What people do in Starbucks

Writing in Starbucks

Have you ever sat down in Starbucks and found yourself surrounded by people with laptops at neighbouring tables. Writers seem to flock to their local Starbucks to write. But the thing is, Is this for show? Or do they actually think writing in Starbucks helps. This reminds me of a clip from the show Family Guy which I find funny.

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Video credits to Splatcast

 As I am not a writer myself I can not be one to judge. Maybe writers find inspiration when typing out of their homes but is a busy coffee shop really a place to find inspiration? Possibly. On a recent trip to New York I sat at a table over looking the busy streets and for a good hour or so, I observed people. I guessed what their lives were like, where they were heading to and how they were feeling. Maybe this is why they choose a coffee shop when they can tell a lot about a person from what they order, what they're wearing or how they walk and use them as inspiration for a character in a story.

Why Starbucks though?

Possibly the free wifi?

Preferance for Starbucks coffee?

Well I can't answer those questions but maybe you can.

I think it can be quite selfish hogging the sparse tables there are in Starbucks to do something that you would probably be more productive doing at home.

 

Besides writing in Starbucks many people meet and catch up with friends or just chill by themselves with their Starbucks drink.

What's on the menu?

What's on the menu you ask? The calories in each drink unfortunately! I don't see why this is done, does it make me aware of my calorie intake? Maybe, does it mean I'm going to drink Starbucks in moderation? Absolutely not.

Starbucks do have some aspect of healthiness like their bottled smoothies or the option of whole milk or skimmed milk for your beverage. They sell fruit salads, sandwiches and baked goods beside the counter which you do sometimes end up impulse buying just because they look nice and are within reach of when ordering and paying for your drink.

         Well now lets actually talk about whats on the menu.

 You've got your standard Tea and coffee and then as you read down the menu the many variations on tea and coffee start confusing you. Cream is added in, spices are thrown in there too, a bit of ice to mix it all together and Do you want caramel or chocolate sauce? The one thing about Starbucks I love the most is when the whipped cream on top has made its way into your stomach in an unhealthy short amount of time then have no problem giving you more. There is also the one thing that I do not like but I am unfortunately used to it, is their incapability to spell my name correctly. When receiving my beverage I have read many variations of Annabel I never knew existed before. I think that getting your name written on your cup makes the Starbucks experience even better. Some workers add in a little smiley face which is cute. 

Photo from crossfitaggieland.com

Starbucks around the world

Sometimes I feel I can't go anywhere without spotting a Starbucks, don't worry I'm not complaining, who wouldn't want to go in there and relax while taking advantage of their free wifi and sipping on a nice cold caramel frappucino (personal favourite!)  It seems many people in other countries may feel the same way I do, in 61 other countries to be exact.

In the US alone there are 13,279 Starbucks followed by 1,324 in Canada and 989 in Japan.

All together there are 20,891 stores in 62 countries!

Here is a list of all the countries:                     

• Aruba                                 
• The Bahamas
• Canada
• Curaçao
• Costa Rica
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Mexico
• Puerto Rico
• United States
• Argentina
• Brazil
• Colombia 
• Peru
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Egypt
• Morocco
• Bahrain
• Brunei
• China
• Hong Kong
• India
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Macau
• Malaysia
• Oman
• Philippines
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• Vietnam
• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom

(list via wikipedia.com)

Map of distribution of Starbucks around the world.

 Starbucks is everywhere to be seen in the US. I had often heard the heard the line 'There's one on every corner' about Starbucks in New York. Whilst on a trip there last year and this saying proved to be very true, There most definitely was one on every corner if not two and yet they were all very busy, I didn't mind that as it was the only time I could access the internet while over there!

Starbucks is continuously expanding and opening new stores around the world.

History Of Starbucks

    The first Starbucks was opened on the 30th of March 1971 in Seattle, Washington. It was opened by three men who met while studying at the University of San Fransisco, Jerry Baldwin(an English teacher), Gordon Bowker(a writer) and Zev Seigl(a history teacher).In the beginning the shop only sold coffee beans and coffee making equipment.I can't believe they didn't sell their very famous drinks from the beginning.
   10 years later Howard Schultz was hired as the Director of Retail Operations and tried to convince the owners to start selling coffee drinks as well as coffee beans and coffee machines.After being unsuccessful in his convincing he went on and opened the II Giornale coffee shop, which became a franchise.
    A year later, the three owners sold Starbucks to Howard Schultz. Howard Schultz renamed his current coffee shops from II Giornale to Starbucks. He opened many more coffee shops and decided to open more Starbucks' across America. After realising the success Starbucks had in the US he decided to go international and opened his first Starbucks outside of the states in Tokyo, Japan.

This is the first Starbucks shop which was opened on 1912 Pike Pl, in Seattle. Many people while in Seattle make it their business to stop off for a coffee in the first ever Starbucks store.

The Logo

The logo was evolved many times throughout Starbucks lifetime, it is a very well known logo so I thought it was worth mentioning and explaining in this post.The mermaid has a crown on her head and that hasn't changed from the beginning. The logo was originally a wood cut looking mermaid with two tails baring all. The original logo was not the distinctive green, white and black colour it is now but brown and white. The logo was then black white and green. The 'Starbucks coffee' was dropped from the logo as it has become so well known that it does not need to say what logo the company belongs to. The modern logo is white and green and the mermaid now has hair covering her body. The logo is found in all it's shopfronts and on all cups in which their drinks are served.

 Images via Starbucks.ie

The Name

The three original owners of Starbucks were inspired by Moby Dick by Herman Melville, evoked the romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders. Starbuck was the first mate on the ship Pequod.

Introduction

Hi my name is Annabel and this blog is about Starbucks. Starbucks is a well known coffee shop that can nearly be found all over the world. I decided to write my blog on Starbucks as recently I have become a regular customer there. To say that Starbucks only sells coffee is a lie as I myself am not a coffee fan at all and there are many things on the menu that non-coffee drinkers can enjoy. I will be writing about the history, popularity and success of Starbucks. I hope you enjoy reading my blog!

                                    

                               Annabel

Picture from edgemontvillage.com