Starbucks: The decision to brew decaf on-demand in the afternoons is being misrepresented

Starbucks spokeswoman Deb Trevino e-mails Starbucks Gossip: "I wanted to provide our perspective on the decaf post. The decision we made to brew decaf coffee on-demand in the afternoons -- a decision made for the benefit of customers, and in response to our partners (employees) who want to help reduce waste -- is being misrepresented.

We are simply giving our stores the flexibility to make decaf on customer demand, during a time when overall demand for decaf is very low. In the process, decaf customers get a fresh cup of coffee and the company saves money. It's a win-win. (The actual store communication is below.)"

--------------------------

For many of our stores, the demand for decaf is greatly reduced in the afternoon and therefore yields high waste with the current standard. In recognition of this, stores no longer need to continually brew decaf coffee after 12 p.m. and can now apply the same standard that exists for Morning Pick.

* Continue offering Decaf Pike Place Roast as the daily decaf brew through 12 p.m. (from 5 a.m. until 12 p.m. in 24-hour stores).

* Consider your customer base and decaf requests after 12 p.m. to judge whether you should brew a batch of coffee to prepare for decaf customers.

* Ensure partners respond to requests for decaf coffee according to standard, while acknowledging the wait time for a freshly prepared brew.

Comments

[Dan]

What a joke. This site and others report that Starbucks is cutting back brewing decaf in the afternoons so that customers will have to wait up to 4 min to get a freshly brewed cup of decaf. Then the flak comes running in to say that...no no no, that's all wrong, customers benefit because we're LETTING them get decaf in a freshly brewed cup now!

Exactly what misrepresentation is being cleared up with Trevino's perspective? I miss the good ol days of competent doublespeak.

[SBUX emp]

I wish we can get more comments from SBUX CO like this, maybe it can save us from all of the bull that people post....keep it coming Deb Trevino (if you are still here after Weds)

[CamSpi]

I know I've already lost at least one customer during this action, but honestly I don't get why. I've been in the situation where I've had to wait for coffee to be brewed by my Starbucks before going to school... as I was on the edge of running a couple of minutes late. My Gold Coast was perfect, fresh, and hot. I hardly made it to class, though.
It's FOUR mintues! People live busy lives, I understand... but give me a break.
If you can't wait four minutes for coffee, then you're impatient and more than likely an A-hole. (I don't mean to generalize here because I understand there are circumstances where this statement does not apply).
What disheartens me ever so slightly, though, is that this may be one step away from our core, which is coffee. I feel as though taking away a bold during the afternoon was a step away from our core. The more and more baby steps away from our core, and pretty soon it's down the drain.

I know I've already lost at least one customer during this action, but honestly I don't get why. I've been in the situation where I've had to wait for coffee to be brewed by my Starbucks before going to school... as I was on the edge of running a couple of minutes late. My Gold Coast was perfect, fresh, and hot. I hardly made it to class, though.
It's FOUR mintues! People live busy lives, I understand... but give me a break.
If you can't wait four minutes for coffee, then you're impatient and more than likely an A-hole. (I don't mean to generalize here because I understand there are circumstances where this statement does not apply).
What disheartens me ever so slightly, though, is that this may be one step away from our core, which is coffee. I feel as though taking away a bold during the afternoon was a step away from our core. The more and more baby steps away from our core, and pretty soon it's down the drain.

Posted by: CamSpi | January 28, 2009 at 05:31 AM

No, what not waiting four minutes means is that I, the customer, have just credited your competition with a couple of extra bucks in a sale and you just lost out.

Not having decaf is unacceptable, regardless of how you try to twist it.

Decaf is not a blend of coffee. It is simple, core selection. No "House Coffee" ...? fine. You must have run out. No "Sumatra?" Cool. No one ordered it. NO DECAF OF ANY VARIETY THAT YOU STOCK AND SHOULD HAVE ON HAND?! Yeah, not going to fly.

What you're telling your decaf customers here is that there time isn't important and, to boot, if they don't want to wait then they'll simply be told they're "assholes" for not being patient. Yeah, that's called bad customer service.

Now, please, Starbucks. Don't say "XYZ" and be pissed off when they see right through it and THEN try to twist it in a manner to perpetuate that the screwed-over customer is actually getting the better end of the deal. How stupid do you think people are?

[B4ItOpened]

Looks like an opportunity to install single cup (quick) brewers to accommodate bold and decaf customers during off hours.
I'd opt for freshly brewed coffee over 15 minute old gruel any day.

[Gust]

I've never really got the point of a coffee store trying to reduce it's coffee turnover. There was a time that you could easily get a cup of excellent (and fresh) drip coffee at Starbucks, with a choice between a (smooth) blended or a (bold) origin coffee and even a decaf alternative. Now all of that has been replaced by the standardized (and mediocre) Pike Place blend; you have to be well informed on when and where to get specialty coffee. To add insult to injury, the company is now even questioning the freshness of the brew and leaving the issue to the judgement of the stores...

[Thought of the Day]

So, let me get this right , I'm supposed to walk into $tarbucks order a brewed decaf , wait, and then be called an ass**** for wanting decaf? Way to go $tarbucks. This is the " bold situation" all over again !

[Ettal]

I often wait 3 to 4 minutes after ordering my mocha latte... I fail to see why everyone here is so upset.

Are there more than just a few decaf coffee drinkers out there who are actually angry about this change in proceedure? Is it unreasonable to ask them to wait 3 minutes (like the rest of us) and get a fresh cup of decaf? I would like to hear from them.

I think most posters here complain for the sake of complaining...

Totally agree with Ettal! I'd much rather wait for a fresh cup of decaf than be handed a cup that was beyond it's hold time. It's not that big of a deal people. It's an OPTION to not brew it on a store to store basis, if there is a demand, it will still be brewing.

[Will]

Complete nonsense. So now Starbucks will brew a whole pot of Decaf and let it sit anyway.

Starbucks Decaf is very acidic anyway. Not worth waiting.

[hangin on to hope]

can french pressing decaf(at slow or low request times) be an option? it's less waste and decaf is then still offered to the customer. just thinking outloud trying to find a solution.

[Naptown Barista]

Just another brilliant decision by the emperor & his minions from the castle, to be imposed upon the fiefdom throughout the kingdom. The decision in & of itself is ludicrous. To call yourself a coffee shop, but not brew decaf is a travesty. It's not that tough...increase the hold time to an hour, and brew quarter batches. Would a company really RISK losing ANY customer, when their numbers are already dwindling? A LB of coffee might cost the company $6 (their cost), that LB might stretch 4 hours at 1/4 batches. Wanna save some cash?, downsize the partner whole bean mark-outs a bit. Sure, I'd be bummed personally, but I could certainly understand the reasoning. This company has given away hundreds of thousands of cups of coffee, and their response has always been "it doesn't affect margins considerably, as brewed coffee is a low-cost, high profit margin product."

Lastly, the corporate lackey that somehow claims "a decision made for the benefit of customers", and "decaf customers get a fresh cup of coffee and the company saves money. It's a win-win" have provided great comic relief. A person who displays logic like that must be paid a lot of money to keep a straight face. She's probably not a decaf drinker, that's for sure!

Wasn't Starbucks Entertainment eliminated? or are the press releases meant to continue to entertain? Maybe SBUX is looking to author a book in a year or 2 on what NOT to do when your business is struggling.

Downward

[Thought of the Day]

I certainly wouldn't reccomend " a French press" of PPR ... It's foul enough brewed!

[Torontodude]

Starbucks management has a point. Saying the company has eliminated decaf in the afternoon is inaccurate.

Here's what happened to me a few weeks ago. At around 9 PM, I asked for a venti decaf. The partner said: "we're not brewing it right now. Would you like me to make some for you? It will take about four minutes. Or I can offer you a decaf espresso."

I ended up going for a double decaf americano. And I was only charged for a venti drip. (I think the difference is about 20 cents).

So everyone was happy.

And I think it's smart to say: "we're not brewing it right now," then offer options.

[Torontodude]

One last point. Isn't there an upside: greater choice on brewed non-decaf selections?

[COCO]

Yes, you can say it is about "waste" and that baristas have voiced a concern about it, but it is obviously about Starbucks still trying to dig out of the hole...it is all about money. Starbucks is losing it's third place experience...now in the afternoon, come into a COFFEE shop and you're only choice for coffe if Pike Place, which MANY customers DO NOT LIKE. In my opinion we should always have bold and decaf along with the old Pike. Back about a year ago if I remember, we were going back to the root of Starbucks and getting back to the basics with the Pikes and freshly roasted beans, blah, blah....why don't we stop with all the unending new promotions, like tea lattes, vivannos and really concentrate on being a coffe shop.....and maybe do away with the sandwiches...unbelievable how much of that gets thrown OUT every night...really sad. I love my job at Starbucks but am disheartened at the current state of affairs....figure it out and don't make the customers suffer....

[(former)asmgirl]

Isn't brewed coffee the biggest source of profit? Brewed coffee takes less labor and resources to make than Frappuccino or Vivanno. So for the sake of a few cents to make the decaf, you throw away the potential profit of a couple of cups of decaf, but you're ok with a couple of hundred dollars of wasted smooshy bananas per store per month? Since when did logic take a hike?

[truth]

This is likely a part of the Arthur Andersen/sbux project to look into the product mix on a store level, and then make product mix decisions based on past demand.

Example: customers in a particular store/district/state don't drink that much X, so therefore, X is coming off the menu.

The days of walking into any sbux store anywhere and knowing beforehand what you'll be able to order are going away folks.

[Hirayuki]

I don't know how many times I've been in restaurants, ordered decaf, and told "We'll brew a fresh pot for you." Decaf coffee isn't in as high demand, and neglected decaf doesn't seem to last too long on your average Bunn burner before turning bitter and gross. All this means that the cup of decaf, when it does arrive, is delicious, hot, and fresh. If this is the standard Starbucks is trying to maintain with this change in policy, I don't see how it's a bad thing.

[redcup]

That's an excellent point Hirayuki, but sbux is a Quick Service Restaurant, the emphasis on 'quick service'. At a restaurant, a 5 min wait is nothing since the diners are sitting down, chatting it up, or maybe waiting for desert, etc. A 3 min wait at sbux (not taking into account the wait in the p.o.s. line) is a big deal.

[Latteguzler]

My store is part of a test market that brews decaf coffee by the cup at all times. It's called the pour over method and it should only take about 2 minutes. Some customers hate the wait but others love the quality taste. It seems to ballance out. Even brewing a 1/4 batch of decaf at a time is not a great practice because the filter falls over due to such little ground coffee in the basket. The results are a cup of grounds. The pour over method makes a great cup of coffee, so good that I've started to do it this way at home. Anybody that can't wait two minutes is far too self important anyway. As a partner I would like them to go to another place to get thier coffee. We will replace these pain in the ass customers with people who want quality. Starbucks is trying to respond to customer wants while producing quality beverages and reduce waiste. Of course it is to reduce costs also...we are a poffit based company.

[Melody]

Ettal, I totally see the analogy your making. And I would stop complaining entirely IF I could 100% of the time get the same customer service that you are getting.

You do not walk up to the register, order a mocha, and get told "sorry we've stopped making them for the day, would you like a french press?"

Your point IS right on the money, and I would expect to wait for a beverage, but if I were just ordering a mocha, I'd never have to go through that little dance of why I don't want an Americano, or a french press, and being told "we're out" and baristas who wouldn't dare open up a flavorlock bag of coffee to brew bold on demand, but somehow would for a french press?

Green_cup probably wants it NOW. I understand that all great things require a wait, and only if the cheeseburger is already sitting under the heating lamp do you get it NOW.

I just want a smile, and the barista who OFFERS to brew it right away without any games. This generally works for me about 90% of the time, but Ettal, if 10% of the time you new you were going to have explain your order to the barista or knew you might hear "no" or you'd been through a period of hearing "no" a lot, you'd start to get a bit gun shy.

[Jim C]

The customer will have to wait longer than the "3 to 4 minutes" being thrown around on this site. One of the major reasonsour customers prefer drip coffee, is because it is fast. Look at these scenarios:

Customer #1: Will wait an average of 7.5 minutes in line before they get to th POS to place their order for a drip coffee. Money is taken, or card is swiped, Batista turns around and fills cup. Handoff is complete, customer is free to leave, or to and mess around at the condiment station. Time elapsed: about 9 minutes total.

Customer #2: 7.5 average time in line, orders a tall vanilla latte. After the 1.5 minute transaction is complete, the customer has to go wait in line again at the drink handoff, another 5 minute average wait time, if the latte was made correctly. Time elapsed: about 14 minutes.

So, getting a drip coffee is faster, it is even speedier if there is no line. Now, we are asking the customer to stand in line, then be told at the POS that their instantaneous beverage will have to take some time, to wait out of the line. We have seen the frustration when someone forgets to set up be brew the next batch of drip of "bold coffee" and the customer has to wait. They expect to wait for a "handcrafted" latte, not drip. BS silliness about waste or freshness. How much of PPR do YOU dump out every day?

[Joe]

As a partner I would like them to go to another place to get thier coffee. We will replace these pain in the ass customers with people who want quality."latteguzler

Boy, if there EVER was a statement which encapsulated the snobbish attitude at Starbucks, that's the one. Don't worry little Latteguzler, based on current trends, your wish is coming true. Not sure if that's a good thing for Starbucks overall but you apparently do.

Also..someone should point out to Ms. Trevino that their own official Twitterer made the statement this was to happen at ALL stores so not sure how this was being misrepresented.

[Crema_the_crop]

Latteguzler:

Are you in the Denver area? I've seen documents on the portal pertaining to the "Denver Decaf Brewed" test, but I'm not able to access them. Are you using Melitta pour-over equipment? Do you use water directly from the brewer hot water tap? I'm very interested.

[Melody]

Jim C - I definitely agree with your points, and there is a fundamental issue about it still being called Starbucks COFFEE Company.

The thing you'd have to add into your above calculations is the argument at the register while the lines form behind me. I can think of a couple of times it literally took me a full 5 minutes to persuade a register barista that YES I really want DRIP brewed coffee and not a french press. Once you add those 5 minutes in to the equation, your scenarios look more dramatic.

And hence my crazy, I start to flinch at the register after noon at Starbucks because I know what is coming. I start to flinch even before the barista takes the first swing ("I can make you an Americano instead") and THAT is what is driving customers away, even more than the wait. (Yes, I get that both are issues, but how the barista handles the situation makes all the difference in the world.)

[CamSpi]

@5:46am
Sorry. I'm not calling decaf customers A-holes. I'm not calling people who request decaf to be brewed A-holes, either. I am more than happy to brew decaf if that's what they want!!
But, in my experience, there are A-holes out there who cuss at me and who are rude human beings. Those are the A-holes!
I keep going back and forth on this issue. I understand your perspective that its outrageous that decaf may not be brewed all day. The more I think about it, the more I agree with your perspective. I just don't understand why a few people have the perspective of cussing at me if they have to wait.

[Naptown Barista]

I've figured it out! This is all just a clever ploy to increase sales of decaf Americano's! Think about it, you can get an Americano faster than a brewed-when-I-demand cup of decaf coffee! Then 3 months from now on the next quarterly lack-of-earnings call our Fearless Leader will claim that we've turned the corner because our espresso beverage sales have rebounded! Investors then will once again FLOCK to SBUX! (Please accept this with the sarcasm intended!)

[none of the above]

Yes, people do not want to wait around for 4 minutes for decaf to be brewed. Sbux long ago lost it's third place status (unless that third place is in your car). People want to get in and get out and don't really care. Sbux played the fence for a long time, and is now getting burned. The difference between McD's and sbux now is the fact that if you want a quick cup of decaf in the afternoon you need to go to McD's.

[Latteguzler]

Crema_the_crop:

Yes I'm in Denver. I'm not sure what the equipment is called but it uses a #4 paper cone filter and yes we use the brewer hot water tap. It's a very simple setup and doesn't take up much room.

[Karl Kenya]

We did this yesterday and had no problems. It's really all in how you talk to the customer. You can say, "No we're out of decaf, we gotta brew some more, so you can wait if you want." OR you can say, "I'm sorry, we brew on demand after 12, Let me brew a fresh pot for you, would you mind waiting or can I make you a decaf americano?" Same customer. Same problem. Vastly different reactions. Try it.

*Although I will say that one glaring exception to this policy (which IMHO seems like a big oversight) is drive-thru customers. I don't care how slow it is, drive-thru customers don't want to sit and wait for us to brew coffee.

[Naptown Barista]

Would anything be more amusing than a 6 car line in the drive thru, all waiting for decaf "brewed on demand" coffee?

On Request = While the customer waits. Brew On Demand = While the customer waits. Ask for it = While the customer waits.

[Melody]

KarlKenya, maybe the real problem is that Starbucks needs to do some research on what kind of a script would make customers happy. Your post is totally interesting for that reason. It's my opinion that offering someone a substitute is essentially telling them that should plan on just 'making do' with substitutions at Starbucks or you can go to Peet's which somehow has figured out how to have coffee ready all the time.

I'd love to know what the hold times are at Peets, but that's beside the point.

But Starbucks, I'd be happy to join that research group on what scripts make people happy. (Though I am quite sure Starbucks is tired of listening to me, so they aren't any more at all).

I'm trying to imagine the best case scenario: The best thing I can think of for a barista to say is "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I don't have that ready right at this moment, but let me get that started." And then the barista turns around clicks a button on a pre-staged coffee set up.
If the customer starts to argue further, the barista can say "it will be just a couple minutes more, and it is brewing right now! We're brewing fresh Casi Cielo for you! You will love it! A medium bodied coffee with a lot of flavor."

If the customer continues to get mad and leaves, then the worst case scenario is that you wasted one pot of Casi Cielo rather than many pots during the afternoon.

Trust me, I get on a symbolic level that Jim C is right and Starbucks Coffee should have coffee ready all the time, but I'm trying to play even-handedly here.

Here's the worst case scenario:
Customer orders tall drip of the non-PPR option (Okay let's be honest, the problem is that it IS PPR and not whether you call it 'bold' or 'medium' - it just lacks flavor, imho, and tastes watery to me).
Barista: "I'm sorry we're out of casi cielo"
Customer: "You're out?"
Barista: "We don't serve the morning pick afternoon"
Customer: "But I had my heart set on a nice cup of Starbucks drip coffee - but NOT Pike Place Roast."
Barista: "We can make you an Americano or a french press - but we will charge you more for either of those options"
Customer: "But I don't want an Americano - That definitely does not taste the same. I can taste the difference and it doesn't have the flavor profile characteristic of drip brewed coffee."
Barista: "I'm sorry we've run out of the Casi Cielo"
Customer: "But I am in a store full of coffee! Can I please please get drip brewed coffee that's not PPR? It used to be years ago that you served a coffee of the day all day, and House Blend until noon."
Barista: ... At this point either gives in and rips open a bag of something and grinds it or customer has left.

^ I have been through the above worst-case scenario which I am sure takes longer to have the argument than to brew it. THAT is the reason that I am now a freak about this. Those customers who have gone through that experience are mostly lost customers. Hell, I have twice gone through the added insult where I grabbed a flavor lock bag of coffee off of a shelf, and offered to buy it and have the barista brew that coffee for me, and been told "NO" because we don't brew bold after noon. No wonder I am a little crazy.

[Gust]

I for one hate to be asked if I want an americano when I actually came in the store to have a drip coffee. When I decline, some baristas even start to argue that "it is about the same". But I must admit that it makes a difference if I'm offered to wait a couple of minutes for a fresh brew. Unfortunately it also happens at licensed stores that the barista plainly refuses to do any brewing. Once a barista even made a public statement on my "inappropriate behaviour" when I declined to purchase anything under the given circumstances.

[steph]

I was an asst at Starbucks for almost 2 years and left for many reasons and I am glad I did as things seem to continue to go downhill. I can see both sides to this issue but from the perspective of the customer (which should be the most important) the recent decisions regarding bold and now decaf are just insane when you claim to want to be known as the best place to go get coffee. If I had never heard of Starbucks but was told they were the best, and were a high end, top notch customer service, coffee shop I would expect to be able to go in at any time and have AT LEAST 3 choices, one being decaf. Having one choice that is there all of the time if it was the most popular blend is fine but that is not why they decided to use Pike, corporate made that choice not customer opinion. The other choice should be rotated so that people can try out different kinds and figure out their own personal favorite which they would be likely to purchase for home brewing. I find the change in hold time from 30 minutes to 60 to be insane. These are the sorts of policy changes in retail that drove me up the wall. You have a policy in place for years, if you try to suggest otherwise you are scolded and then suddenly because somemone 'on high' changes their mind the change is made and any argument to the contrary is shut down-the thing in Starbucks training that always made me uncomfortable was that you are not supposed to ever question authority or change, you should just shut up and go along with whatever they say. If you serve someone a cup of coffee with 5 minutes left on the timer do you say, "hey you better drink that in 5 minutes or it will go bad."? LOL The issue is not that brewing decaf takes 4 minutes because that is a best case scenario. If you are stuck in a rush and short staffed because of the hours cuts it is going to be longer than that. With 2 people on the floor and proper normal rotation of coffee someone orders a decaf, the reg person turns around pours it and presents to the customer. If you are not brewing it, you take a few seconds to explain this, then have to get the filter, pour in grinds etc meanwhile the line continues to form. There are so many different scenarios but I just feel that yes you should be able to walk in and get a decaf anytime without all this. It would indeed be very cool to have single serve brewers, heck to have all your blends in some kind of contraption where someone wants a cup, you hit a button and that much coffee is ground into the filter, you flip a switch and there you go, not likely but that would be the ultimate coffee house ideal

[Will (without a URL)]

I don't really want a customer that won't wait 3-4 minutes anyway.

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

Do you all remember in the early days of breakfast sandwiches we were asking people to pull around so that we can bring the sandwich out to them thereby saving us time in the drive-thru and helping to increase our per-half-hour transactions all the while raising our average ticket?

[Java Grounds]

Coffee drinkers should worry less about starbucks decaf brewing policy, and instead spend their energy supporting their local independant coffee houses!

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

2 out of 3 independent stores in my area have gone out of business in the past several months (roughly, since September). The second of the three closed their doors last week actually. The chain that remains -- they have 3 stores -- is barely making it. I am in the Midwest, I should add, so the coffee culture here is very Walmart (not to disparage a great company though). Perhaps, in more "cultured" areas independents still thrive on SBUX's misgivings...

[CoolBeansBarista]

Will said---"I don't really want a customer that won't wait 3-4 minutes anyway."

Don't worry--yu've already lost them. Hey, keep it up! Pretty soon, there will be NO pain in the ass customers. Those swine do not deserve our coffee anyway. Why brew it for them when they are all just pigs that need to stay out of my store!

[TC]

CoolBeansBarista - hah! too true.

The brewed coffee at Starbucks is just awful - the last 10 cups I had were nasty. I don't think it has much to do with the quality of the beans - it's just that holding the coffee at very high temperatures in enclosures that may not be 100% clean just makes it gross.

I go with Americano every time now - much safer.

Didn't sbux buy that coffee machine manufacturer that allowed for control of time, grind, etc for single cups of fresh brewed coffee? What are they doing with them?

[Melody- A reply for Densie - extremely OT sorry]

@TC - That machine is called a Clover. I love it. Stores that have the Clover also have special coffee offerings that no one else has. But there are very few Clover locations.

http://www.starbucks.com/clover/

I am once in a while reminded that Starbucks is the coffee authority when I walk out of a Starbucks with the finest beans ever through a Clover - The Sulawesi Kalosi was great, and so was Ethiopia Nardos. I'm still in heaven drinking Bali Batur Highlands.

There are very few Clovers so it doesn't really solve the issues that are present in this thread.

[ndemystic]

I am responding to Ethal's request to hear from Decaf Customers:

To be fair I was recently a Barista, worked at SBUX for just under six months.

I am, however, someone who gets wired from coffee and tea so I have to have decaf drinks only after my 1 to 2 cups of coffee in the morning. The problem is we are hooked on the flavor and how good it makes us feel. For instance, my headaches go away after a good cup of coffee and we have associated that taste for feeling good and being alert. I have migrains but when I get my coffee in the morning my headache stops or I don't get a migrain later in the day. Coffee is a antinflamatory. I have tried coming off all coffee slowly and this did not help so I gave in to the reality I will have to have my morning coffee.

But in the afternoon or early eve I must have decaf only or I will be up all night. When I drink coffee in the eve it is usually after a get together with the fam or it is after watching a movie. Not that frequent.

Although, when I was working at Sbux I learned that a number of our customers our becoming health conscious and our cutting back on coffee and they want half and half or they have heart palpitations or high blood pressure that require less or no coffee at all.

The image that I learned and that the Customers have learned is Sbux is about the fantastic Coffee where it is grown, how it is roasted and how fresh it is compared to store bought coffee. I know the new age Sbux is more about what Sbux can do with Coffee or Espresso. But you must realize that Coffee is what most of the true repeat customers think when they here Sbux's name.

Another promise that SBUX wanted to portray was friendly and fast service and the Customer has just walked into to their favorite place like "Cheers."

With the popularity that grew around this image has created large crowds. The Customer in turn saw that the lines were longer and when they were in a hurry that day instead of an espresso bar drink they would grab a cup of coffee. Decaf or regular was already prepared. This would cut down their wait time even though they would love a Venti Latte. But many customers are true coffee drinkers and can taste the difference between Pike Roast and Christmas Blend, Sumatra and so on. Many customers feel that only Pikes avaiability also marked a type of cutting back in itself. Sbux's problem is they appear to be less Customer concerned and care more about their bottom line by limiting the pick of the day availability to the afternonns and now decaf. There is so much good coffee left on the shelves because many customers do not know what they are missing. So Sbux is loosing the new customers and the repeat customers both. A prioritizing problem.

The largest factor though is the Customer remembers the promise of their coffee always being available as an alternative to waiting to have an Espresso drink made. Plus, coffee is less expensive and they are trimming the fat. Just like SBUX.

[Melody - Oops sorry! My computer remembers info]

Sorry! That last post was about the Clover!

[mj]

How about making sure the decaf is actually decaf? Consumer Reports said 30% of the time you order decaf you get non-decaf... I have to use those caffeine test strips to make sure I'm not awake at 3 AM - SBUX could use them too!

[ndemystic]

TC that's okay but you are getting half espresso and half water. The espresso beans are the same unlike when you get Coffee which has many choices from different regions to different blends. I love the Americano, too, and the decaf Americano, however, I do not want Sbux to give up offering the morning picks so that I can still have my favorite South American brew or my favorite African brew. And it seems that this is where they are headed. In fact, I probably would have never tried Sbux different Coffee's if it wasn't offered as part of ones choice at the Coffee bar. The Clover sounds good but sounds that the price will go way up.

[ndemystic]

Correction:My post above was intended to be a response to Starbucks spokeswoman, Deb Trevinoo, not Ethal. Ms. Trevinoo requested to hear from Decaf drinkers.

[ndemystic]

Hirayuki, at night I can only drink decaf. I have never been in a resturant where they did not have decaf ready to pour. Plus, comparing sit down service to a SBUX experience or sevice is not an accurate comparison. I agree with Red Cup.

Can anyone out there explain the "pour over method" that a poster had mentioned but didn't explain whit it was. They claim it would cut down wait time for coffee to 2 minutes.

[ndemystic]

I can see the next thread now, Decaf customers you can not use the drive thru...must come in and wait for decaf because it will slow the line down.