Barnes & Noble tells cafe staff to use Starbucks Holiday and Christmas blends in espresso machines

The person who sent this e-mail to STARBUCKS GOSSIP writes: "I'm afraid I would be fired with extreme prejudice if I went through normal channels to air this issue. If you need to post this with my identifying info, then Eastern US is the most specific geographic identifier I'm even comfortable with."

THE E-MAIL:
I am a cafe manager at a Barnes & Noble. Our company has a unique relationship with Starbucks. We aren't LC stores but the B&N Cafe serves Starbucks beverages. Around 98% of our beverages are Starbucks, the recipes are Starbucks recipes, and we use their beverages components and quality standards in preparing the drinks. We have a rep with Starbucks who comes in a few times a year to observe and quiz us on Starbucks product prep, etc. to ensure standards are being maintained.

This is the current issue I'm having. We received our January Cafe Planner from [Barnes & Noble] corporate and in it we are directed that starting after the holidays all cafes are to begin breaking open the bags of Starbucks Holiday and Christmas Blend Whole Bean retail bags and using them in our espresso machines in place of the Starbucks Espresso Roast Whole Bean. I have a few friends at Starbucks and they were incredulous when I told them this. They seem to think that Starbucks must not know about this because they guard their product integrity so closely and this will absolutely change the flavor profile of every drink containing espresso shots.

I honestly don't know if this is an acceptable practice that Starbucks is aware of and approved, or whether B&N has finally lost its marbles in the search for profits in the cafe. We are required by corporate to aggressively upsell all our customers, every single time for fear of being written up or even fired. This final jab at the quality and integrity of our beverages is making me soul sick and I can't look my customers in the eye when I try to upsell them to a beverage that isn't to standard.

Please, help me, help my cafe servers, help my customers. I'm not sure Starbucks realizes the damage B&N is doing to their brand.

Your thoughts? What should this manager do?

Comments

[Deusx]

If you are a cafe manager, then you have a contact number for Starbucks Corp and a local district manager. Why would you choose to post this here instead of contacting someone who can actually help you?

That being said, that is fucked up. I despise the deals Starbucks have with B&N, etc. as it seems 70% of every customer bad experience story I had to deal with in the past included either an airport or a B&N.

[NewShift]

There is a Starbucks standards of business conduct helpline or something that we have posted in our stores. I'll try to hunt down the number for you. You can call things in anonymously, and I'm sure the issue would get some attention. I refuse to believe this move is sanctioned by the Sbux brass!

[Joost Schuur]

What should the manager do? Calmly express his concerns. Consult his Starbucks material if there are any other avenues if that doesn't meet with a response.

But most of all? See if the customers perhaps don't mind a little holiday themed flavor change. Ask your customers for feedback and pass it along to corporate. Perhaps they don't share your opinion. Perhaps they do. You won't find out if you don't ask and corporate won't find out (as easily) if you don't tell them.

Perhaps I'm being naive here. I'm just a coffee (and B&N) customer, but I don't mind a little experimentation, provided the store/café provides me with a method of feedback. If I still don't like it after I've tried it a few times, I might stop getting coffee there for a couple of weeks. If more people like it, sales will go down appropriately.

I would like to think that if sales suffer after Starbucks introduces new guidelines that they're smart enough to consider that it's not the individual café manager's fault, but rather because their changes didn't work out in the market. I also hope that Starbucks does keep experimenting here and there.

[Seth]

The bigger factor in using retail bags of coffee for espresso isn't so much the blend as the age of the beans. The retail bags are likely to be several months old. A good coffee shop will only use fresh beans that are no more than 1-2 weeks old.

I like Barnes & Noble and the B&N Cafe. Whoever made this decision either doesn't understand coffee or doesn't care.

[RjD]

If I am ordering an espresso drink I expect it to be made with espresso roasted beans not a blend that I would prepare a cup of drip coffee with. Knowingly selling a misrepresented product raised legal issues.

[Todd]

I'll agree with the person earlier that said all the problems seem to come from the airports. When you go to an airport Starbucks, you consistently get bad service from grumpy staff. It almost turns me off going to my regular friendly neighbourhood store.

Sorry, I know this is off-topic but those airport franchises really bother me.

[Greg Sherwin]

Doesn't matter in the end. I jokingly asked for a ristretto made with a naked portafilter the last time I was at a Starbucks, and I was ultimately directed to the restroom.

Ultimately it's not about the coffee -- it's about the garbage people want to put in it/on it. To pretend otherwise is to kid ourselves.

[Magoo]

I was a borrowed partner at a store recently and they ran out of espresso whole bean an hour before the Seattle order arrived and they put the Christmas blend in the verismo. This is an accepted alternative if you have to.

Usually using different blends is not kosher, as Seth points out, they're older. But we know exactly when Christmas Blend 2006 arrived, so it's not like you grabbed a one pound bag of lightnote and chucked it in there.

It's a last resort, but it's not the end of the world.

[NYC Angry barista]

on the off chance that we run out of espresso we will use something else...but the darker stuff like french or italian...and only for a day or two. The x-mas blend this year is rather mild (i know its a bold)...so i dont think this is a good idea.

According to the beverage resource manual, the only acceptable alternative to espresso is Yukon. Not Christmas and definetly not French or Italian. Have you ever tried an espresso shot made from something like Verona? It tastes like ass!

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

I sometimes put in Kenya and Sidamo for the fun of it. Also to be extra weird sometimes I find some extra Anniversary Blend or Sumatra and throw that in. If I am having a really bad day, I throw in Decaf Komodo Dragon Blend into the hoppers.

[Starbucks Customer]

The practice is clearly wrong. Espresso is espresso and requires coffee roasted for espresso. Having said that so many Starbucks beverages have so many ingredients that the taste of the coffee itself is significantly diluted. I wonder how many customers would notice. As a customer, the main thing I value is consistency. And I only seem to find that in company owned stores.

[CuteBarista!]

naked portafilter? as in, take the filter out? ew.

working at coffeehouses for seven years and i have never heard of a naked portafilter, mr. fancypants.

[PKD]

at least that holiday coffee is probably somewhat fresher than the other stale crap. but can people even tell the difference under all that milk a sugar?

[The Angry One]

hahaha. Greg Sherwin. smartass. we wouldn't naked portafilter you even if Starbucks did still use manual espresso mahcines.
for all the verismo 801 baristas out there having a naked portafilter means you either saw off, or disassemble your portafilter (only on manual machines) so that during the espresso extraction process the espresso doesn't touch any metal. Some people like it like that. I've seen it done. Ristretto. Less water in the shots, stronger flavor.
At starbucks they tell you to make ristretto shots by just pulling the shot glasses away 4 or 5 seconds too early. It is embarrassing.

Anyway. This whole argument is pointless. With the amount of crap we add to our coffee noone can taste the difference in the flavor profiles that espresso and christmas blend would have. I have been in stores where we have mislabeled our coffee from the brewers. (Actually accidentally, someone just opened the wrong box and didn't check.) Someone caught us at that.

I am also wondering about iced coffees. I am pretty sure the book says you are supposed to use regular espresso. Yesterday, when I was borrowed, the manager just said to use Christmas Blend. At the time that really was the best option (three people running the floor, incredibly busy store, ran out of mocha and iced coffee at the same time.), but I am sure that that isn't starbucks kosher.

iced coffee should be terraza if you still have it, after that i know it used to be italian, half batch always. espresso iced coffee would be disgusting

[Harry (Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra!!!!)]

I agree with the unnecessary upselling. I was in Orlando at a B&N on Tuesday and was asked 4 upselling questions before finalizing my purchase. I just looked at the girl and laughed. I asked her how many times she says that a day and she was taken aback and stated "I say it with every customer, I don't even know what I say anymore."

[Jon]

CuteBarista- keep your eyes open, you can always learn something new. Naked portafilters have only been around for a couple of years. They're a very neat idea, google them

Your mgr should be ordering terraza prepacks for iced coffee...

And if Yukon is an acceptable substitute for Espresso Roast, and Yukon is also an acceptable substitute for Christmas Blend then I'm pretty sure that it wouldnt be a HUGE deal to use Xmas in the Verismos. They're both Latin/Asian Pacific blends...

And btw to whoever said they dont want drinks made with coffee instead of espresso...Espresso in the manner we're speaking of deals with the way the coffee is brewed, not the roast. You can make espresso shots out of any blend of coffee. You're just going to have different flavors for each...Sbux espresso roast has been blended so that the flavor compliments whatever crap the customer wants in it.

[soy_latte]

I once worked at this dinky little shack drive thru coffee place. We had the best espresso in town... the shots had a caramelly-red hue and the crema was unbelievable. The Verissimo machines may make for more consistent shots, but I'll never see shots from them that I'm actually in awe over.

BTW, I remember when we first got the Terazza blend, the recipe card that had the new non-shaken iced coffee recipe said that Kenya should be substituted for the Terazza.

[soy_latte]

I forgot to add that I'd love to try making shots with Pike Place Blend or Cafe Estima. I do love the Espresso Roast (even in a french press) but I'd be curious to taste the difference.

Also, on the naked portafilter. I did google it and WOW, it looks amazing. check out http://www.espressoporn.com/

The Pike Place Blend is okay as a shot - I used it in my Barista when I forgot to pick up my markout, but it's a bit less "full" tasting - it's quite harsh up front, and then nothing...

[chocolate city angry barista]

we totally ran out of decaf espresso beans the other day and started using some decaf komodo dragon. ghetto baristas represent!!!!

i've heard gold coast is the first thing you run to when you run out of espresso...

[RjD]

OK, I'm sure on occasion you'll run out of espresso roast beans and if the company allows for a specific substitution, that fine too. However, throwing any-old bean into an espresso drink is wrong and, of course, you can make an espresso from any roast just like I can put any-old octane gas in my car and it will probably run. But if I pay for 91 octane and you put 78 in my car, that's a no no. It's a no brain-er as to why the Christmas Blend is going into espresso drinks, Christmas is almost gone and who will buy it now? Just using up inventory I suspect.

[AH]

Are you seriously that upset about this? Blimey, I think you might need a new direction in life - get over it, or get a new job, I'd say...

[Scorpio370]

This is wrong. She definitely needs to contact SBux, and if she wants to stay annon then use the contact us link on the SBux homepage.

On a side note, there have been a couple occassions where we have gone through our esspresso and before we run out, we call other stores and find some that we can borrow until our order comes in.

[BaristaBess]

To the original Cafe' Manager: Have you thought to get a hold of your Starbucks Rep that comes in to check your store? The rep will probably be able to best help you. If you can't do that, call the business standards hotline.

For those of you saying that you have to have an "espresso roast" for your espresso. You should know that every single company has a different standard as to what an "espresso roast" is, so that blanket statement doesn't mean a whole lot. In general ANY type of coffee can be ground to be used to make espresso.

I know that I read somewhere that the Christmas Blend would be great used for espresso. I've actually been wanting to try it, but I don't have a home machine. Maybe I'll head over to B&N Cafe'.

Iced coffee should really be Terraza, the blend was designed to taste best cold.

[Monica]

I work at Barnes and Noble, and based on the comments, my next question is, will this change caffeine content? I know my main concern for my quad venti toffee nut soy lattes is getting the caffeine I need to get through my shift. That said, Barnes and Noble really shouldn't be messing with the espresso drinks like this.

Upselling is the most giant pain in the ass ever invented. I ask every customer if they'd like an extra shot of espresso, or if they'd like a cookie or a scone(not both!). Then I have to ask if they have a membership card. I don't want to sell you one! Maybe you forgot you have one!

If someone doesn't specify size, I can't ask what size they'd like, it has to be "Will that be a venti today" and then explain what a venti is because the closest corporate starbucks is 35 minutes away on the interstate.

[exbarista]

As someone who favors an Americano, I would be really annoyed by this.

the caffeine would actually be higher (although just marginally) since christmas blend is less roasted than espresso roast...

but i also want to concur with an annon above: gold coast is the substitute for espresso if you run out - not yukon, italian or french...
(and it's kenya for iced, although house (gag) is a runner up)

you people need to read your bev manuals! ;)

(kenya as the substitute i meant)

[demanda]

I used to work at B&N Chelsea in Manhattan. We used to use the terraza blend for the iced coffee but when we ran out, we simply started using the house blend. I don't know if this is "acceptable," but none of us really cared.

B&N rules the cafe with an iron fist. Everything, from the layout in the pastry case to the order of the drinks in the beverage case have to be uniform. Even the counter layout has no variation; if the Godvia chocolates are in the wrong place, you could get written up.

The staff at B&N may be doing things that aren't up with Starbucks practices and standards, but they are only doing what they are told in order to keep their jobs.

[CuteBarista!]

i started out working at a B&N starbucks back in 1999. worst nine months of my life.

i wish i worked at a coffee bar where i could use a naked portafilter or be proud of the espresso that i pull. i always promise myself that as soon as i don't need health insurance, i am going to go get a coffee job at a place where i could learn that sort of thing. until then, i just try to make the best starbucks drinks i can.

[Barista sUz]

I love watching a shot being pulled from a naked portafilter. It looks so delicious.

[Homebarista]

B&N Cafe is my favorite example of Sbux brand dilution. Order a cappuccino, get a latte; barista solution: pour out half the contents and add foam. Espresso at B&N Cafe and Dunkin Donuts is the same crap shoot!

[montrealbarista]

The last time I was at a B&N Café (which will be the last time!) I ordered a double tall vanilla nonfat extra foam latte. They didn't know what I was talking about. I had to explain that I wanted a latte, with two espresso shots in it, vanilla, nonfat milk, and for it to be extra foamy. Even after I explained that it came out as a double tall nonfat extra hot no foam latte!

Just ranting. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[Florida Barista]

I had the same situation at a B&N cafe.. I asked for a Grande wet cappachino and the barista just stared at me. I was like- more milk, less foam. And the shift/manager said - oh just make her a latte. I was like ummm noooo maam.

[Bariesta]

Oh god no say it isn't so! Differnt beans other then espresso being used! Those rat bastards. Honestly is it that big of an issue. Really doesn't this show how spoiled we really are? We will bitch at the slightest thing and really it's getting pathedic.

[sam]

can i please be the first to say who the hell gives a shit?

[Cutebarista!]

*raises hand*

i try to give a shit about my job whenever possible.

[RjD]

Sam - next time you get a prescription filled do you really care what the pharmacist puts in the bottle? Seems like you don't.

[Deusx]

Bariesta, it is not "pathedic" that people would be upset to learn that they are not recieving what they pay for.
Tell me, would you be ok if that next gallon of milk you bought was goats milk instead of cow, yet the label claims otherwise?

Consumers put a certain amount of trust in food service and retailers, the trust that they are getting what they request and pay for. If that trust is undermined, that is a problem.

[Dr Gonzo]

Ok this is a little confusing to me.

Since Starbucks coffee is so stale it doesn't really matter what beans are used by the so called 'baristas'.

So who cares anyway.

And before you cry about how I don't know what I'm talking about. Could one of you so-called 'baristas' please tell me if you have EVER pulled a shot with beans roasted that same week?

Oh wait, you would have no clue because 1) You don't know anything about coffee, 2)Roast dates aren't printed on beans!

So once again, who cares, it's all crap.

[Deusx]

Dear Dr. Gonzo,

Like the new nickname by the way. If you don't care, why are you here? If you feel the subject is unimportant, why are you commenting? The point still stands, whether or not you feel that Starbucks coffee is worthy or not, that when one is paying for a particular item then that is the item one should recieve.

To recieve anything else is
tantamount to fraud. It is definite a ethically questionable business practice if the customer isn't being made aware of the switch.

[RjD]

I guess this means that when I order an espresso drink I should ask what beans are currently being used. Do I need to next ask about the expiration date on the milk?

[Florida Barista]

Ahh and this is how rumors start...

"I read online somewhere that you use lightnote in your espresso! Is that true!?"

[Sam]

RJD, not to point out the obvious or anything but coffee is slightly different from medicine and I would care because the wrong medicine could kill me, the wrong coffee wouldn't bother me.

At the end of the day, fellow partners, you say/think/do what you like. Like I've told my baristas, I'm only still working for Starbucks becuase I could be sued for lost revenue if I don't work out my notice.

Bye Bye

[Kat]

I'm a BN cafe lead, and we've been told to brew the Christmas packs as our drip from next week until we run out, NOT in our espresso machines. I can't help but think that this was miscommunicated to the manager who wrote in, or to his FCOM.

My store won't have any left--we barely have any now--but using it in the espresso machines would be a mistake.

[Brixton Starbucks]

This (comment thread) is starting to remind me of the SNL skit with Chris Farley and when they replaced his regular coffee with "crystals"...