case detail
-
- 2008-10-01
- Coffee Bean v. Starbucks
- Case Type:
- Style & Taste, Java
- Status:
- Verdict Reached
- Terms:
- seven judges or 1 week, whichever comes first
-
- Plaintiff:
- snash
- Plaintiff's Argument:
- Coffee Bean rules. Especially compared to Starbucks. First of all, the company isn't trying to take over the world, which is refreshing. While Starbucks has 15,000 + stores in 44 countries, CB is a nice little regional shop based mostly in So Cal.
At CB, you can order a "small" "medium" or "large" coffee like a normal person. At Starbucks you pretty much have to speak some weird form of Latin that's been dead for 10,000 years, just to get a simple drip coffee from a 'barista' (a.k.a. a 16 year old kid with acne and 2 days of training). And Venti? WTF? I just want a cup of coffee, kid.
Also, and this is probably a minor point, the coffee is simply better at Coffee Bean. Starbucks is a huge multi-national corporation and you can almost taste the focus group testing in their house mix. Enough already, right?
Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, CB customers are more attractive. I don't know what this means, really, but it's true. Just an added bonus for those who like people watching.
And finally.....a drive through, Starbucks? You're joking, right? Prosecution rests.
-
- Defendant:
- Jake
- Defendant's Argument:
- I'll concede several points: that it's nice to say 'small,' 'medium,' and 'large'; that Starbucks is a big corporation; and that people get weird in their coffee Nazi-ness.
But here's where Starbucks wins: It is what it is. It's a chain coffee bar. And so is Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Do you think that CB wouldn't also have 15,000 stores if they could? You think they're just happy to hang tight in SoCal, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii? No, they just can't do it. If they could e Starbucks, they absolutely would.
And you know why Starbucks is successful? Because people like it. Founder Howard Schultz saw the future in well-made, well-tended coffee bars (he modeled it on Italy's equally pretentious coffee shops) and he built a wildly successful brand around it. So give credit where it's due. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (gag me) would be nothing without Starbucks' having blazed a new market for upscale coffee bars.
Moreover, the entire feel and layout of a Coffee Bean is a direct rip off of a Starbucks.
And it always seems like the employees at CB are younger and slower than at Starbucks. I always end up waiting forever to get my drink.
And Starbucks still focuses on coffee. Schultz famously obsesses over it. On the other hand, It seems like every week at Coffee Bean is a new nightmare of transfats and whip creams that looks far more like a milkshake than a 'cup of coffee.'
I'll take a Starbucks gift card over a Coffee Bean gift card any day. If for no other reason that it'll be easier to find a place to use it.
Judgment: for plaintiff
3 ruled for plaintiff
0 ruled for defendant
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