Starbucks confirms launch of Piadini breakfast sandwiches

The sandwiches, which debut next week, feature artisan bread and are filled with either sausage, egg and cheese or portobello mushroom, spinach and ricotta cheese. Starbucks says it's adding ovens to 800 more stores and that over time, ovens will be in 90% of the stores. || Starbucks to introduce new breakfast sandwiches

Comments

[Sheik]

And they cost how much?

[Javaccino]

So, are the old ones going away?

[Melody]

Hot chocolate with salted caramel launches next week ... that sounds more exciting than these breakfast items, imho. One of my regular Starbucks has been sampling it quite a bit over these past few days. Yummy!

Well if you think about it, closing 600 stores, some of those stores had ovens so why not stick them in the stores that are existing otherwise they'd just sit in a warehouse.

SBUX would only need to buy a couple hundred more ovens.

[Big Blue]

Most of the costs are in the ovens but rather the additional counter top and construction costs.

[Big Blue]

OOpps Correction... Most of the costs are not in the ovens but rather in the additional counter top and construction costs.

[snagger]

Big Blue, Most of the cost is probably in planning where to put the ovens.I hope they still have the egg mcmuffin; that's the only item many of my friends will eat while I try to get them to sit down in the AM.The fake Italian named sandwiches are probably some flashback howard has from his NY childhood.He can keep them and the NY Times to wrap them in!I'm still waiting to smell the coffee again.

[latteart]

We will be continuing to carry the Bacon, RF Turkey Bacon, and Sausage Sandwiches (except in Portland which will carry Ham instead of Bacon). The Eggs Florentine and Ham is going away in the rest of the stores. It's a shame because Eggs Florentine sells really well!

The new flatbread sandwiches look very interesting and the flavors are very different than you see anywhere else- which is good- it will make our lineup stand out.

I've heard rave reviews about the salted caramel signature hot chocoloate.

[Big Blue]

Eggs Florentine are the best!! It's the best selling breakfast item not to mention the only veg.

Will we be getting hash browns too?

[that's the ticket]

If partners would properly clean their ovens, the aroma of coffee would still dominate. It does in my store anyway.....

[Ari]

We got Partner samples of the Piadini today. Now I will admit that I am often hypercritical of the bux, but these sandwiches are good, unique and seem to fit in well with our space. They arent hot pocketish at all.

[barista lane]

piadinis are good. $3.25 for most of the US. Signature hot chocolate is good too.

i'm sad about the ham and florentine, they are my two favorites.

[Bemused]

I would much rather have artisan coffee than faux-artisan bread. I am so tired of *$'s inexplicable race to mediocrity.

[Torontodude]

I disagree with Bemused. There is nothing mediocre (or fast-foodish) about portobello mushroom, ricotta, and spinach on artisanal bread.

I'll have it on weekend mornings -- while lingering over the newspaper with a whole French press of Burundi or Casa Ciello. And I'll still get a dollar or two change from a ten dollar bill.

In fact, I'll probably end up leaving the change as a tip. It's a heluva cheap brunch!

[Joe]

Puke. I just switched to indy coffeehouses.

[espressoblend]

Another soon-to-be failed attempt to generate some sales from SBUX -- too bad this will be a flop just like the protein lattes, Akeelah and the Bee and cupcakes.

I have to agree with the baristas on this one: focus on the coffee, your current customers wants (which is, by far, coffee and not more mediocre food) and you'll generate those sales. If you are going to attempt to generate sales via food, come out with something better than that berry bar or that multi-grain roll. Blech.

Admittedly, SBUX faces increasingly enormous pressure as the current financial crisis begins to hit home for the middle-class consumer (and SBUX core audience) as they stash more cash away in lieu of spending it on "affordable luxuries."

[onethreethree]

mmmm... vanilla cupcakes. thanks EB, you brought back a good memory.

[CBH]

McDonald's is fast food.

Wendy's is fast food.

Starbucks is fast food.

Anyone disagree?

[onethreethree]

on the other hand, as a partner who has worked in both warming and non-warming stores, and who frequently visits his old warming store, the smell is still undeniable. ive been lucky to be in a store where i can still smell the coffee when its ground and on my clothes after i leave. somebody needs to figure out its not the cheese. it might be part of the equation. my theory is the oven cleaner and guard... anyone willing to look into it?

[onethreethree]

and on a final note, this might be my last "informed" post on this site. tomorrow is my last day, and when i clock out at 7:30pm EST, i take the step into customerdom. after 2 and 1/2 years, 3 DMs, 3 SMs and a lot of empty promises later, im off to greener pastures... its been a ride!

[anon]

I just hope it does not make the store smell. I like walking in to the smell of coffee, not eggs.

[Kate]

I've never been in a Starbucks, warming or non-warming, that smells like coffee to me. Starbucks smells like milk.

I smell like coffee when I leave the store after my shift, but that's just because I'm behind the counter. The only time the store smells like coffee is when we're grinding it.

[CanadaBarista]

Boo.
Any word on whether we'll get...well, any sort of sandwiches in Canada?

[spence]

I think every Starbucks I work at smells like coffee unless I'm opening shift. The problem is: We no longer smell it.

[Me]

Spence, to some degree you are right. I was just recently mourning about the lost smell of coffee in my store. We just got an oven and I can smell the sandwiches and the oven cleaner in the morning.
But then a customer walked in and asked if we use a fake coffee scent to create that delicious coffee smell he experiences whenever he walks into our starbucks coffee house. So I guess to some degree there still is some coffee smell. Maybe just not that intense anymore than it used to be.

Your wrong Spence, Starbucks doesn't smell like coffee, hasn't for a long long time. It smells like everything but!

[Sheik]

I can see it now...

Food critics' reviews of the Piadini...

"Bland-ini"

[b]

I tried the mushroom yesterday. For the price and convenience, I thought it was very, very good. I can't stand sausage so don't know about that one.

[StLouieDrip]

When the coffee is being ground I can smell it wafting outside on the sidewalk even before I reach the door. But I really like it best when it's so strong that it clings to my clothes after I leave the store. Heavenly.

If you're grinding it, yes, we can smell it.

[Lig]

The oatmeal numbers are inflated because of all the charity begging stores have been doing. Stores in my area are selling over a hundred a day because people are asking for donations to homeless shelters etc. But the numbers won't stay this good. You can only ask people for so long. I don't really get the logic behind trying to inflate the sales. You don't get a real picture of the ability of the product to move out of stores. But I'm not in charge...

[ku]

Artisanal flat bread, starts with a 'P'...does this remind anyone else of Panera? Their coffee is awful (with infinite refills), but the WiFi is always free...

[Innovator]

I have a *GREAT* idea that will totally set SB apart from the competition. We could take an english muffin, put a fried egg on it with some canadian bacon and a bit of cheese. I think it would be delicious and totally differentiate ourselves from the others in the space. I think we should call it something catchy like and "StarEggMuffin". I think it will TOTALLY rock!!!

had a partner sample of the sausage Piadini today and wow I am really impressed!! It was fantastic and delicious! These will be a huge seller when they come out!

[AliCat]

Ok... the mushroom Piadini is REALLY good. I was skeptical but GOOD!

[Jim Lane]

Here's the bottom line: most barristas are lazy. Doing anything more than coffee chaps their collective hinnies.

*$ looked at deleting the sandwiches, and guess what, lazybones? They sell and that is why the stores on onto their second generation of sandwiches.

The English muffin is passe and too well connected with fast food places, flatbreads seem to be hotter now than ciabatta, so maybe the powers are ahead of you.

Quit yer bitchin' and get on with the job, you do so little in the way of coffee, most of you could be replaced by a well-educated pig with lipstick.

jim

Looks like Starbucks UK already have a lot of food offering. They have salad, cheese cake, Panini (grilled)...no oatmeal... I think more food is better. When McDonald was trying to turn itself around, it tried everything. Same with Starbucks, it needs to try everything until something is a hit... I hope soon though :)

http://starbucks.co.uk/en-GB/_Food/Hot+Panini.htm

[Melody]

Okay, I confess, I was in a Starbucks recently where a barista offered me a sample of the sausage Piadini, and I thought it was delicious! I can't wait!

[Customer]

Do they just pull these names out of their collective butts?

Pee-ah-dee-nee?
Viv-ah-no?
Chan-tee-ko?
Frapp-ah-chee-no?
Gim-ee-ah-break-oh!

[alex]

Customer- I was just thinking that same thing. These faux-Italian, totally made up, dumb effing names are starting to bug me. SBUX product people, if you're reading this, STOP THAT! Just call it a damn sandwich and be done with it. I feel like a dumbass every time I order a Vivanno, because it's a *smoothie*.

[m.]

believe it or not, its not faux italian. Its legit. it amazed me too.
"Piadina is an Italian flatbread that is chewy and soft enough to bend, not crisp like a cracker. It consists of dough similar to pizza dough that is rolled flat and thin until all the air is removed."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piadini

[Cam is Cam]

Damn, I forgot about the cupcakes... those were soooo good, I wish we still had them.

I don't think the oatmeals are inflated. I'm sure some stores donate them to charity, but overall we've been doing really well with our oatmeal (in the top of our district even!).

Just upsell through drive-thru and make sure to do plenty of sampling and that shit will sell itself. OATMEAL IS BOMB!!!

Seriously though, bring back the cupcakes.

[Tim]

I've seen a lot of promo's come and go. I think the reason they first got rid of the Breakfast sand. is to set us a part from McD. But people like them and we sell a ton. Lazy isn't the right word. I don't like making breakfast sands. It takes no skill and is just like putting a hot pocket in a microwave oven.

[alex]

M- I stand corrected. But that doesn't change how I feel about Vivanno, Chantico, or Frappuccino.

[Marcus]

This doesn't peak my interest. Piadini is a poor name choice. I would be embarrassed to say it. Even saying Vivanno sounds a bit odd.

As for the food itself, God bless the people at the Starbucks who go to running back and forth between the espresso bar, blenders, coffee pots, register, food case and their little toaster oven. If Starbucks wants to serve hot food, they need to give the baristas more room than if they were in an airplane galley and a faster way to heat the food (and I am speaking only as someone observing the baristas).

So, I'm a vegetarian, so my choice would be Spinach, ricotta, and portabella. But, not only does that sound like a lunch/dinner item, but I don't voluntarily eat fungus. People like portabella mushrooms when they've been marinated, but you can get the flavor of the marinade without the fungus. I'd also be curious to know if the ricotta is rennet-free.

So, as it is, I've never tried a breakfast sandwich. The only vegetarian ones have eggs which I don't eat (unless they're incorporated into something so that I don't taste or see them).

We'll see about the new one. I may try it if you can get it without the portabella just to try it.

I like the name of the Chantico, the Aztec goddess of fires.

[Tim]

I was so excited about these and then logged onto the portal today... not only does the mushroom one have egg in it (such a let down), they're hard wrapped in the artisan bread, meaning you can't just take it out.

So it's like the wrap for me. I'd eat it if I could take the egg out without wrecking the wrap. What a shame... how about some egg-free options for those of us that DON'T like cramming rubbery chicken embryos down our throats at 7:30 am?

Pretty please?

[bigyaz]

Marcus: Sounds like maybe you should just eat at home.

[buckaroo]

I think Piadini is a poor choice for a name, as well. It just sounds kinda gross. Even though it's kinda similar to Panini, somehow it just doesn't work the way that word does. It's too many syllables and it is made up of a bunch of goofy sounds that are just kind of awkward. I'm sure it sounds great when it's stuffed into an Italian sentence, but it is just squirmingly awkward in this context. Hi, would you like your peeahdeeneeeeee warmed today? geez. Just don't like the sound of it. I don't care if it is an authentic Italian word, it sounds fake. Goofy and pretentious and fake.

[sad_in_tx]

I'm disappointed..my store was supposed to get warming machines, yet for some reason they were canceled so we won't be getting the sandwiches. :( :(

Everyone at my store wanted to try them..

We are like 2nd in our district, so I have no clue why they wouldn't give us warming