In Seattle, Starbucks tests new names for stores

At least three remodeled Seattle-area Starbucks stores will bear the names of their neighborhoods -- 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, for example -- rather than use the Starbucks name. Indie coffee shop owners say Starbucks employees hung out at their stores to get ideas for the new concept. || Read "Starbucks tests new names for stores"

Comments

[javajohn]

Starbucks tried this in San Francisco about ten years ago - they opened a non-Starbucks cafe with booze in the evening along with live music a bit beyond the Castro in an industrial space. It wasn't a hit because everyone knew it was little more than a rebranded Starbucks. I think it was called 'Circadia' or something like that.

[Thought of the Day]

A middle-aged identity crisis?

[dobbsfox]

Odd. I thought Starbucks was all about brand identification. It's tough being a public company that has to keep those quarterly earnings up. Maybe this is the only kind of expansion that will work?

[Karl Dahlquist]

This is just a ploy to confuse Winter.

[anon]

Thanks for the laugh Karl

[CamSpi]

I'm always intrigued by the stories of Starbucks rebranding itself. I remember my dad went to a "Hear Music" starbucks on a business trip when I was a kid. When he came back he went on and on about how great it was.

So new versions of Starbucks... we'll see.

[Pat Nerr]

Circadia... funny

[me myself and I]

I think it is sad they are abandoning their entire brand.
But the idea of the store in itself sounds good to me. Isn't this something a lot of people said on here earlier: Built nice neighborhood stores?

I wish they would keep their brand but change the logo a bit for different occasions. E.g. the old brown logo for slow neighborhood stores with manual machines, live music and alcohol license, the regular green logo for the typical regular stores and maybe the regular logo in a different color for "express" stores where there is no seating and no merchandise, everything streamlined for speed of service etc. This would also help customers to see what to expect from a store already before they enter it.
And if you would take the theme a bit further, you could change the logo for the licensed stores slightly as well.
The beauty of this would be, they wouldn't need to re-brand the coffee bags or the merchandise, but could add one or two specific items per line.

[BoldToday]

Wine and beer? Manual espresso machines? I'd certainly give them a try. I just hope they'll accept my lowly Starbucks card. And I've got my fingers crossed hoping that the new store will have a Clover brewing machine.

Looks like the rumours Melody heard (of a new store on 15th Ave in Seattle) were true.

[John]

So, what happens if these stores outperform the branded stores?

Do they sit back and say 'Oh crap, our brand sucks'?

Or do they just say 'Hey, awesome, we're making more money.'

[Pat Nerr]

they'll do both John... may I refer you to the SBC and Torrefazione brands... The TAZO brand... The Hear Music Brand... The Bottled Frapp brand... Ice cream brand... the Vivanno brand... the Starbucks Liquor brand...

...Mazagran brand... nearly forgot that tasty sparkly beverage...

[outofbananas]

Tell me there won't be any blenders in that store and I'll be the first in line to volunteer to work there. I swear I'll buy a plane ticket today.

[green_cup]

I was in a downtown Seattle store and saw the most interesting thing in the store by Pacific Place... A tall cold case, almost like that in a Barnes and Noble store. It was about 7 or 8 feet tall, 6 feet wide and totally open, with shelves of what I think are just all drinks.

It was stocked with Izzy cans and other types of soft drinks, water, etc, not typically found in a Starbucks store.

It wasn't the Ready-to-Drink type case that's typically under the bake case. They had one of those, too.

It also had a sign that said something about nourishment.

It clearly had to be a concept type of thing considering this store is also a first-Clover store and one with a fully stainless-steel/ copper espresso machine.

Is this the new wannabe-standard for Starbucks?

[Garch]

where's Melody's input on these changes?

[blarg]

Trying to be Java Detour?

[adam]

Hanging out at Indie shops trying to pick up ideas? Hopefully they picked up on the fact that the good ones pull their shots a lot longer than the 12 second garbage they try to give to me.

[Vincent]

adam posted:

'Hanging out at Indie shops trying to pick up ideas? Hopefully they picked up on the fact that the good ones pull their shots a lot longer than the 12 second garbage they try to give to me.'..

Perhaps they also noticed a bold coffee offering throughout all hours of operation (wink).

[Seattle Shane]

Personally, I am excited. I have been since I heard the rumor about this.

[FLA SS]

honestly why would they have to go to indie shops to figure this out? couldn't they just look at what sbux was 12 or so years ago when they were crushing the indie competition? An honest and faithful back to basics program would eliminate any need for this garbage and just restore the original brand that used to mean something to a lot of people.

[Melody]

@green_cup: Do you mean the 6th & Union Starbucks in the City Centre Building? That was one of the first Clover stores. There is a Starbucks across from Pacific Place, but it's quite small - too small for what you describe I think.

*****************************

I'm bewildered the Starbucks store development/ store designer people made such lousy spies. They went in groups and carried folders that said "observation"?? They might as well have worn green aprons.

That has to be part of the reason the news leaked so fast - lots of indy houses were tipped off.

They need to work on their spy/ intel gathering techniques! LOL.

*********************

It's been a long while since I've had a brew on demand story - mostly I just gave up after a few bad experiences very early this year. I seek out Clover Starbucks or don't go at all in the afternoon.

Today after work I decided to see if I could see anything exciting at the 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. There was nothing to see. It was locked up tight. I had coffee at a nearby indy house and then walked on foot for a ways until I got to a Starbucks on Broadway (store 304).

I stopped in to rest up, and I saw that the coffee urns were labeled Pike. I thought what the heck, I'll ask, "are you just brewing Pike?"

I swear to god I nearly fell over when she replied, "Yeah, all we have is Pike. But if you have about 5 minutes to wait I can brew Sumatra?" There was NO hassle. I didn't have to convince her anything. I mean, it was like so perfect, I stood there dumbstruck. It's a good thing the store was nearly empty and no one was behind me. So I said yes, and got Sumatra in a for-here cup, and a Tropical Passion Bar, and sat down and read some email and rested up for a bit. I happily left a tip.

I have to say again, it was so nice not to have try and twist her arm with things like "would you brew" or "I really wanted brewed Verona (insert coffee here) ..." and so on.
If only every Starbucks copied her.

**********************

Brand segmentation: Not sure I really see it as too big of a deal. Lots of brands do it for one reason or another. There is Honda/ Acura, Best Western/Best Western Express, Ann Taylor/ Ann Taylor Loft, Gap/Old Navy. 20 year ago there was even the failed experiment of Nordstrom/Nordstrom Place II. There are more examples from the clothing industry.

I'm a little disappointed at the negative reactions that have been out there in the press to this. It seems as though many don't want to even give this a chance, and will condemn it before the doors are open. I was disappointed to hear that there had been graffiti on the wall of the site already, though when I was there this evening, all traces of it were already gone.

I'm very willing to give it a try. I hope there will be a real whole bean focus, and less of a food orientation. I've heard that there will be no brewers and coffee is buy French press or Clover only. I see that as possibly quite workable, but for that to work, I expect the new location would have to primarily focus on single-origin beans. Blends aren't quite as wonderful through the Clover, sometimes.

*********************

@Karl Dahlquist - You gave me a good laugh!

@Seattle Shane - You were the first tip on this store on this site!

@outofbananas - From what I know, there will be no Frappuccino type drinks. I assume that means no blenders.

Sorry for the length of this.

[green_cup]

@green_cup: Do you mean the 6th & Union Starbucks in the City Centre Building? That was one of the first Clover stores. There is a Starbucks across from Pacific Place, but it's quite small - too small for what you describe I think.

@Melody:

No, it's the store that's across the street from the movie theatre, next to the old storefronts of New Balance and Seven. It's on 7th, in between Pine and Pike.

[javajohn]

They're just experimenting - trying to come up with some ideas for some of the more competitive niche markets like college towns, yuppie urban neighborhoods and the like. The Starbucks name will live on - and will continue to grace 99.8% of the company stores worldwide. I think they have missed the boat with the lack of booze in the evening - and that is an wide-open market. After 3pm, their business slows down considerably in most stores [some urban/college locations excluded.]

[rechercher]

Stealthbucks.

[heather]

and the one on 15th will be serving alcohol

[CamSpi]

Just saw my local news cover the 15th avenue cafe, as well as Conan.

[CamSpi]

If we start selling wine & beer... do you think we'll start a brewery or anything?
"The world's premier purveyor of the finest coffee... and beer... and wine... and vivanno smoothies... and no trans-fat paseries... and oatmeal... etc."

[Melody]

Well there's nothing stealthy going on about the new cafe anymore! I think it could've hit the ground running if they hadn't tipped off lots of people right and left about the new test store.

[CamSpi]

Melody, I'm searching "beer" and "wine" on MSI. Many people are against the idea. As a partner who turned 21 less than a year ago, I can't help but fantasize working at an alcohol selling cafe... but goes to show how "Going back to the basics" is an overused, often insincere phrase from the Bux.

[Partner]

I wonder if the partners can get a beer for their partner beverage.

[Melody]

@CamSpi - Yep there does seem to be an outrage over it. One thing I'm a little confused about ... it sounds like Starbucks isn't trying to re-do Circadia. That sounds like it was a full-blown restaurant, but rather they're trying to re-open a REAL and authentic coffee house. But personally I don't expect to find beer and wine at an authentic coffee house.

But as to MSI, it's a depressing place. Right now it's full of people who have no interest in coffee and want more food, more food options, clutter, and more clutter. Coffee isn't a popular theme. I read MSI and think I should go to Peet's or Stumptown.

[kv54321]

Interesting discussion. Either way, everyone is missing the most important (and not yet leaked, until now) part of the story!! Seattle rock legends Mo Fo & Bro will be playing at the grand opening party this coming Fri 24th! That's enough reason to go check this place out, however you feel about it!!

[A.G.]

As an independent coffeehouse owner, I'm disgusted. I don't feel threatened, I doubt they'll try something like this here in the provinces, and I'm not worried about competitition. But, it's just about the lamest thing I've ever heard. If I came across a gaggle of starbucks employees holding observation folders, I'd kick them to the curb.

[javajohn]

The 'observation folders' is kind of lame. But then again, so is the thought that a company of this size and stature feels as though it needs to completely reinvent itself. Get back to the basics: great coffee; and the rest will follow. Hey, that's my take on it.

[green_cup]

I read MSI and think I should go to Peet's or Stumptown.

Posted by: Melody | July 18, 2009 at 07:02 AM

And you should, to both. Heck, throw Starbucks in there, too, but know that Peet's and Stumptown are superior in many ways Starbucks can't hold a candle to.

Starbucks is good for fast-food type of coffee. You know what you'll (most likely) get and know it's typically at parity with "decent."

At Peet's and Stumptown, you know you'll get excellent coffee and espresso, but sometimes slow wait times.

[oh no again]

Starbucks tried a bistro/cafe concept at least once before, around ten years ago, in San Francisco and Palo Alto, CA, named Circadia. They served sandwiches, pizza, and a variety of other foods. They also had entertainment and a full bar. Due to alcohol being served, all partners had to be 18 or over. Circadia did not openly promote themselves as Starbucks, but did not deny it either. There were "subtle" clues like the branded hot cups and the logo in the window. Circadia tried to be local and relevant, tried to bring in top performing personnel, tried to be uber cool. At first it was fairly successful, as a novelty perhaps. But in a short time all the regular pressures of a "new" restaurant/bistro business crept up. Things like competition, hiring borderline entertainment, employee relations issues and not having plans to effectively deal with the changing business environment. Panic set in and the company tried to throw money at it. Then they tried to cut their overhead. Sound familiar?
They still went belly up, leaving a bad taste in people’s mouths and a serious loss on investment.

Do I want the new venture to fail? No. But more than attempting something "new" that could really backfire on us, what I would really like to see is some needed stability in the existing structure. Quit changing focus every month, quit finding new ways to handicap the operations. Stick to the basics (like two or three varieties of coffee available all day and whole bean menu boards) and allowing enough labor to keep the service up to our once legendary standards. We have to stop micro-managing our stores, let them return to being the local coffee shops they once were, not try to reinvent the experience under an unbranded facade. The chameleon logic and quest for the next frappuchino miracle is KILLING us!

Respectfully,

An old partner

[Onward]

You have got to be kidding me!

[former partner]

I can see it now. Under age baristas getting smashed on their breaks. They can always claim the under-staffing drove them to it.

But seriously I think it is a really good idea. They can try the fancy dessert thing again with in these new stores.

[Jim C]

These are GENERIC locations to run out he clock on the leases of shuttered SBUX stores. Nothing more.

[SMontherocks.]

So will this "starbucks" have a "no visible tattoo" policy as well? i mean, if they want to be "hip" but "totally unprofessional" then they'll allow them...because every "indie" coffee shop has a strict dress code that is religiously enforced by corporate.
why can't Starbucks just be Starbucks? why this need to be something it's not. while i applaud the use of new materials and new designs it is disingenuous. it's corporate trying to fool people into thinking that it isn't sbux.
and, if a lax dress code is permissible for that enviroment, why not "real" starbucks stores? hmmm....

[YankeeFan]

Anyone want to guess what kind of espresso machine they'll use? Will they go back to La Marzocco? Try a Synesso? Something else?

[Melody]

@YankeeFan - It's a La Marzocco, from the gossip I hear.

I just had a hideous thought: What if they serve Pike Place Roast?

[updawg]

Jeez...Starbucks has gone to great lengths to become one of the world's most recognizable names. What could possible be realized by changing the name of your local Starbucks? The age-old business model dictates no name change else new customers will not know it is a Starbucks? Would you change the name of a business that has been in business for years just because you now own it and want to see your name up in lights?