Comments on: Starbucks vs. Coffee Bean vs. everyone else

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:18:56 +0000

Oops, make that altogether. haven’t had my morning CB&T.

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:16:52 +0000

I agree totally with sandee. I’ve never had a problem with any CB&T I’ve gone to. But I have to admit, even the best of any store can have an off day….overly cranky customers, stuff doesn’t work, or just one of those days where nothing goes right. I’d say give them another chance before you cut them out all together.

By: arnold

arnold — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:56:36 +0000

Don’t mind it at all Jump in from lurkdom anytime

By: Sandee

Sandee — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:38:48 +0000

Hi. (Total stranger jumping in, don’t mind me!) I don’t know if that’s fair arnold. Every large national chain will have regional menu variations based on local taste. I happen to sometimes stop in at a “renegade coffee bean” and I think the whole idea is pretty cool: Coffee Bean is right at that cusp where it is both “local, small enough to care, able to be responsive to micro-variations in taste” – I mean, really, a couple drinks this store makes would be complete anachronisms three blocks away, but in this location they make many of their customers very very happy – but it’s still “big enough to do the job right.” And it IS a similar experience, that’s what’s so cool, you walk in you know right away you’re in a Coffee Bean, I can still get my Swedish Berries iced tea, whatever, they just have a few extra options.

{*whew! caffeine makes people passionate!*}

Anyway, about your experience last February, that is really unusual, and I’m in Coffee Beans all the time. It happened a few times to me at a new store, a few years back, but the problem cleared up pretty quickly. If it wasn’t a new store the only thing I can think of is maybe each of those six people ahead of you walked out with trays of drinks for multiple people, four iced blended’s and no-foam caramel lattes, whatever. That DOES sometimes happen to me.

What can you do? Lots of us think it’s damn good coffee. {*shrugs and goes back to lurkdom….*} {*and no, I do not work for CBTL!*}

By: arnold

arnold — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:35:54 +0000

the whole point of a chain is hat you have a similar experience wherever you go, so an egg mcmuffin tastes the same no matter where you buy it. If in fact, these “renegade coffee beans” are different than the rest of the chain, that just makes the chain even worse.

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:48:13 +0000

At Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, each store is different depending on their management…Same goes with Starbucks too.

By: arnold

arnold — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:06:32 +0000

Excellent replies Bill and Andrew. While I can understand your actions, Cubby, they’re a personal action and not exactly ammo for a comparison debate. And I didn’t realize you brought up gingerbread syrup. What is that exactly? Gingerspice flavor? Or does it try and capture the cookie taste? Either way ginger and coffee sound gross to me.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:18:38 +0000

I hardly consider a place that you’d have to bring your own stuff into a versus. Atmosphere may win but I wouldn’t count drinks if they don’t sell them to everyone. It doesn’t do any good to suggest a place for the awsome drink that can’t be made unless you bring your own stuff. It’s not their drink, it’s your drink. You could get that exact drink at any place if you bring the bottle. You even bring Starbucks syrups to them! lol Personally I’d be offended if I worked at a local coffee shop and someone brought me starbucks syrup pumps to make their drinks. If you want Starbucks flavors, go to Starbucks…

Gingerbread though? Seriously? We’ve discontinued the gingerbread for the season since the new year and still can’t get rid of the stuff. We even underordered in an attempt to run out faster. Can’t wait for that to go into the garbage where it belongs. It’s almost as disgusting as the sugar free mocha syrup.

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:48:44 +0000

I don’t want to leave a bottle of my favorite single malt scotch down at the local pub just so they can pour me a dram when I walk in. I can pour it myself at home. I don’t believe that is why we go to such places. If we want to hang out, as long as the coffee is decent (maybe not going to put starbucks out of business) but the atmosphere is great, it is a good place. Just my $0.02

By: SA Cubby

SA Cubby — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:53:02 +0000

But isn’t that what we all really want, though? A place that’s exactly what we like? If that means that I have to bring in a couple of things here and there, I’m OK with that. The point that I was making with that, though, was that they LET me bring in other stuff. Can you imagine doing something like that at a Starbucks? Never gonna happen.

And they leave the names with clicking sounds for the other side of town…although that would be pretty cool.