Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Smoking Ban Makes Coffee Stands Get Steamy

An unexpected result of Washington state's smoking ban: Starbucks gets some steamy competition:
When the (Washington) state's smoking ban went into effect last year, many bar, casino and convenience-store owners sought to make up for expected losses by renting part of their parking lots to espresso stands, said Lori Bowden, owner of the Cowgirls Espresso stands.

The advent of "sexpresso" is harder to track. Business and baristas debate over who pioneered the edgy outfits, but they agree that by sweetening the product, with a smile and maybe a shot of hazelnut syrup, they've reached out to customers who've never set foot in a Starbucks.

Drive-throughs are a growing part of Starbucks' business, too, with more than 1,500 drive-through locations throughout the United States. But a representative of the company said it has no plans to sex up the dress code, as it wouldn't fit the company's brand.

At places such as Cowgirls, the barista is the brand.

"If I'm going to pay $4 for a cup of coffee" said one male customer, "I'm not going to get served by a guy."
Who would have thought...

-Wes

1 comment:

Cathy said...

Oh for goodness sake. It seems everything in America is about sex anymore. So getting a cup of coffee isn't about getting the coffee now, Its about who serves it and how they are dressed?