Howard Schultz needs a little help. Starbucks did not lose its magic overnight and we all see it coming. I see people lining up in those stores in the morning (without the aroma of coffee) just like people lining up to get cash from ATM machines. I am not sure what the average wait time is today particularly in rush hours, it is not the Starbucks I used to know. Last time I was near a Starbucks was in an upscale neighborhood in Southern California, the experience was awful. The refrigerator was noisy, there was a smell of detergent and the lighting was terrible. Big contrast compare to my experiences at Peets.
We owe it to Starbucks to give it a second chance. You have a great brand and a great culture. Use your strong cash flow smartly in reinvention of the Starbucks experience. Don’t just look into your core but also look outside your core. Don’t be blind sighted by the organization’s inertia. It takes an outsider to see this. Where’s the theatre of coffee making? It used to be a live theater where barristers celebrate the art of coffee making, but over the years it has been reduced to more like DVD rental. You need to put the art of theatre back into the stores and may be get the customer to participate. Mr. Schultz, here’s an inspiration for you.
My friend told me about this Al’s Café for a long time and I finally got a chance to see this last week while I was in Minnesota. This place is one of a kind, nestled between an Espresso Royale Cafe and a bookstore. This place was built between two buildings and is one of the narrowest restaurants in the world (a width of ten feet or 3 m serving full-service breakfast with counter-only) and I was told that they never have to pay land tax. They were hit with a big tax bill and the governor jumped in to save them.
It is crammed into a former alleyway between two relatively larger buildings and is located in the city's Dinkytown neighborhood. The restaurant's 14 stools have seated generations of students, along with notable figures including writer James Lileks and former governor Wendell Anderson. The recipes and short-order cooking style that Al Bergstrom developed in 1950 remain the same today.
I love the experience as it is one of a kind. The small place has its walls covered with old photos, reviews, drawings, etc., and the air smells of decades of pancakes and eggs whipped up on the grill. The two guys working in the front of the restaurant, switching off at the grill and taking orders, carry on a constant witty banter and chat with the diners. They were friendly (not the superficial kind) to the core and that makes it special.
You cannot get more exclusive that this….only 14 stools in the whole restaurant. Everyone stand and wait in the back. And when there’s a spot opens up, the man or woman behind the counter will tell people to move so to provide double seating. Here’s some review I’ve come across from a site (ok this guy didn't appreciate it):
"Our friends invited us to Al's Breakfast because of the great reviews. None of us had ever been there before - and we won't be back. The wait was terrible and our party of four was separated - leaving me standing in line. Since I was on call for work, I got a phone call (on vibrate) - another taboo in this place. I was first singled out, then ridiculed behind my back - and when my wife explained the situation she was told ‘I don't care.’”
This place is a theater and the show has been running for 30 years. Aroma of breakfast is everywhere (thanks to the lack of ventilation). The place has an attitude, they don’t care how important you are, loyalty customers get preferred treatment and that doesn't get you in the line first, just some attitudinal different in treatment. The experience is 120% human. No one that works there has been trained in what we refer as customer service but all they do is treat everyone human. Howard, suggest you spend a day there with your executive team and you will be inspired. Let me know if my friend can reserve 2 stools for you.
We owe it to Starbucks to give it a second chance. You have a great brand and a great culture. Use your strong cash flow smartly in reinvention of the Starbucks experience. Don’t just look into your core but also look outside your core. Don’t be blind sighted by the organization’s inertia. It takes an outsider to see this. Where’s the theatre of coffee making? It used to be a live theater where barristers celebrate the art of coffee making, but over the years it has been reduced to more like DVD rental. You need to put the art of theatre back into the stores and may be get the customer to participate. Mr. Schultz, here’s an inspiration for you.
My friend told me about this Al’s Café for a long time and I finally got a chance to see this last week while I was in Minnesota. This place is one of a kind, nestled between an Espresso Royale Cafe and a bookstore. This place was built between two buildings and is one of the narrowest restaurants in the world (a width of ten feet or 3 m serving full-service breakfast with counter-only) and I was told that they never have to pay land tax. They were hit with a big tax bill and the governor jumped in to save them.
It is crammed into a former alleyway between two relatively larger buildings and is located in the city's Dinkytown neighborhood. The restaurant's 14 stools have seated generations of students, along with notable figures including writer James Lileks and former governor Wendell Anderson. The recipes and short-order cooking style that Al Bergstrom developed in 1950 remain the same today.
I love the experience as it is one of a kind. The small place has its walls covered with old photos, reviews, drawings, etc., and the air smells of decades of pancakes and eggs whipped up on the grill. The two guys working in the front of the restaurant, switching off at the grill and taking orders, carry on a constant witty banter and chat with the diners. They were friendly (not the superficial kind) to the core and that makes it special.
You cannot get more exclusive that this….only 14 stools in the whole restaurant. Everyone stand and wait in the back. And when there’s a spot opens up, the man or woman behind the counter will tell people to move so to provide double seating. Here’s some review I’ve come across from a site (ok this guy didn't appreciate it):
"Our friends invited us to Al's Breakfast because of the great reviews. None of us had ever been there before - and we won't be back. The wait was terrible and our party of four was separated - leaving me standing in line. Since I was on call for work, I got a phone call (on vibrate) - another taboo in this place. I was first singled out, then ridiculed behind my back - and when my wife explained the situation she was told ‘I don't care.’”
This place is a theater and the show has been running for 30 years. Aroma of breakfast is everywhere (thanks to the lack of ventilation). The place has an attitude, they don’t care how important you are, loyalty customers get preferred treatment and that doesn't get you in the line first, just some attitudinal different in treatment. The experience is 120% human. No one that works there has been trained in what we refer as customer service but all they do is treat everyone human. Howard, suggest you spend a day there with your executive team and you will be inspired. Let me know if my friend can reserve 2 stools for you.
Talking about coffee, a small design firm here was jsut hired by an unusual client with an unconventional request: The Ethiopian government commissioned Brandhouse to come up with a brand that will make consumers feel like they are drinking a "luxury" when they have Ethiopian coffee. This month, the Ethiopian government is releasing the logos for three varieties of Ethiopian coffee beans that it hopes will eventually appear from the burlap sacks that are used to transport coffee beans to coffee cups in cafes. It is the first time the country has introduced a brand for its major export.
