"The challenge to Starbucks is what is Seattle's Best brand going to stand for really"

"Is it just coffee that isn't quite as good as Starbucks?" asks business school professor Tim Calkins. "The more overlap between the brands, the more cannibalization and customer confusion." How do Starbucks employees view Seattle's Best stores? Like friendly cousins? Or hated siblings? || Read "Is Starbucks' Seattle's Best brand the next Old Navy?"

Comments

[Marcus]

It's funny how subway is advertising their morning sammiches with Seattle's Best on the side, going head to head with Starbucks, but I guess Starbucks will take a cut either way.

It is strange that the coffee is called Seattle's *Best* if Starbucks is supposedly the better coffee.

[notreally]

yea, it was already named that when starbucks purchased it. so no, not funny at all

[baroosta]

The only place that I've seen Seattle's Best coffee, besides the grocery store, is in Borders bookstores. According to the SBC franchise website, they also have kiosk locations in hospitals and other busy places. The thing that is weird to me is that they are now testing Drive-Thru stores. The articles says that the SBC products are placed "where the customer is" - for example at Burger King, Subway, gas stations, etc. Having a free-standing SBC store would encroach on Starbucks too much for me.

[Coffee Soldier]

We got breakfast sandwiches about a month ago after months and months of them being pushed back and an installed oven sitting there for 5 months waiting on permits...so finally the day comes we are doing excellent selling about 55 a day (our goal is 25) and then the Subway 2 doors over starts selling their 2.50$ cup of Seattle's Best Coffee and breakfast sandwich pairing last week...we watch out the window in horror and our sales go from 55 to 15 in a matter of a week...why would someone pay 3.45 plus 1.85 for coffee when they can get both 36 steps away for less then half of that!...We sample all morning during the rushes, out our DT window but still the Subway sandwiches have become a hit in our plaza overnight!

[inkedmuse]

i agree the subway/SB deal beats anything we've got. but then, were not a sammy shop. wait, well kinda. if you like eggs. sortof. hang on.. who are we marketing to again?

[formerpartner]

so, the premium sandwiches we used to have stunk up the place (but actually tasted delish, in my mind). In favor of being "on brand" and reducing the smell issue, we removed everything that made them actually edible. They are now disgusting, in my mind.

So, though I would never go to Subway for a breakfast sandwich, I will never again order from Sbux either.

[elaine]

baroosta, there are quite a few free standing SBCs in Seattle.

[Jason Coffee]

One things for sure this is going to make them tons of money. :)

[CD]

Has anyone else noticed how similar the new Jell-o logo and the new Seattle's Best Coffee logo are?

[Erik]

I am embarrassed to admit it, but I really like Seattle's Best Cinnabon flavored coffee. Having admitted that, it seems to me that one way to use the Seattle's Best brand might be to have the flavored coffees under its label, and forego the introduction of flavored coffees in SB stores. Ultimately, you might have a few stores that currently exist remain open, but not open any more
Seattle's Best independent stores and grow the brand through fast food, vending machines, and other convenience stores.

[Chicago barista]

There used to be around a 100 SBC before sturbucks bought them out. I worked for SBC for a little over 4 years before they were sold to the bux. Honestly SBC had amazing coffee, they could be more selective because they were so much smaller. They also cold brew the ice coffee using a toddy system...really smooth and very good. At my SBC we used local, small town, bakers who delivered our bars and brownies still warm. We made fresh sandwiches that we would grill on a press when they the customer would order it. We even had milkshakes made with real coffee ice cream. It had a great vibe too. My customers were not very happy to find that our little cafe with a real hometown feel was going to turn into another Starbucks. It is what it is and life goes on but I miss my SBC days...at least what SBC used to be.

[CD]

@Chicago barista - I really liked the old SBCs in Chicago, especially the one that was near Loyola law school on Chicago Avenue. Times have certainly changed.

[ash_sk8s]

@baroosta - There is a free-standing store here in Portland, OR.

[Melody]

@CD - There used to be more free standing SBCs in downtown Seattle than there are now. The beacon store 1st and Pike (opened new 3-13-2009) had been a long standing huge important SBC for a long long long time. Starbucks took it over, ripped out the space, and put in First & Pike. That's a great Starbucks, and does really well, but that background story is a little saddening.

A long long time ago, as I recall, the free standing Starbucks in Westlake Center in downtown Seattle (it's the one with the walk up window!) was an SBC. My memory is that it changed to a Starbucks before the actual purchase of SBC, but that doesn't really make sense. ?? That was a glorious store in the days when Pine Street was closed to traffic, and people actually shopped at Westlake and not Pacific Place.

Since you know Seattle too, I thought you'd find the background interesting too.

[inkedmuse]

chicago barista:
that sounds very lovely. i wouldn't mind working there either!! hmm yummy sammies and ice creamy coffee malts. :)

[PDX Barista]

I was told that at the shareholders mtg, Cliff was asked about the let up on labor and giving some back to the stores and the answer was that Starbucks is "continuing to watch it over the coming months and will levergae those savings as we expand the Seattle's Best Brand."

Nice - continued short handedness. Sa-weet!

[Brandon]

One of the shopping centers I frequent has a Starbucks and Borders Book store which is where Seattle's Best is. A lot of times, Borders was just more appealing because this particular Starbucks is old and a very tiny place and it's just awkward and uncomfortable during busy hours squeezing by people, standing in a stuffy line..etc. Plus, it would depend what drink I was in the mood for. I actually like them equally.. The Javakula drinks and the Javanilla shakes are pretty damn good and sometimes I just prefer them over Starbucks fraps.

I'll be going to Seattle's Best more often now that they are in Subway which is actually within walking distance from my house.. down a side street..cross the main street and there it is.
Since Starbucks had closed stores... it's not exactly easy accessible to me anymore.

[Semi-Washed Sam]

Is it just me or does the new Seattle's Best logo look reminiscent of a blood bank logo?

[baroosta]

Thanks to everyone who pointed out that there are SBC freestanding stores - I live in the Midwest and have never seen one!

@PDX barista - it's nice to know that our hard work is paying off - for Starbucks corporate! (Let's see - open a shitload of Starbucks, realize that we've opened too many, close a shitload of Starbucks and lay off a bunch of people, deprive remaining stores of labor, use those savings to open a shitload of SBC stores...)

[ExSbuxManager]

The new logo looks like... a water filtration ad???
For a brand that had some identity and recognition, but not as much as most major brands, why would you change the logo?
Just seems like bad marketing to me.