My favorite Starbucks at Spring/Crosby streets in SoHo NYC has undergone a dramatic Clover pimped-out cafe/interior design makeover. The gruff wooden floors and wobbly chairs: gone! The Starbucks interior now looks like a modern hotel lobby or a cafe in Paris.
I visited last week. I sat on a plush metal-studded bench, placed my soy chai on an industrial metal cafe table and I sipped until the very last drop. Great people-watching in a now quite polished atmosphere. A drastic makeover - and I must say I kinda loved it...
Clover Machines. The band new Clover coffee machines were on display - you can't miss them. A new offering of single brewed coffee was added to the menu. Prices on the Today's Offerings list read like a wine list. Different prices for different coffee bean sources. Peru Chanchamayo, $2.15 for a Tall. While the Ethiopia Sun-Dried Yirgacheffe is $3.50 for a Tall.
But the makeover comes with some controversy. Find out why, and get my interior photo tour and makeover commentary of this Starbucks makeover...
Starbucks Controversy. After I tweeted about the makeover last week, one @reply from one of my followers stuck out in my brain. He said,
"@lunchboxbunch it's called co-opting legitimate cafe culture. And it sucks wicked bad." -@EricLepine
Hmm, I liked his perspective, but don't really agree. I am 100% in favor of supporting local, independent coffee cafes instead of always going to giant brand Starbucks. But I think if Starbucks wants to put some big bucks into revamping their stores - I say go for it!
However, Starbucks should expect to get more laptop-dwellers, all-day-student loungers, using-Starbucks-as-my-office-ers and order-one-coffee-then-hang-out-for-five-hours type customers. With a store so nice, who would want to leave?
...I say this because my husband and I were at Starbucks SoHo on Saturday when one un-uniformed manager started floating around to tables actually telling customers to basically hurry up, drink, and leave - or buy more coffee! Some customers hadn't ordered yet or had clearly finished their bevies a while ago.. She floated around to customers seated at the cafe tables, here is the direct quote...
"Can I get a drink order started for you? We have a lot of customers who want to sit." -starbucks un-uniformed manager
Crazy right?? Very bad customer service, but I'm guessing this isn't an actual Starbucks policy. Anyways, more about the new Clover Coffee and then check out my photo slideshow of the makeover...
Clover at Starbucks. It's funny. Just a few days ago, my husband and I were in Cafe Grumpy in NYC sipping cafe bevies. My husband's eyes were glued on the Clover machine that Cafe Grumpy used. He was ogling it in the same way I ogle the fruit at a Greenmarket. He even went back after his cappuccino to try a cup of the legendary single-brewed coffee. He was a happy coffee-lover. He even remarked that he heard a rumor that a Starbucks executive discovered Clover machines at Cafe Grumpy.
Starbucks Clover Coffee Nutrition Facts
Then Saturday I stumbled into Starbucks Soho at Crosby and Spring and voila! Clover machines in full display, Clover branding everywhere. Extreme interior makeover....
Get my interior tour and check out all the Starbucks Makeover details...
Kathy says
Eliza,
I also adore the vegan version of Oregon Chai. Delicious.
Most Starbucks chai blends contain honey. To strict vegans honey is off limits because it IS an animal product. However, I personally do eat some honey - such as in chai. My sweeteners of choice are maple syrup, agave and raw vegan sugar. Honey is a tricky ingredient for vegans. As it IS an animal product - but... You can read the comments section of my "Is Honey Vegan?" post if you want to discuss honey more. ~k
Eliza says
How do you know that their Chai brand is vegan? My favorite brand Oregon Chai) makes a specific vegan chai because their original has milk and honey in it. I know that Starbucks does not use that brand though.
I hope this doesn't sound condescending, I am asking for own knowledge because I love chai and it would be great to be able to get it at coffee shops.
Kathy says
Enia,
Yes I've read the same info on the Clover brand - so I guess the coffee shops like Grumpy Cafe in nyc are lucky that they have the machines now!
Starbucks obviously loves those Clover machines - the Clover branding in the SoHo store was intense! Honestly, I'm an espresso and chai drinker so I don't get all the single-cup-brewed fuss. But my husband agreed that Starbucks was wrongly monopolizing the market. This will be an interesting story to watch...
~K 🙂
Enia says
Yes, we're all going to support local coffee shop culture and yes, my local coffee shop (el Beit) has a clover machine.
There's only one problem: Starbucks BOUGHT clover (the company that manufactures those machines) and refuses to sell machines and/or parts to anyone else. So it's pretty much monopolized the market.