to work with but a wild imagination. Are fierce uniforms with avante-garde shoulders on the Starbucks horizon? Stay tuned.

Are you a fan of Christian Siriano's designs? Do you find the partnership to be a unique opportunity, or an odd match?

Starbucks to Give Away Gratis Pastries Tomorrow

YumSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:00:12 -0700

Last month, Starbucks completely overhauled its food menu, to focus on all-natural ingredients, and now, the company wants you to try them for free.

From opening until 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, print or show this flyer on your mobile device at any participating US location, and you'll get a free pastry of your choice with the purchase of a beverage.

The offer is only while supplies last, so run to your nearest Starbucks (which, most likely, isn't too far). I already know I'll be requesting a morning bun to go with my regular coffee. What will you be getting?

Source

Starbucks Renames Several Stores

YumSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:37:46 -0700

This year alone, Starbucks has put its name on everything from instant coffee to super-premium ice cream, so it comes as a surprise that the corporate coffee titan is now moving to get rid of its name. The Seattle Times reports that the company is conducting a test to remove its ubiquitous name and mermaid logo from at least three of its Seattle stores and replace it with new names that emphasize the coffeehouses' surrounding neighborhoods. The first test location is slated to reopen next week bearing the new name 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. The Starbucks corporate logo will be absent from the company's coffee and products and rebranded with the 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea name. To add to the classic coffeehouse vibe, the store will feature live music and poetry readings, a manual espresso machine, and wine and beer options.

The pilot comes at a time when large casual chains - including Starbucks - are suffering from sluggish sales and slower foot traffic. If the name change proves successful, the company may test this out in other markets. I find this step for Starbucks to be somewhat bizarre - but perhaps it's a measure that will ultimately pay off. What do you think of the move?

Source: Flickr User jimg944

Starbucks Focuses on Healthy Menu Items

YumSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:30:13 -0700

At the beginning of the month, Starbucks announced it would be rolling out a new "Real Food. Simply Delicious" campaign on June 30 to highlight its focus on all-natural ingredients. Starbucks has reformulated 90 percent of its baked goods to make them free of high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, food coloring, and some preservatives. It has also added menu items today: the Strawberry-Banana Vivanno, Blueberry-Oat Bars, Banana-Walnut Bread, and two lunch salads, the Classic Salad and a Farmers Market Salad. To learn more about what you'll find at Starbucks keep reading

One Million Customers Double-Charged at Starbucks

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:18 -0700

Starbucks recently lowered some prices on its drink menu, but now the chain is making headlines for just the opposite - double-charging customers for their purchases. On Friday, May 22, and half of Saturday, May 23, the coffee chain unknowingly double-charged a million customers in 7,000 stores for their debit and credit card purchases. Starbucks explained that most of its customers never noticed the "settlement processing error" - although consumers' receipts indicated the correct amount had been deducted, later twice that figure was taken out of the buyers' accounts when stores settled the transactions at the end of the day. Starbucks is hoping to reassure its patrons that the problem has been resolved. "As soon as we noticed the error, we had it fixed right away," a spokesperson for the company said. If you're concerned you were affected by this error, Starbucks is recommending that you contact its customer service department. Since I visit Starbucks daily, I'm checking my bank statement to make sure I wasn't charged double. Were you affected by this? Are you surprised that an error of this scale could occur within a company as large as Starbucks?

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