You're the cream in my coffee

There is no joy in ‘Mudville’, mighty Starbucks is losing ground.

I was going to write ‘losing grounds’ but I thought the pun might seem a little too labored and precious.

But, back to the premise. After having reaped a goldmine in rewards since it first opened its doors to a decent coffee starved public in Seattle back in 1971, caffeine giant Starbucks is seeing things turn, if not sour, then at least troublesome.

Needless to say, Starbucks has been a success story almost on a par with Microsoft (must be something to do with all that rain in Seattle), and in subsequent years there was scarcely a street corner in the known universe that didn’t boast that familiar logo – sometimes two streetcorners right across from each other.

Yet, something has happened and for the first time in their 36-year existence, the firm is not only ‘not’ expanding, but also actually closing down some outlets. Many reasons have been attributed to this marketing ‘correction’, including outlets losing focus on what their primary objective should be – which is the purveyance of coffee and coffee confections, not breakfast, not household items, but good old ‘joe.’

Another and perhaps more important impact has, however, come from the competition – ironically, McDonald’s Restaurants, which actually turn out a decent cup of plain old coffee, now. In Canada (where Starbucks has been in operation since 1981) the stiffest competition comes from that Canuck icon, Tim Horton’s. ‘Timmy’s’ (as it’s affectionately known) is a coffee and donut outfit found across the country and in some US cities, offers up just one grade of coffee, and damn fine coffee it is. Oh, it also does lattes and that sort of stuff, but mainly it’s just Tim’s coffee. Go to any mall foodfair here and the line-up at Timmy’s will smoke Starbucks by about 10 to one. We’re loyal, we Canadians are.

The final reason (and this is one SB is taking a serious look at, considering the competition) is the fact their product is often inexcusably expensive. No, I won’t bore you by telling you how I remember when a cuppa cost a dime (it was crappy coffee), but I will tell you that spending over a buck-and-a-half for just ordinary (non-fancified) coffee is a little steep, especially when other folks are selling it for far less.

But, I like Starbucks. I like their robust coffee, and I like the feel of the outlets. Mainly, however, I admire SB. I respect them for the fact they awakened people to the fact there are grades in coffee and that the consumer has a right to demand a quality product, not just swill.

I really noticed this change when I was in England last fall. When I lived there in the early 1980s, the coffee was atrocious, and in many homes people actually used (shudder!) instant. But now, in a place where SB is as ubiquitous as elsewhere, virtually any outlet on the high street serves quality coffee.

As for me, I like plain old ‘mud’. I like the taste of coffee (actually I love it and crave it), and SB raised the bar, and for that the firm must be commended. No, I’m not that big into the other coffee fabrications. Lattes and cappuccinos are, I think, for people who don’t really like coffee. Much as syrupy cocktails are for people who don’t like booze.

And I know that regardless of what happens to the fortunes of Starbucks, their legacy will be that I’ll always be able to get a good cup of coffee wherever I go.