We’ve had numerous discussions on this web site about what Starbucks needs to improve. One of the often suggested items is better training in the ways of a true barista. Today we learned that all 7100 stores will be shut down for 3 hours this month for training. How interesting. Further Reading: If You Were The CEO of Starbucks…
Bill and Ginger Sandweg Hey Howard, I’m sorry, but I can’t make it that day. Maybe you could close the store a different time, or you could Youtube the brainwashing (er…training) video, and I can see it later. Well I’m sure that lots of people won’t attend, what with family commitments and all… Anyway, I’m sure that these three hours will really be the thing that gets Starbucks back on track. My partners are totally excited about spending an extra couple hours together, even though they were here at 5am Tuesday. They are team players. Speaking of team players, Chris and Sasha came up with a great new use for using our Bean Stock Grants as java sleeves. It cuts our costs and its good for the environment. I gave them an extra twenty shares out of my own private stash of $29.65. Thanks for your leadership and understanding. Love, Bill Store Manager Emeritus Marina del Rey Store #616 0 Reply February 13, 2008
Ryan The barista’s aren’t the problem it’s the espresso shot. No barista can make a good hot espresso drink with a bad espresso shot. No barista can can make a good espresso shot with a super-automated espresso machine. Go back to basics with an Espresso machine that with the right training can produce the perfect shot and guess what, you’ll have a good hot espresso drink. 0 Reply February 14, 2008
Michael T I’d like to make a few predictions: 1) The retraining will involve showing staff how to occasionally adjust the grind size on the superautos. 2) Other likely emphases will be starting with clean milk pitchers, and making decent (not sudsy) foam. 3) Starbucks customers won’t notice the difference, even if the retraining does stick into the next, oh, week. 0 Reply February 14, 2008
Ron Cortez “Starbucks is not in the coffee business, we are in the fashion business,” statement made by a Starbucks spokeman. By advertising any training to the public will make them perceive their drinks as improved. They are not interested in promoting perfect espresso shots, they are promoting very sweet milk and sugar “cool” looking drinks. Most of this drinks are (if we sample them blindly) more like melted ice cream than coffee drinks. As long as they continue to dominate the promotion of their products they will continue to thrive. I will recommend the independent coffee house to mimic the big ones and promote themselves. After all they should at least have better drinks. 0 Reply February 14, 2008
isaacw The day Starbucks returns to the LaMarzocco and removes the drive-thru is the day I’ll believe in Sbux again. 0 Reply February 29, 2008
