Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) said this week that it plans to re-introduce some breakfast food selections to its menu. For a company that can't seem to keep a single strategy in place, this is a rather odd reversal of course from earlier this year. Why would Starbucks want to squelch the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee in its stores -- again?Perhaps the new Piadini breakfast selection will have aroma inhibitors to prevent those breakfasty smells wafting into those coffee aromas? As with all new sandwich shops these days, the new Piadini will feature "artisan" breads along with sausage, egg and cheese selections, or other selections such as portobello mushrooms. Yummy!
Starbucks said it has changed the cheese to minimize the cooking smell interference with its trademark coffee aroma, but customers will ultimately tell the tale by snatching up the new sandwiches or fleeing Starbucks due to the lessening of the svelte coffee scent they know and love. It's somewhat surprising that Starbucks could not have changed its cheese type back at the start of the year and kept breakfast sandwiches all along, but perhaps it took eight months to do some odor engineering and ingredient research before re-launching more non-coffee products.
McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), watch out.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-25-2008 @ 3:33PM
Kathy said...
Starbucks needs to get rid of that Pike roast! It is the only choice for brewed coffee in the afternoon, and I know many people who hate it so they end up going to Dunkin' Donuts.....give us a choice like Sumatra or Gold Coast.