Today, Starbucks fuels University of Michigan students on a daily basis. In fact, in the international realm, it generally provides students and professionals with an incentive to work. Each Starbucks offers a quiet environment and upscale beverages. Its international omnipresence makes it hard to avoid. I have heard admissions of addiction on behalf of many students and accounts of multiple day trips. It is common to hear someone debate whether or not she should grab another latte and I have even heard of generous parents funding a ”Starbucks tuition.” The success and popularity of Starbucks is derived not only from its lavish food and beverage but the certain ambience it provides. After all there are plenty of other competitors in the coffee business.
Recently there has been talk of a Starbucks menu expansion. More specifically, that “beer and wine [are] to appear on menus in Chicago by the end of 2012.” While this idea is not unprecedented (it is currently being tested in Seattle and Portland) it is still fairly new. The idea may be to expand the Starbucks demographic but I must question the recent alcohol movement. In my opinion, adding beer and wine to the menu would drastically alter the image that Starbucks conveys and environment that it provides. There is a heavy reliance on Starbucks quiet ambience for meetings, interviews, and study groups. It is a “pseudo-library” and workplace. This could very well change. I am not saying that it will be transformed into a rowdy environment, comparable to a college frat party but Starbucks would be associated with an image considerably different. How would you feel about the addition of alcohol to a Starbucks on campus? (http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/267164/20111214/starbucks-alcohol-coffee-giant-sell-beer-wine.htm)