Has this man even been inside a Starbucks recently? They used to be loungy places people could chill, now they're all bland, sparsely decorated, dirty, and uninviting. There is absolutely nothing premium about Starbucks, it's basically a fast-food chain. Once again demonstrating how far removed CEOs are from reality

The interviewer's inability to hide his reaction is priceless

Premium my ass.

I love our local coffee place. We bring our dogs. The baristas bring them cups of whipped cream. The place is cozy and they sell art from local artists. And the coffee is actually good and doesn't taste like someone burned it. I usually make my own coffee, but it's nice to go there once a week and just enjoy being there. That is premium.

Let's just pretend Starbucks coffee didn't taste like cheap, crusty asshole for a second... Fuck you, Brian!

I hate this trend of putting shit at the beginning that I then have to hear again less than 10 seconds later. Like I get it's for grabbing you but the second I start hearing the same thing again I immediately close the video.

The coffee sucks, the tables are all filled or dirty and sticky, the outside seating is in a parking lot, baking in the sun, the drive through is backed up to the interstate, the food is re-heated trash that costs a fortune, the atmosphere is boring factory produced trash, and the wifi is so slow it's like it doesn't exist.

Why. Why on earth would I go to starbucks

"Starbucks CEO, easily replaced by AI. Here, we'll show you why that's the case."

Wow that guy doesn’t even look human. No wonder he had no issue mandating all employees return to the office while he flew a private jet from California to Seattle every day.

Its also hilarious he has that ear piece in his ear so that his PR team can feed the machine the 'correct' focus-grouped response to every question.

I had a Starbucks franchise owner tell me that Starbucks doesn't sell coffee; [they] sell an experience.

Then improve the experience, I told him. I seriously have no idea how they're still around.

They need some way to pay for the year he commuted to Seattle by private jet.

Also, he is the asshole who said to keep raising the prices at Chipotle.

Fuck him. I will drink Folgers (and I do) before I'll drink your shit.

Friendly reminder that during 9/11, Starbucks in NYC charged firefighter $5 for tap water.

Now, I realize $5 today doesn't sound like much, but to put it in comparison, at the time a bottle of 20oz water ranged between $0.50, and $1.25 at grocery stores.

So here's these men, saving lives, risking their own, covered in asbestos and other soot, desprate for a drink to keep saving lives, and the manager of that starbucks decides thats a good time to gouge them for tap water. BITCH THAT SHIT SHOULD BE FREE!!! Especially for these guys! Many of whom died when the towers collapsed. Their last drink for some of them was a price gouged starbucks tap water.

Edit: I just thought of another way to put it in perspective. I remember in 2000 my dad would give me $5 occasionally to get dinner from McDonalds so he didn't have to cook. It was at the time enough for a medium size double quarter pounder meal. Large or super size would have taken me over the $5 mark, but the medium would just barely cover it.

So now next time you're at McDonalds, look at the price of what that is today, and imagine being asked to pay that for a plastic cup with tap water.

Yes. Starbucks. The McDonald’s of coffee shops. High class. Premium.

I'm in India, and when I was in college, first Starbucks in the city was opened and a few of my friends including me wanted to try it. We all spent 500-600 INR ($4-5) which was a lot. After taking the first sip, we all came to the conclusion that the coffee sold at the college canteen for ₹20 was better than this overpriced slop.

I make coffee at my home for less than a dollar and I love the taste and I love the experience.

It's sad to think there are people in the world that think Starbucks coffee is nice.

We WANT this to be Worth Your While so we're Paying our Baristas enough to Make It Worth Your While! Buying only the BEST Coffee Beans! Creating NEW Techniques to make your Coffee even MORE Enjoyable! Investing in our Stores so there COMFORTABLE! Giving me, the CEO, a Private Jet!

A $96-million dollar douche defends a $9 cup of coffee

Anti union piece of shit

Also interview only included CEO, no labor representation

Prioritizing "experience" over coffee itself is not new for Starbucks. Even before the $9 price tag, their prices far exceeded their (low quality) coffee because they're selling the experience.

Coffee roasters sometimes refer to them as "Charbucks."

Haven't willing gone to a Starbucks in years. There is nothing premium about Starbucks.

I'm surprised he didn't mention the "sense of pride and accomplishment" buying a $9 coffee would bring -_-

A bag of locally roasted coffee is $12 and lasts me two weeks. It used to be $9, before the orange shithead but let's ignore that. A pot of coffee takes about as long as it takes for water to boil. I'm clearly not the target demographic, but still. Nine fucking dollars for a cup?

TBF the only people that have to answer for it are the ones still buying them.

Like, he may literally have been thinking "because you dumb bitches will pay that", but obviously couldn't say it.

a great moment with a barista.

Hahaha. Good one. Literally a great reason to buy independent.

I mean, let's be real, how much does a banana even cost Michael? Twelve dollars?

Look at the wording- 'premium experience'. He's not selling coffee, he's thinking big picture of the whole experience from the moment you walk in the store. He's not even wrong here. This is good business management- that he's taking charge of everything about the store from the decor, the furniture, the colors, how the employee talks to you, etc. That's all part of the experience.

What's wrong is that people keep going. Most people don't give a fuck about the experience, they just want a tasty coffee. Our economy is based on competition and free choice. If he makes his coffee cost $8 or $9 or $15 or $50 that's his right and his company's right. Just as it is your right to go elsewhere, which you should be doing anyway.

The thing is- IMHO, Starbucks coffee isn't worth anywhere near $9. Here's a challenge- go to Starbucks and order a double espresso shot. Now find a local artisan coffee place, like the type with a chalkboard that says where the beans they're brewing today were grown. And get a double espresso from them also. Compare the two.
What you'll notice about Starbucks is that it's burnt. And that's because it's literally burnt- the typical Starbucks bean is roasted MUCH darker than average, so the resulting coffee flavor is dominated by a burned smoky bitter-ish flavor.
Compare that to your local artisan coffee place- you'll notice it's NOT burnt, the flavor is NOT dominated by smokiness, but you have a lot more layers of flavor. Then order whatever drink you want- better coffee in means better drink out.

Keep in mind also most of what Starbucks sells isn't really coffee, it's milky sugary drinks that incorporate a few drips of espresso. So you're paying $9 for a sugary calorie bomb made from overly roasted coffee that just makes you fat.

Also- if you usually order the same thing at Starbucks- just learn to make it. Even if you throw $1000 at a nice fully automatic espresso machine, taking the per-coffee cost from $9 to $1 means you'll break even on the machine in 125 coffees. For most people that's less than a year. And you can do it yourself- next time you order, watch what the barista does. They are not wizards and nothing behind the counter is magic. An espresso machine and a blender will make like 95% of the menu. Here's a guide

I got an espresso machine a few years ago and learned to make a proper latte with it. At this point, a $9 cup of charry sugar water made by a teenager in a fast food restaurant doesn’t really appeal to me.

The average coffee drinker doesn’t buy coffee to get a great seat and have a moment with a barista lol. They want to get their coffee as fast as possible and be out of there as quick as possible. Just like the average office worker doesn’t take a private jet to get to work. I guess that’s where his logic is coming from. He spends the fuel and CO2 not for the commute, but for the great legroom and moment with the stewardess.

this has the McDonald's CEO eating vibes all over again.