Starbucks Coffee

Same as before

Does Howard ACTUALLY read MSI?

This is just too much trouble. If it's after 12PM I just go to Whole Foods or somewhere else where I know a choice of brewed coffees are available. I don't like being limited to Pike's Place or having to ask for some special procedure.

This is my raw response:

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This is really disappointing and maddening.  Your post is a repeat of the same information that we’ve gotten before, and it’s not working.  Starbucks appears to be failing in its ability to communicate with baristas that “brew on demand” means that you WILL brew coffee, and you won’t just stand there and watch the customer twitch and say things like, “we’re out of beans” or “we ONLY brew Pike Place Roast after noon.” I am sorry, but I hate to tell you this, but rational customers interpret those kinds of sentences as “NO”.

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And to add insult to injury, you’re asking that the customer take responsibility for fixing the stores.  I have TRIED talking to store managers many times, and that’s like talking to a brick wall.  Stores where baristas don’t want to brew on demand, coincidentally, have store mangers, who don’t want to brew on demand.

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I have gone above the store level in my communications with Starbucks, and I see that I am being wholly dismissed.

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Do you see the problem with this at all? Many baristas interpret brew-on-demand, as “dance customer dance, and I won’t dare go the extra effort to brew coffee for you until you say some magic ‘open seseme’ words to me.” And then guess what, if you’re demanding with the store, THEY DON’T LIKE IT.

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“Brew on demand” desperately needs a whole new vocabulary, before we customers find ourselves in a DV relationship with baristas.

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I just recently posted on Starbucksgossip that yesterday at the 1st & Spring (downtown Seattle) Starbucks I was told, “we ONLY brew Pike Place Roast” after noon, and “Is there anything ELSE I can get you.”  YOU the barista know what I want: It wasn’t a joke when I asked for a tall non-Pike-Place-Roast coffee.  Yet instead of taking that as an opportunity to OFFER me coffee, MANY baristas take it as an opportunity to play an ugly game with customers.  Let’s spend 4 or 5 minutes standing at the register seeing if the customer can BEG in the right way to get coffee.  Sorry that doesn’t work for me.  That’s dirty. There’s a Peet’s and a Tully’s a few feet away and probably 20 Starbucks within a one mile radius of work, plus a million independent coffee houses.  I have literally had a barista at Benaroya Hall say, “we’re out of those beans” to me.  

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What does that mean for me? I either must go to a competitor, find a store with a Clover, or walk up to the Pine Street Starbucks where the manager always offers to brew coffee – she IS awesome.

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I am insulted that you want me to simply complain more to managers and customer service, as if I am required to fix a problem that I created?  No, the store is almost always a reflection of the manager.  Thank goodness for the Pine Street Starbucks, the 6th & Union Starbucks, Smith Tower, Pioneer Square, and Columbia Center.

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And this is life in downtown Seattle:  I don’t even want to know what “brew on demand” looks like in other states.

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Nobody is listening to me.

Melody, you said all that MUCH better than I would have!! Thank you.

Ditto Melody.

Plus, Starbucks routinely shorts or does not ship "morning pick" to stores that are not big sellers of brewed...

AND

Someone has left the store personnel with the impression that they are no longer to open a 1-pound bag just to brew a batch of bold...

AND

When I ask for a press, they only offer a limited selection.

(I see the "br"s in Melody's post, so I have left out the coding, we'll see if this gets all smooshed together.)

“Brew on demand” means 100 different things to baristas.  It is now 7:35 a.m. on a Friday morning.  I was running early to work and thought, ‘oh I have plenty of time to stop by the Heritage Starbucks this morning’.

I got out of the Westlake bus tunnel and hustled down to a fave Starbucks – love the look of that store.  I walked in and the place was nearly empty.  I was promptly greeted by a black-apron barista whose face is very familiar to me (we’ve met many times) but I don’t recall her name.

I asked what was brewing this morning?  And she replied, “Pike Place Roast.”

I had a moment of confusion because since it is so early in the morning, I thought there would be another coffee going.  So I asked, “do you have another coffee?”

“No not at this store.  Since we do so much Clover we only brew Pike Place Roast.”

“Oh. “  I sighed. It’s not even 7:30 a.m. and the brain is barely in gear.  I’m sure I mumbled something about there being a morning pick in the morning.  Black-apron barista says something about ‘they toss so much of it out.’

I said, I’m sure with a tone of depression in my voice, “I like the Clover but I miss drip-brewed coffee. You know not every coffee tastes the same through the Clover.  As a perfect example, I miss Verona.”

Black-apron barista turns and introduces me to “Becky from the coffee department”.  I tell Becky that I miss Verona. It doesn’t taste the same through the Clover. I miss drip-brewed coffee because it has its own special flavor profile, and there are a few Starbucks coffees that don’t taste so wonderful through the Clover.

Becky agrees with me that a few of the blends don’t work so well through the Clover.  Komodo Dragon.  Estima. Verona.  She asks me what I would want?  I said I’ll just have a tall Sumatra through the Clover.  Suddenly Black-Apron barista & Becky are trying to convince me to try something else through the Clover.  Have you had the new Brazil through the Clover?

We’ve been standing and talking for like a solid 5 to 10 minutes (the conversation started with an entire discussion of my hat which I have excluded from this blog entry).

Now I firmly state that I will just have Sumatra through the Clover.  Though I didn’t say it, I think that particular coffee does exceptionally well through the Clover.  Mind you, this entire conversation was extremely polite and they were very nice.  Finally they offer to brew up some coffee. Unfortunately we’ve been talking for literally 10 minutes, and I just need to get to my office now. “I will have a tall Sumatra through the Clover.”

The Black-Apron barista passes me a service recovery coupon. I refused it. I passed it back to her, and I left without it.  I’ll spend the money to get what I want.  I will go back to that store because I like many of the baristas, the style of the store, and at least there IS a good substitution of the Clover.  BUT I MISS MY VERONA.  

Nobody understands that it is like a surgical excision of a piece of the world of Starbucks.  It is gone. Drip-brewed Verona, Komodo Dragon, Estima … it doesn’t exist anymore.

Becky said something like, “next time we’ll make you a French press of Verona” and I cringed when I heard that.  I didn’t reply anything in response.  Better to say nothing at all than to be rude.  She UNDERSTOOD that Verona tastes best drip-brewed.

I thanked them both, tipped and left.

I miss Verona.

This is the Starbucks of the future:  Welcome to a flagship store, and welcome to Pike Place.

By the way, just as I was leaving, finally, another customer came up to register, and with query and confusion in his voice he said, “Is this the original Starbucks?”

$tarbucks cannot expect to be the "finest purveyors of coffee" yet send a message that they are not in the business of selling any.

These "short term" money saving strategies are disenfranchising your long time loyal customers. These are the customers that went out of their way to seek $tarbucks day after day, they are no longer going to be your customers. These are the customers that have discretionary income and will find another place to spend their money.

Your reckless approach to appease the shareholders have put you in the  "fast food" class now. Your signs will hang with best among them: Jack in the Box, McDonalds, Wendy's and the such.

Good Luck Mc$tarbucks!

Dang me, dang me. they  ought to take a rope and hang me. High from the highest treeeee. Starbucks won't you weep for me?

I've always seen Starbucks as two kinds of businesses.  

On one side you've got the espresso bar. Lattes, cappuccinos, cafe mochas, etc. The Giornale  side.

And the other is the coffee.  The original Starbucks that focussed on introducing wonderfully dark roasted coffee.  The problem with Pike Place Roast's permanence is that we're not introducing new coffees to people.  Heck, with PPR we're not even supplying dark roasted coffee.  

Before PPR I really enjoyed connecting with people over our dark brewed coffee in the afternoon when it was slower.  There was a lot more time to talk to customers about our awesome selections. We could say, "Well, we're brewing Ethiopian Sidamo right now.  It's my favorite single origin.  Have you tried it?"  In the morning when the darker roast is available, its harder to connect with people over what's on brew.  Not to say its impossible, but people expect quick, friendly service because most of the time they're on their way to work.

I've heard it said somewhere else, but when customers are complaining about lack of consistency between stores, they're probably not talking about the coffee being brewed.

This issue really frustrates me, and I'm always very disappointed when the company's solution is to make people jump through hoops to get what they want.

As a barista, I'm more than happy to brew whatever a customer wants me to...but unfortunately tired baristas are less than enthusiastic when they're asked to brew bold.  UGGHHH!  This just makes me so mad.

Rachel, it ain't gonna happen.  You probably mean well, but, before you "follow up" with them, just go and try ordering a brew-on-demand after noon.  TRY IT.   Watch them roll their eyes.  

I am rarely looking at this web site these days (OR going to Starbucks) because it's like talking to a brick wall.

Rachel, you will need some kind of SEVERE means of "communicating" to the barista's nationwide about this policy, because virtually none of them know it, or care, or both.  

Art

Lots have listened , none have reacted accordingly!

The customer is always right.

Thanks again Melody!

Melody, I agree completely with you about it not being up to customers to enforce policies in the stores.  I am glad to hear that you have stores near you that are willing to brew.  While I understand your frustration,  I am not sure that there is a solution. First, I fully support the decision to stop brewing decaf/bold in the afternoon, brewed coffee waste is outrageous in my store. But it comes down to getting every store, every partner on board with what needs to be done for our customers.  I guess I am saying, stick with us, because believe me, there are enough of us that hear you loud and clear.  Unfortunately it will take us a while to get every one on the same page.  Thank you for being our customer.

Rachel, are you the same Rachel who posted this entry....

blogs.starbucks.com/.../your-bold-solutions-a-follow-up.aspx

???

I find it too challenging to try and figure out what flavor of coffee will be available at what time of the day. I don't understand why a coffee house would sell only one flavor of coffee and sometimes no decaf.  It seems that offering variety is an essential cost of business for a successful coffee house. I find I can get more selection from any other national or local coffee shop and most breakfast and lunch restaurants.

I don't understand why Starbucks sells so many different varieties of coffees and yet brews only Pike Place in their stores. People are more likely to buy beans when they are able to taste the coffee. I know myself, I will not buy a whole pound of coffee just from reading the description on the package. I want to taste the coffee first. It makes more sense to pay less than $2.00 for a cup of drip coffee first. If I like it, then I buy a pound to take home. If I don't like it, next time I spend another $2.00 and get a different brew.

You have a lot of very good coffees, why not show them off? You are a coffee house after all.

I agree with Shazzz. I hate Pike Place and was surprised when it was introduced--it was so bad I thought it was a joke. Then I heard it was replacing all others and thought that no business would be so insane as to do that. Then I had to start drinking decaf and found that Pike Place decaf was so much worse than the regular--whereas the Sumatran is a pretty nice drink. I am so angry with Starbucks for turning against customers and for being so arrogant, pretending the solution is impossible, playing games with customers when all you have to do is phase out PP, offer a decent decaf (like Sumatran) all day--believe me, the reason there is none sold after noon is because PP decaf is undrinkable.

In the meantime, I go elsewhere, including Whole Foods, who brew a really nice dark roast decaf as standard. I've been a loyal customer since 1994. Great work in alienating customers, Starbucks!

Ohh so you are the same Rachel.

Rachel, thank you for coming back to the conversations on brewed-coffee. Though at this point, I think it's too late. I genuinely believe that there has been sort of  a natural self-selection of Starbucks customers given an entire year of Pike Place Roast. Those that would've wanted a cup of Italian Roast or a cup of Gold Coast have already gone to other shops. :-(  

If you notice, the new threads on MSI are far more involved with special food and diet than complaints about Pike Place Roast.  Most of the complaint threads still on MSI (who knows how many have dropped off since this site hits tilt at 475 threads) are dated about one year ago, roughly.

I do want to give some kudos here in regards to "brewed coffee" in the afternoon. It has been quite sometime, at least a  few months, that I have "tried" to "get" brewed bold coffee in the afternoon. Last Friday I received, perfect legendary service. When I walked into $tarbucks I was told "Hello, what can I get started for you today?" I replied "I would like brewed coffee, what are you brewing today?"  The barista replied I have Pike Place". I asked "Can you brew something other than Pike Place?" The barista replied "Sure, I have Verona, let me get that started for you, can you wait a few minutes?" I replied "Sure, that sounds great". (She even offered it on the house because of the wait... but I refused, I like to pay for my coffee.) I was so stunned at this interaction I almost fell over. No begging, pleading or embarrassment. Perfect Legendary Service. Thanks Starbucks at Victoria Gardens Mall in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. :)

SBX_bean, PLEASE help to bring back legendary service like this and a "bold" offering of coffee to ALL $tarbucks.

Remember "New Coke"?  One day Pikes Place Roast will be on the shelf next to it.  A couple of major marketing blunders.....

This is quite insulting.   I will be taking my business to Peet's more and more often now.   troybear.blogspot.com/.../home-brewing-great-bold-cup-of-coffee.html

I will not go back to a Starbucks until they have Bold coffee ready in the afternoons just like they have PPR ready. Going through the drive-up doesn't work if you have to wait while they brew a bold. Also, waiting  in line and then to be told it will be another 4 minutes is a bit much.

Melody, Breve, and others, great posts.

So Rachel, let me see if I understand this:

Starbucks has had the "brew on demand" policy in place for just about a year, first with Pike Place and now with decaf in the afternoon.

In that time it has never worked well, no matter how many memos, retraining sessions, reminders, underlines and asterisks that have gone out to the stores.

And despite constant customer conversations and complaints to mangers at every level, it still doesn't  work consistently or satisfy customers in your headquarters city, Seattle, at the very stores where your president & CEO buys his coffee. Let's not even begin to talk about the problems in your biggest market NYC, 3,000 miles away.

What exactly does it take to convince Starbucks, and specifically you Rachel, that this policy DOES NOT WORK.

It doesn't work with bold, it doesn't work with decaf. It looks good on paper - it sounds good in press releases, but it is an utter failure in the real world.

Getting what you want becomes a struggle at every store and there is absolutely no consistency to the experience. This is the antithesis of a the Starbucks coffee experience.

Please, just stop.

UrbanVoy, I used to believe that "brew on demand" could work.  If baristas had coffee staged to go, and just said "yes" and were pleasant about it, I thought it could work. I have finally come to the conclusion that I am wrong.

Starbucks needs to just brew coffee all day, every day from open to close, and suck it up as a cost of business. That's what you do if you really are a coffee house. I have no doubt that the stores that are in downtown Seattle could switch back now with no adverse affects.  A number of the stores around me are very high brew, and sell far fewer frappuccinos than in the burbs.

But even now, in downtown Seattle, in the very stores where I could run into Howard Schultz (and in fact have done so) it can be very difficult to get a barista to say yes to brewing coffee.  I'd hate to see what is happening 3000 miles away!

UrbanVoy, take a look at this shocking thread here:

mystarbucksidea.force.com/ideaView

^ jbsiegal makes numerous attempts to get an afternoon cup of coffee from her local Starbucks, only to be told at one point that they do not have the brewing equipment!! I'd laugh so hard if I were told that.

That thread shows the problems with brew on demand at its worst!

Stop spending a ton of money on food R &D. Stop giving away free coffee for volunteering, for elections, for whatever. For that matter, dump (Red).  If you cannot offer your core competency ALL DAY EVERY DAY, then everything else comes in second to that.

Will it be another 3 months before there is an answer from Starbucks? How many more customers will be lost?

Brew on demand is so frustrating. I never again want to hear the sentence "we're out of the ground coffee" then with the long pregnant pause from the barista which really means, "that's no unless you get dirty and push me."

True story from tonight's bold coffee adventures. A colleague wanders down to my office and says, "you're working late? you want to go on a Starbucks run?"  Everyone knows you can go to Melody's office for a coffee run.

So I called a Starbucks within walking distance and said, "Hi this is Melody! Hey, I figured since I'm on my way, and leaving my office I thought I'd call. I'm going to at your store in about 10 minutes asking for bold coffee. Drip brewed bold coffee"

The barista at the end of the phone says, "we've run out of those grounds for today" and then there's an awkward pause. I've learned, from practice, that if you want to get the barista to brew coffee that if you say, "oh. So should I take that as a "no"?" then many baristas (but not all) will suddenly say they can make you coffee.

I did get my coffee, but that's a dirty game. I am sorry but words like:

"We're out of those beans"

"We're out of those grounds for the day"

"We don't brew coffee after noon"

"We ONLY have Pike Place Roast, was there something ELSE you wanted"

All of those things a normal customer will translate into a "no".  I could've just hung up the phone, and I would have if I didn't know that I could push and get what I want. But when will Starbucks learn that customer don't want to have to beg for coffee? It feels so wrong to have to beg and push, otherwise I'm left with a big "no".  

Breve, your experience above is perfect - wish it was always like that!

Basically none of the stores I've tried in NYC brew on demand. The answer is always no--we have Pike Place/PP decaf. That's it. Pike Place is vile, PP decaf is worse and there are no alternatives offered. No, I don't like Americanos (why drink a watered down espresso?), nor French Press, but if you drink decaf, the latter is no longer offered.

The last time I asked--and was given no options other than PP decaf--I was at Columbus Circle. I realized Whole Foods was around the corner, went there and got a decent decaf, no begging, pleading, humiliation. Why should I go back to Starbucks to beg and see a smug or irritated barista tell me no? Why do you keep turning away customers in a recession?

I am beyond appalled that nothing has been done to rectify the lack of drinkable coffee at Starbucks (of all places). You've had a year to change things.  We decaf drinkers are in an even worse position than regular bold drinkers--there is no morning blend for us ever. What are you going to do about it? Clearly put up another update here and abandon it--provide the illusion of caring and then invent reasons why it is impossible to offer those drinks that were the backbone of the company until last year. Fire whoever came up with PP, give them no bonus, and just go back to the way things were.

I'm waiting for Stumptown to arrive in Brooklyn (evidently soon) and hoping  other decent coffee houses and chains pick up the huge demand for good strong, bold coffees--decaf and regular--now that Starbucks has abandoned this part of the market.

If there was ever a way to destroy your business, Starbucks, this was it. I hope you are throwing away lots of decaf Pike Place as that's the only fitting use for it.

Did you guys get the email from starbucksstore.com? "Pike Place Roast is available for the first time at atarbucksstore."

Which just shows me that they aren't listening to us. They are still hyping PPR like it's new found gold!

There is no "brew on demand".  I wish the Starbucks employees that monitor this conversation would stop saying "we hear you".  That is a lie.  You do NOT hear us.

There is no "brew on demand".   Clear?   It does not exist, outside of your headquarters and maybe some stores in your home town.

Art

AMEN Art!!

When I was first informed Starbucks would “Brew on Demand”, I thought great, no more problem getting bold coffee from Starbucks.   Boy was I in for a rude awaking; the policy varied from store to store.   The stores near were I live would accommodate, but by far most did not.  

I am glad to hear, Starbucks is going to communicate this standard to the stores.   Additionally, please have your stores post this policy in public view.    This should help prevent misunderstanding of the policy.    

Melody, thank you for bring this blog to my attention.

sbx_bean in 2012

Where's the conversation..............................................?

If baristas are getting improved instructions on what "brew on demand" means, it would be nice to see those specifics here rather than the generalities of "we're communicating it to the stores."  

By specifics I mean, how is this being communicated, what is being said, who is responsible for ensuring that it gets communicated, when is it being communicated, and will there be in-store signage congruent with the proposition that brew on demand means "we will offer to brew you coffee" rather than saying, "we're out of those beans" with a long pregnant pause to follow. Most customers leave with words like, "we're out of ..."

I recently spoke with the the NY Regional VP, a regional manager and a district manager (they all happened to be in the store at the same time) about how hard it is to get brew on demand and the lack of decaf in the afternoon and a few other things.

1 week later, no change so far.

If guys can make things happen, who can?

Has Starbucks become the new unemployment office/soup kitchen?

See - troybear.blogspot.com/.../culture-sociology-examiner-sad-lonely.html    I did not write this but it seems to me that if I were sitting in a Bucks because I had no job, I'd at least want a bold cup of coffee - even in the afternoon.

i know i agree with a lot of ppl here, that whole Whole Foods idea, yeah. i totally go there when i want a "different" cup of coffee. or caribou, or heck, sorry starbucks for saything this out loud , but yes, i stop at mcd's for coffee too. theres tastes good, (so does pike place, dont get me wrong...just dont like it being my only option! i mean c'mon, you are a "coffee" shop!) it like, i want to be at starbucks, but the excitement is spoiled cuz i know exactly what coffee is being served. at least other coffee shops serve different coffees on different days. always keep you wanting to come back to try a new different tasting blend.

Why is the Pikes still the only decaf choice? Obviously, many unhappy customers voicing their oppinion has done nothing! Why have this site, if no changes are made? I checked this site months ago, and reviewed all of the negative response to teh Pikes. The same exists now, yet no change—why???

Not sure who Melody is but she's right on target - I'm blessed to be able to travel the country quite a bit and saw this one coming before it hit my local Starbucks "stores" (yes, plural - got to have your favorite wherever you are). Pike's Place coffee blend (while I love the real place in Seattle) really s_cks as a "bold" option - personally I saw this as way to mind-melt us into believing "trust us, corporate, this is bold - wink". Out of all the options in your reach from this beautiful world, this thing was & will continue to be a really bad idea. Here's an idea, the same way you got all baristas to get the corp-line, get them to understand what "brew on demand" is. Seriously, in New Orleans, I don't have to travel far to find an option - after 12 p.m. - that will give me a true bold brew when "I WANT IT" - that's the key that made you famous & you've obviously forgotten about.

Both of my locals (Seabrook NH and Newington NH) do not brew on demand. They chose to say they are all out or that they will give me an Americano etc. instead. Some of the baristas are polite about it and some offer a French press or a long wait for a pot of something else. I want choices when I go out whether it is food or coffee. Bring back choice, bring back bold all day everyday.

Just as many others have noted, the "brew on demand" thing simply doesn't work for several reasons.  Starbucks seems committed to not brewing anything but the bland Pikes all day every day.  

I'm sure it's not that they intend to punish their coffee drinking customers rather, it is more profitable to not brew multiple, expensive coffees.  Based on the numbers alone, I suspect that even if every person that has begged for bold and decaf all day, never came back to Starbucks, theyve calculated that they'd still make a slightly larger profit with the Pikes all day, every day strategy and the highly profitable espresso and blended ice drinks.

Looking at the countless complaints I've seen on the Starbucks site, it's crystal clear that they simply do not care about the customers that made them, it's just the profits folks.  

If they are going to stick to their Pikes all day every day strategy, I would like to suggest that they at least change their name to something like "Starbucks - Espresso drinks (and sometimes) Coffee"

My anger and frustration are what brought me to this thread.  I don't post online.  I try to go about my day without making trouble for myself or anyone else for that matter.

None of my local stores have ever offered to brew me good coffee.  Every one of them gives the same story, only Pike after noon.  I don't like Pike and I'm certainly not alone.  Someone else will just have to get my business.

I am trying really hard not to scream in frustration over these comments.  Lumping ALL baristas into this stereotype of unwilling, uncaring, and unaccomodating is quite discriminatory.  Please keep your comments specific and avoid sounding like a bigot when discussing this topic.  Remember that most baristas are also devoted customers that also enjoy a great cup of bold coffee.  Stick to the issue - the policy that you disagree with.  Lashing out at an entire group of people is not only erroneous, but rude and degrading.  There are plenty of baristas that will offer to brew on demand at the drop of a hat.  There are also plenty of baristas that are juggling the demands of their superiors, inventory issues,etc.  I seriously doubt anyone is maliciously setting out to ruin your day.  In short, if you don't like the policy speak up, but do not diffuse your argument with stereotyping and bigotry.

@Minxchyff - I definitely don't see how telling it like it is -- that many baristas are very resistant and don't want to brew bold coffee -- is "stereotyping and bigotry".  

Nothing in this blog is personally directed at you.  Some baristas are wonderful. Some are not. That's part of the recipe that creates inconsistent and unpredictable brew on demand experiences.

A reporter wonders if he was wrong about Starbucks - troybear.blogspot.com/.../wrong-about-starbucks.html

I am a Barista and 25%(approx) don't like Pike Place Roast and wish we would brew breakfast blend.

I've just been reading Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough by Jonathan Tisch (CEO, Loews Hotels) & he wrote a comment - originally about AOL - that appears to apply perfectly to Starbucks, My Starbucks Idea and this site:   "This is the mark of a company desperate to keep its link to customers alive while behaving in ways that only increase alienation. "   It can't be said much better than that!

Joseph from troybear.blogspot.com  

Melody,

At my store, we receivd customer comments about Pike's Puke. We brew bold now and tell customers, "I'm sorry. We don't have anymore Pike today."

The bitter truth about Starbucks - troybear.blogspot.com/.../bitter-truth-about-starbucks.html

See also -

troybear.blogspot.com/.../ceo-of-starbucks-said-this.html

In northern California, Peet's is a major competitor to 'Bucks and is well loved due to their "bold coffee is available whenever we're open" stance - you can feel some of the love in this article from the Daily Californian -

troybear.blogspot.com/.../daily-californian-original-peet-site.html

Hi troybear! The second link in your post at 9:06 am isn't working.  I'm completely baffled about the brewed coffee mess.  I have been vocal and had the opportunity again to talk with someone from Starbucks about it, but I think that my SSC friends think that this unpleasant issues dealing with Pike Place Roast are just Melody making noise.  I hope I'm wrong, but sometimes I have doubts that they see that the problem is nationwide, and I just happen to be one vocal person indicative of a much larger scale problem.

I told  a barista about the MSI poll here where 15% of participants picked PPR as their fave, and she said that sounded about right for their store too. Sigh.

We've lost though. They're never going back to bold all day.

Thank you for catching the error, Melody.   Here is the correct link -

troybear.blogspot.com/2009/04/ceo-of-starbucks-actually-said-this.html

BTW, if "we've lost..." then competitors of Bucks like Peet's, Java City and even McDonald's win.   (Mickey D's is gambling that they're about to win big-time.)   Sad to say, but true.   I used to literally go into Starbucks a minimum of twice each day - 7 days a week - & often more as I would use the wi-fi with my netbook "kitten" computer.   I often sat in a Starbucks writing about Starbucks!    Not now.    Oh, I still do write/post about Starbucks but not from inside one of their shops.   I do need my bold coffee.   Jos. from troybear.blogspot.com  

troybear.blogspot.com/2009/04/some-tough-words-for-starbucks.html

AT THE GOLDEN NUGGET IN LAS VEGAS (2 starbucks, franchised)

they ONLY brew Pike's Place, all day, 24 hours,,, said they dont

even have any other coffee... so,, we didnt go back....

at standalone Starbucks, mom went in, asked what kind of coffee they had, (even though about 4pm) and then they brewed her some Cielo... very good!!!

but i have not seen that in Hawaii.. ( which are all Franchised to Coffee Partners Inc.) they will brew decaf on demand, but not anything but Pike's Place after noon..

I don't care what time it is...if I want a cup of dark roast coffee, not that Pike crap, I should NOT have to be offered an Americano or be told that there is a wait time. You guys just don't get it. You turned us into a world of coffee addicts/snobs and now you won't give us coffee. GET RID OF PIKE AND BREW DARK ROASTS CONTINUOUSLY .What don't you understand?  

Any updates? I feel like we get a blog entry once every 90 days saying 'we're working on this'. Since there are new menus on the way, I thought that would be an opportunity to get the message about brew on demand via some signage, but I guess not. Any brew-on-demand signage coming? Of course you're not going to tell me. LOL You know how to reach me.  :-P

I was also hopeful for an update.........

Sigh. Momiji I am really sure that Pike Place Roast is permanent. I think every 90 days we get a blog entry reminding us that Brew on Demand works. If I tap my ruby shoes together 3 times soon I'll be home. I really think that I'm a few cards short of a full deck to still be here, and still passionate about their middle name - Coffee.   Momiji, you, me, Breve - we're a little nuts you know.

troybear.blogspot.com/.../fun-coffee-blog-for-caffeine-fiends-and.html

http://tinyurl.com/mxoej5    Joseph from troybear.blogspot.com

http://tinyurl.com/l6r9vu  If Seattle's Best can serve bold coffee whenever they're open, why can't Starbucks?

It seems the corporate mantra basically boils down to "tough, we're keeping Pike Place Roast".  If so, just say it so those of us who truly want something else can shop elsewhere.  Here's a surprise - we really don't want to do that; we want Starbucks to go back to offering choice.  Please stop putting the responsibility for providing what we want back on the customer.  The reality is that the stores either don't want to do brew on demand or aren't aware of the policy (and that's not the baristas' fault).