Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Asian Starbucks?

A colleague of mine sent this story to me last week concerning a new chain of coffee stores that has made landfall in North America and is looking  to challenge Starbucks as a major retailer.
Called 85C, the stores claim to fame is that it is also a full service bakery. They specialize in coffee and exotic baked goods with an Asian flare.

It's a steep hill to climb, but I feel there is still a lot of room for competition in this industry and it will only make the coffee better. In my opinion, poor baked goods is one place where Starbucks falls flat on its face. So, this may be a legitimate challenge to the dark coffee lord's dominance.

However, I really feel like it is impossible to be all things to all people. If the focus is heavy on the bakery, then the coffee will suffer. I look forward to visiting this one when it expands my way. Check out the story to see what you think. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127474607