TUAW on the Spot: Secret Barista to report on Starbucks 'retraining'

Forget about starbucks, around here Caribou Coffe has pushed them out of the market for years now. Much better coffee and service.

@artifex
1.) Starbucks does in fact "brew" their coffee...as in they brew their drip coffee, always have...I think what you're referring to is their use of automated machines when it comes to the espresso beverages (in which case the terminology of "brew" does not apply)...a big reason as to why starbucks uses these automated machines is the sheer volume of guests they accomodate, if the baristas tried to produce espresso beverages for all their guests with a manual espresso machine it would take longer and exasperate their baristas wrists much more, in addition these automated machines are more accurate in their measuring and tamping of the grinds providing a more consistent product.
2.) Starbucks does, in fact, roast their coffees longer than most other roasters...though to say that they burn their beans is untrue...their more robust roast is not for everyone's palate, their coffee is based on a richer, fuller bodied flavor which not all consumers are accustomed to.
3.)There will be no overall "free" wifi at Starbucks...however there will be complimentary 2 hours of wifi to guests who have a registered and active starbucks card...AT&T is also offering two priced packages one for 2 or 3 hours of use and one for unlimited hours of use...these wifi "packages" will take effect in early Spring, so my guess is April-ish.

Grrr... I hate all the $tarbuck$ hype... but I'm sorry everyone forgets about Panera Bread. First off they offer FREE wi-fi to anyone... no purchase require... no coupon code and no two hour limits. They also have coffee & your latte, along with fresh backed items, soups, salads and sandwiches.

Oh and for those in the west coast... if you walk in to Panera while Starbucks is closed and ask for a small coffee its free, as in $0.00

I am glad to hear that it is training on how to be a better barista! I used to frequent Starbucks two to three times daily. Now, maybe once a week. Reason? Poor/slow service. The smaller stores with fewer customers appear to be the worst. I think Starbucks grew too much.

While the iTunes news is probably what everyone here would like to see more news about - I would just like to see better service, and I'll use my trusty computer to buy my music.

I asked them after the initial announcement that they were getting "free" wireless from AT&T and they hadn't heard anything about it. Don't know if they have more updated info now or not.

But our local store confirmed the training is all about coffee making as well.

Well, i know that Starbucks has had a problem with some Baristas saying things like "Thanks, Sucker!" after customers buy an overpriced coffee.

i hate my life [*_*]

As others have already said.....has nothing to do with tech, only coffee.....my wife is a manager and has already seen all the info......so NO big AT&T or Apple news is comming.

we're just relearning the recipies and talking about the changes in hardware and software of our espresso machines, namely the new filters and ability to only pull a double shot resulting in a sweeter, more full bodied shot of espresso.

ive already seen the video we're watching, nothing special. just uncle howard, as we affectionately call him, getting control of his baby again and wanting to make sure we are giving the best experience to our customers.

sorry for this sounding advert-like. ive been working at starbucks for about 6months and i have to say it is one of the best companies to work for on this planet. i used to be so anti-starbucks, but in reality, the only thing that makes it bad is some lazy baristas, which this training is helping to set on track :)

I guarantee you it'll have nothing to do with AT&T. My wife is the Starbucks training manager for Southern California and Hawaii, and has been prepping the district managers on tonight's re-training all day yesterday and today. It's just a 3 hour coffee and espresso training, drilling into Baristas and managers exactly how to make "perfect" drinks.

The biggest thing you'll see in every store tomorrow morning is a sign that says, "If your drink isn't perfect, we'll make you a new one"--or something nearly like that.