There are times when it’s best to be an impartial, non-biased journalist.
This is not one of those times.
The building that previously housed National Penn Bank and the Chamber of Commerce smack dab on the corner of Gay and High Streets has been unoccupied for months, and the workforce that passes by daily has been wondering what will fill its empty space. Word had been circulating through the borough’s restaurant industry since Thanksgiving that a corporate coffee conglomerate would soon be moving in—a rumor that, unfortunately, has proven to be true.
Starbucks will open its first shop in the heart of West Chester this fall. Their closest location until then is inconveniently on Route 3, about a five-minute drive away. Many suburban dwellers will be excited for the opportunity to patronize the coffee company that is sometimes credited with the resurgence of America’s obsession with caffeine…but some will be very, very disappointed.
Personally, this coffee-loving, cafe-working writer is saddened. Starbucks will not add to the up-and-coming feel that West Chester has been working tirelessly to create. The newly purchased location is not just in the center of town, but in the center of the town’s coffee industry. Businesses, such as Nick’s Cafe, Signature Pastries, Fennario, Cream & Sugar and Sprazzo, all depend on coffee sales for revenue. That being said, the aforementioned cafes should not be scared of a looming, corporate version of what should be an intimate experience. The key to competing with a massive, impersonal chain is to *not* compete!
West Chester’s cafes do compete for business, but they seem to do so in a very mature, financially solid way. What one shop offers, the others do not. While Starbucks focuses their sales solely on that quick cuppa joe, their future neighbors have already expanded their horizons to reach West Chester’s other needs. Nick’s Cafe boasts an amazing breakfast and lunch menu, specializing in Greek cuisine; Sprazzo plays up the lunch crowd by offering Italian panini and soups; Cream & Sugar whips up early-dinner sandwiches and salads that are so good customers keep going back for more; Signature Pastries has hands down the best sweet treats around; and Fennario is a smoker’s heaven. Nick’s, Cream & Sugar and Signature all open early to make the town’s finest drinks for hundreds of business people, and Fennario and Sprazzo stay open late at night to grab a younger crowd. It seems as if Starbucks saw a diverse coffee-drinking population and swooped in for the kill. Financially, is it good for them? Yes. Is it good for West Chester? No.
Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz wrote a memo this February, 2007 that outlined mistakes that “were right at the time” but also “in retrospect, have lead to the watering down of the Starbucks experience.” He goes on to state that decisions made in order to streamline stores for more speedy delivery have “remove[ed] much of the romance and theatre” of the cafe experiences. Speed and quantity proved more important “ faster, automatic machines are too tall for customers to see the barista. This loss of open communication between customers and servers makes getting coffee a cold experience—wouldn’t you rather see a friendly face and enjoy mid-day banter, even if it breaks up your workday only a bit?
I could go on for ages. And ages. And, you get the idea. My plea as a barista, to you the consumer, is this: just say no! We, your local cafes, have been here for you through thick and thin. You wanted coffee last year? We were here. You wanted that drink made with two Splendas mixed in a half-caf/half-decaf in an extra tall cup? We made it. You wanted to try a combination latte of raspberry and peppermint? No problem! You might not have liked it, but we tried it anyway! Did you brave the snow storm this past Valentine’s Day, dead set on keeping your reservation at the restaurant and getting dessert and a cappuccino after? We braved the snow, too! We name special drinks after favorite customers, remember the names and work places of countless regulars and have your drink ready before you even get to the door. To West Chester’s baristas, you, the customer, are part of our everyday lives. If a Starbucks drink is what you really want, ask us for it! We’re smart. We can make it. If we don’t know how, we’ll learn! We would much rather make it for you at a locally owned shop than to see you walk down the street, have your favorite drink ready and then have to pour it out when we see you go into Starbucks.
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