The Glass Box and Going a Little Retro

I had the pleasure of visiting two Starbucks shops today and each was unique. I journeyed to a new part of London this morning, a swanky area off of High Holborn Street. I was in desperate need of my Starbucks jolt and was confident that I was only steps away from a shop. After a short walk down the street I saw a very tall glass building with a beautiful glowing Starbucks sign in the window, I had arrived. I was floored when I stepped inside the shop and saw just how grand it was. Situated next to a rather upscale business, this Starbucks held the same level of class. The entire left wall of the shop was glass allowing a full view into the business next door. This shop was about three stories high, but was only one level. With the large vaulted ceilings, this shop seemed to go on for miles. One downside to the high ceilings was the echoing. While I was ordering my drink a child dropped a plate on the floor and the sound of the ceramic hitting the floor was ear piercing as it echoed around the shop. This morning I made a selection that I have yet to see in the States, a Cafe Creme Frappuccino. This drink is made of frozen blended coffee with espresso whipped cream on top. I have been seeing ads for this drink for the last two weeks and decided I should probably test it out. You can see my reaction and thoughts about the drink in the video below.

This Frappuccino was really delicious and quite refreshing. I am not typically much of a whipped cream fan, but the espresso flavor really made a difference. I would order this drink again for sure and I am hopeful that it will come to the States if it is not already.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My second trip to Starbucks today was a shop that was displaying the old brand. This shop still displayed the brown colors and the more revealing siren logo. This logo was the initial logo that was used when Starbucks began in 1971. When it was brought back in 2006 and 2008, people complained that the siren was too revealing. The branding of Starbucks has since returned to the green as opposed to the brown and a siren with more clothing. Because the brown revealing siren has been phased out, I was shocked to find a shop still displaying it. The outside of this Starbucks was not the only thing that stood out to me as being a bit different. The decor on the inside of the shop was very trendy and fashionable. Everything from the lighting to the bar stools was high end and stylish. This shop definitely caters to a more posh crowd. Another difference between this shop and the glass one is that this shop was quite dark while the glass one was naturally well-lit. I think this shop was darker because of the browns and oranges used in the decorating. The darkness gave off the vibe that this was meant to be an expensive place and also quiet and relaxing. It truly amazed me at how different two shops of the same store could be.

AM

Three Stories of Beauty

As I headed to Oxford Street this morning, I knew that I would find a magnificent Starbucks. Oxford is a very high-end designer shopping district so I expected to find a Starbucks to match the level and class of the stores. When I started my journey down the street I could not see a coffee shop in sight. I was nervous at first, but I figured it wouldn't be long before I spotted one. All of the sudden I saw the sparkling green gem twinkling in the sky and I knew I had reached Starbucks. When I reached the entrance I noticed a sign outside the door stating that this shop has a new look. I couldn't wait to find out what this Starbucks looked like, but I figured that it would be fancy. I was shocked when I entered the shop and realized that it consisted of three levels. Not only was this Starbucks tall, but it was deep as well. It was quite obvious that this particular shop houses many customers for meetings. To order my drink I had to walk all the way to the back of the shop as the front was used for seating. With the coffee bar in the back, this Starbucks was set up differently than most shops I have visited. I do not think that having the bar in the back makes this shop conducive to in and out customers, but this shop does seem to cater to those wanting to stay a while. I really did like the atmosphere that this Starbucks presented because it seemed very welcoming and inviting. I wish more shops in the States would be set up in a similar fashion to allow customers the ability to stay a while. Another nice feature of the three floors is that it allows for quiet study or work. The top and bottom floors were both quiet and the hustle and bustle of the main floor could not be heard. I have shared a video here for you to see just how cool this Starbucks was. I'll definitely be noting this as something I would like to see implemented in the States.

Key Observations

Hello, hello!

I had a great weekend here in London and was able to spend some time sitting in Starbucks observing the locals. Some things that I was looking for were the ratio of men to women, the number of orders for tea opposed to coffee and how many people purchased items in addition to a drink. After sitting in Starbucks for an hour and enjoying my delicious breakfast, I had compiled a number of key observations that will allow me to draw some conclusions. During the hour that I sat in Starbucks, 20 people came in and ordered a drink. Out of these 20, 13 were women and only seven were men. I must say, I expected to find more men in Starbucks. This may just be my perception, but I always picture men as big coffee drinkers and women liking tea more. From my small observation, my theory does not seem to hold true. Another reason I expected to see more men at Starbucks was because London is such a large business district. Even though women are now in the business world, it is still heavily dominated by men. I should know by now, after living in diverse London for two weeks, that the traditional gender stereotypes that I know in the U.S. don't hold true here in London. I was astounded by the fact that out of the twenty people that ordered drinks not one person ordered tea. Being here in England, where tea is so popular, I anticipated that a number of people would order tea from Starbucks. I quite like tea from Starbucks, but maybe the tea isn't authentic enough for these Brits. Here in London, the Starbucks shops offer a plethora of sandwiches and treats as you have seen from my photos. With a selection of over ten sandwiches, I was interested to see how many people actually purchased the savory treats. During my one hour observation, four out of the 20 people bought a sandwich. While this may not seem like a large number on the surface, I need to tell you all that it was only 9 am. I have no doubt that if this many people purchased a sandwich prior to lunch that a greater number would indulge in one around lunch time. In addition to the aforementioned observations, I also noted that very few customers ordered plain "filtered coffee". Most customers at Starbucks on this fine Sunday morning ordered Frappuccinos or some type of flavored latte. I have noticed that other coffee shops that I have visited, Cafe Nero and Costa, do not offer many flavored drinks. I think that Starbucks has found its niche here in London by serving flavored coffees and I think that is what will allow Starbucks to remain quite popular. Talk to you tomorrow.

AM

Starbucks and Cafe Rouge

With another early class this morning my Starbucks venture was delayed a bit. When I did finally arrive at Starbucks, I was craving a cappuccino. After I ordered my drink I looked around to see what all the shop was selling. I noticed some lolly pops in the clear bins in front of the register. I thought that selling suckers at Starbucks was quite an odd thing to do, but no one asked me so oh well. :) As you can see in the picture to the right, these lolly pops seem to be a bit out of place. The rest of the items being sold are mints and chocolate, the usual, but the suckers on the other hand are simply weird. I noticed another item at this Starbucks that seemed a bit odd to me as well. This item was not for sale and was actually a sign hanging on the wall. The sign was all about safety and protecting items from being stolen. I think it is interesting how much stealing is openly talked about here and at Starbucks nonetheless. It is a bit nerve racking to know that pickpocketing is such an issue that even Starbucks has to make a statement about it. When my drink was finally ready I could not wait to taste it. Because it was a cappuccino, the first sip was quite foamy. As I continued to enjoy my coffee I began to taste the full cappuccino. The coffee flavor was super strong and it was very hot. I have been sick for the last two days and this nice hot drink made me feel better for a short while. This evening, after walking around the city, it was time for coffee round two. For this coffee trip I headed to a darling little french restaurant called Cafe Rouge. I was in the mood for a cappuccino again and thought it would be nice to compare it to that of the Starbucks version earlier in the day. When my drink arrived, it was in a very large ceramic mug and topped cinnamon dusted foam. This cappuccino was extremely hot like my Starbucks one, but almost impossible to hold because of the mug it was in. I found myself having to wait for the coffee to cool a bit before I could hold the mug. Once I could successfully drink my coffee, I realized how delicious the cinnamon topping was. The spice added a little something extra to my cappuccino and made it that much more delicious. The coffee flavor was not nearly as strong as the Starbucks cappuccino, but it was still quite yummy. More coffee to come on Monday. :)

AM

Cafe Nero

This morning I was desperately in need of coffee after a late night, but unfortunately Starbucks was nowhere to be found. When I exited the underground on my way to Westminster Abbey, I spotted a Cafe Nero and decided that this would be the outlet of my morning coffee. I had planned to go to this shop eventually because it is a major Starbucks competitor so this morning was the perfect time to test it out. When I walked into the shop it was quite apparent it was not intended for customers to stay and drink their coffee. This coffee shop was made strictly for "take away" service. Inside the tiny hole in the wall shop were sandwiches, cakes, frozen drinks and lots of other goodies offered for take away. Because it was a warm morning I was not exactly wanting a warm drink. I chose to order a cafe latte over ice and that way get the best of both worlds with the coffee and cold drink. I have provided a video of my initial thoughts of the drink.

While I did enjoy my cold beverage this morning, it definitely was not Starbucks. In my opinion, Starbucks does not need to worry about Cafe Nero becoming more popular because I was not very impressed with the drink. The iced latte lacked enough of one of the ingredients, ice. The small amount of ice was a let down in and of itself but was more disappointing about this drink was the very little coffee flavor. I don't plan on going to Cafe Nero again and my loyalty will remain with Starbucks. :)

AM

Hot Chocolate with a Twist

I was unfortunately unable to begin my day with my daily dose of Starbucks. I had to meet for class early and did not have time to stop for coffee. By the end of class I was desperate for caffeine and headed to the closest Starbucks. I found a darling little shop right off of the Notting Hill Gate Underground station. I headed in for my coffee immediately after spotting the shop. As I gazed over the menu deciding what to have something sparked my attention, hazelnut hot chocolate. As tempting as this sounded I knew that I needed caffeine. I decided to get a bit fancy on the barista today and dress up the hot chocolate. I ordered a grande skinny hazelnut hot chocolate with a double shot of espresso. I was quite excited about this concoction because I got the best of both worlds with the hot cocoa and the caffeine. I couldn't wait to get my drink and test out my creation. I have provided a video of me taking my first sip that I think you will find informative.

Okay, it is quite obvious from the video that I liked this "fancy" hot chocolate. The way the coffee flavor came through into the chocolate was outstanding. It was almost as if the drink was made with dark chocolate because of the coffee addition. I must say I highly recommend this drink to all coffee/chocaholics out there, you won't be disappointed.


I also decide that today would be the day to break down the barrier of the glass case holding all the magnificent pastries. My friend Katie and I each selected our favorite item from the case and planned to split them at a picnic later in the day. I chose the skinny blueberry muffin and she selected the chocolate fudge brownie. I was excited about each selection and could not wait to test them out.


Later at the picnic...

We split the blueberry muffin during our picnic today at Regent's park. You can watch the videos of our responses to the muffin, but let me first say that it was delicious and I'll probably have to have another.

After a long day of shopping...


Returning to the flat this afternoon, Katie and I were both in need of a chocolate treat. Thanks to our Starbucks trip this morning we had a chocolate brownie waiting to be eaten. The appearance of the brownie was generic at best, a flaky top and a crumbly center. The flavor of the brownie was what made it stand apart from others. The richness of the chocolate paired with the perfect balance of crispness and fudge-like consistency made this brownie one of a kind. I have seen brownies at Starbucks stores in the States before, but none quite like this. Here in England the chocolate is richer, smoother and far more creamier. Most of the chocolate is Belgian and that seems to make a difference. I will without a doubt indulge in another Starbucks brownie before heading back to the U.S.

AM

Sloane Street Starbucks

I headed to Starbucks for class this morning and had my mouth set on a cinnamon dolce latte. Before I ordered my drink I spotted some goodies in the glass case. I think it is impossible for me to walk into Starbucks, order a drink and leave. I can't help myself but to drool over the glass case goodies. Today the treats that I was eying were different than the usual pastries or chocolate cake. The special treats staring my way today were veggie sticks with dip and large juicy fruit cups. It is quite interesting that each Starbucks that I visit has a different selection of tasty offerings. Some shops seem focused on sweet treats while others are more on the healthy side such as this one. It may depend on the neighborhood in which the shop is located. The shop today was in a rather ritzy neighborhood and was also the location that had all the postings about yoga and other health related postings that I shared last week. The photos that I provided yesterday of the yummy treats were taken at a Starbucks located in a more touristy area. It might be that the Starbucks I visited yesterday offers more sweets because that is what tourists are more drawn to. The Sloane Street Starbucks is in a residential area and therefore caters to a more health conscious audience. After I finished gazing at the infamous glass case, I ordered my grande skinny cinnamon dolce latte. Much to my dismay, the barista informed me that this Starbucks did not carry that flavor. I was very disappointed that I would not be enjoying the drink that I had been craving, but I decided to order a skinny hazelnut latte instead. I must say that the hazelnut was delicious, but it was no cinnamon dolce. Upon finishing my drink it was inevitable that I would have to use the "lou". I was also interested to see what a Starbucks bathroom would look like in London, because the ones in the States are quite nice. I was shocked at what I saw as soon as I entered the restroom. I would have to describe the space as a jail cell made for a four-year-old. The sink was miniature and very close to the ground and the hand dryer was about two feet lower than I would have liked. The was were tiled to chair rail level with old red tiles from the 60s. It was quite apparent that this bathroom was far different than any I have seen at home. I am thinking that maybe this bathroom was already in the space when Starbucks moved into the location and the company decided to keep it as it. I must say the bathroom was functional, but quite awkward to use. It was an interesting trip to Starbucks today, but still a wonderful one for sure. :)

AM