Will Starbucks be flattered -- or ready to call its lawyers when it sees this ad?

It's for Chipotle restaurants, which specializes in big burritos. (Click on the image to see a larger version.)

Comments

[andrew h]

it wont get launched. Venti is italian for twenty, and twenty does not accurately describe a burrito.

I'd imagine that they can use the "tall" and "grande" all they want, but "venti" is a registered trade mark.. sooo I'm betting on "call their lawyers"

[James the Barista]

Well, its obvious they are refering to Starbucks lingo because thats the first thing that any breathing person would think of. It could be launched and I bet lawers have already been called and I bet they even ok'ed it. Why not! The first thing you think of is Starbucks not burrito shingding.

[Just Me]

My first thought: "What is Starbucks selling that's wrapped in foil?" No matter what the lawyers say, it doesn't seem like it'll have the impact they want for the burrito joint.

[CD]

It's been on a billboard on the Eisenhower expressway in Chicago for a couple of weeks now.

But to twist this a bit, what would the reaction be to ingredient-based pricing at Starbucks instead of size-based pricing? Ex: all Mochas are the same price, regardless of size. Essentially, you customize your drink like you do your burrito at Chipotle.

[coffeeguy :)]

You do already customize your drink any way you like at starbucks....

[Jason]

..while they are at it, maybe they will sue other coffee shops that use the terms "tall", "grande", and "venti".

Maybe even sue over the term "barista."

I think it would be a waste of time and effort on Starbucks' part -- at least it seems they could be spending that time and money on other areas.

It's their deal though.

[jafc]

I'll just sue Chipotle's when they refuse to accept my Starbucks card for payment. Since "obviously" they must have a tie-in with them...

[Jim]

The ad's not new. I've seen it in Chipotle stores before (6 months ago at least).

[nickname]

jason: it's not stupid, it's copyright law.

well, let me restate that: copyright law is stupid, not starbucks.

the way it works is you have to protect it, or you lose it...as in: it isn't trademarked anymore.

and: what other coffee shop uses the tall, grande and venti??
none that i know of, and none would be allowed too, i think...
(see note above about copyright laws)

[JustABarista]

I say Sue the bastards. Their carnitas suck, but it's the only fast food place you can get them, so they are known for them. I'd sue them just for that.

[John Molina]

The Starbucks vs. McDonalds feud continues! For those of you who aren't familiar, Chipotle is a chain of restaurants owned by McDonalds. Chipotles for the most part have a great atmosphere and feature music much like Starbucks' Hear Music programming.

So, it kind of began when McDonalds started offering "Premium Coffee" beverages to their customers, putting McDonalds at a more "cafe" status. Burger King and others have tried to follow suit, but it was obviously in response to the popularity of Starbucks.

Then, Starbucks gave McDonalds the finger with the still-fast-spreading "warming stores" featuring Egg McMuffin-style breakfast sandwiches. And now this advertising.

What's next? Starbucks' move.

[coffeeguy :)]

Lawsuits. :)

[Deusx]

I think Chipotle will be protected under parody exemptions. They aren't really calling their burritos by those names, nor are they actually inferring their burritos are different sizes. In fact, the point is they aren't.

[seattle]

That has got to be the most stupid ad I have ever seen for a food restaurant.

And Starbucks would never sue over the term "barista" so that joke is just about old.

[sbuxboy]

They have the ad painted on a building in here in downtown Portland. All it did was make me think of Starbucks, and how i wanted to go to starbucks, not eat a burrito. I think the ad will benefit Starbucks more than Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Starbucks didn't even have to spend money on it.

[this space for rent]

The ad says to me: "Chipotle charges three different prices for the same burrito." And didn't McD's upgrade their cofee to Seattle's Best Coffee, a brand owned by SBUX?

[Deusx]

Yep=)

[Dima]

lets not forget venti is 20 in italian.'
can you sue for translation?

[Lyra]

As Jim already said, this is an OLD ad. If Starbucks hasn't sued by now, they probably won't. And Chipotle is probably protected under fair use/satire on this one anyway.

[Tony]

I doubt "venti" is going to be the source of a lawsuit. They can probably trademark (and that's potentially what is going on here trademark, not copyright, infringment.) Perhaps the 20 refers to the weight of the burrito? If not ounces, perhaps some other unit of measurement. I sure wish Chipotle would have different size burritos! I now live where there is no Chipotle, I miss Chipotle.

[BigT]

Is the Starbucks site down? I have not been able to access for 2 days.

[purplejbaker]

So, who should sue when other restaurants use "small, medium, and large" since that had to start in one place as well.

yeah considering small medium and large are also clothing sizes and the sizes of pretty much everything else in the world, I don't think they will sue because I don't think that started in a restaurant.

[Sheik]

If anyone out there thinks Starbucks ISN'T going to sue, I've got 3 words for you:

"Collapse Into Cool."

Hard-core employees will know what I'm talkin about

"Collapse Into Cool."
Ahhhh the memories.... call me insensitive, but some people are waaaaaayyy to reactionary.

[Lyra]

"If anyone out there thinks Starbucks ISN'T going to sue..."

Well, Sheik, the biggest argument for Starbucks not sueing seems to be the fact that this ad campaign is really old, and if Starbucks was going to sue, they would have done it already.

And thanks for trying to be cryptic and "in" by vaguely referencing the past hoping someone will ask. It's classy and informative.

[John Molina]

Wait, McDonald's serves Seattle's Best? Very interesting. Quite a fun game corporations play, don't you all think so?

[Chris Meisenzahl]

Maybe both? ;-)

[Rae]

Chipotle is no longer owned by McDonalds, FYI.

[John Molina]

I can't keep up with this game, apparently. So who owns Chipotle, nowadays?

[John Molina]

Well, Wikipedia explained it to me. At one point, McDonald's owned 90% of Chipotle.

"Since 1997, the McDonald's Corporation has owned a majority interest in Chipotle, but on April 26, 2006, McDonald's, which at that time owned a 69% interest in the company, announced that it would be divesting its remaining interest by the end of the year." (wikipedia:chipotle mexican grill)

Just thought I'd let y'all in on the infos.

[ILBARISTA]

Any publicity is good publicity.
if a person is savvy enough to pick up on the reference it will only remind them to stop for their frappucino after dinner

to chipotle i say good luck and godspeed- - if this is of serious concern to us guys then we really need to reconsider the battles we are fighting :) Chipotle is a taco stand, we're purveyors of gourmet coffees and espresso based beverages...right?

chipotle is essentially the starbucks of mexican food anyways

[Ghod]

I find the fact that people are arguing about Chipotle's vs. Starbucks to be hilarious. We have plenty of cafés and mexican restaurants here that are better than either. Can't beat Cafe Kopi, or La Bamba's. You can keep your big corporate crap.

[Valkor]

As DeusX mentioned, they're making a joke out of the fact that Tall, Grande, and Venti, are about as descriptive as big, big, and big.

Oh, Ghod, I'd love to try Cafe Kopi and La Bamba's, but they're not where I am. Chipotle and Starbucks aren't corporate crap, they're corporate pretty-good. Frankly, the coffee that most Americans drank before the mid 80's tasted like complete ass. Your Cafe Kopi owes part of its success to the fact that Starbucks introduced America to "gourmet" coffee.

[Dominik]

Here in Berlin we have several other coffee shops (all very much looking like Starbucks albeit being better and cheaper) and they also use "venti", and also "frappucino" by the way. I never knew that those words were trademarked by Starbucks and wonder why they do not enforce that. Sure enough: all those litte "TM" and "R" signs on the menu look rediculous.

[Larry Davenport]

They'll have to sue just about every other coffee shop in Seattle. Venti in Italian is 20 (for 20 oz.) that could accurately describe a burrito, which would be about 1.25 pounds.

[john]

i think this ad is hilarious because it makes fun of the ridiculous sizing that starbucks offers and says that chipotle doesn't really offer sizes. their burritos are all huge/venti.

i laugh everytime i see it in chicago.

[wow - from champaign?!]

Ghod, you're from Champaign (or Urbana), huh? I used to live there, and agree TEN MILLION FOLD that Cafe Kopi and La Bamba are a zillion times better than Starbucks or Chipotle. In fact, those are two of the very few things that I miss about Champaign...