I had a conversation with a customer this morning. He owns a bicycle shop in our town. Our conversation revolved around the madness that he had been seeing while he drove up to our small roaster/cafe.
His travels take him by a shopping plaza where there is a Starbucks drive-thru. It was so backed up that the cars filtered out into the street. He thought to himself, "How can these people be so mesmerized by an arguably inferior product, that they would sit in a mile long caravan to purchase the stuff."
Now this was an unsolicited conversation. I never told the guy to give me his opinion on Starbucks or on anyone for that matter. He was just a regular Joe who was genuinely wondering out loud.
My concern wasn't so much about why people would drink a Starbucks cup of coffee (though I would never do so myself). My concern was how lazy we've become as a society that we can't, or won't get out of our cars to even buy a cup of coffee.
There used to be a time when people would walk, ride, get up to change the television. Get out of the car to open the garage door. Heck we used to walk across the street to say hello to our neighbors. Today just the very thought of doing anything physical is horrifying to 30 somethings and our teenagers are so hooked on video games that all but the most adventurous wouldn't attempt anything that would be physically exerting.
The long line at Starbucks is just a manifestation of a bigger problem with the PC generation. They know that the coffee that they are getting is crap, yet they are conditioned to glub it down like hapless lemmings.

Be honest, when was the last time you stopped in to a Starbucks because you knew that you were going to get the freshest most flavorful drink in town? If you are being honest and I know if you are reading this blog, you'll agree, that you can't remember the reason why you are stopping at any of those so called espresso bars. It might be out of habit, but it isn't because their coffee was fresh and good.

Specialty Coffee bars, especially those who are riding the 3rd Wave are dedicated to producing flavorful, fresh coffee. The Barista's that I've spoken with in my travels have been outstanding examples of people dedicated to making sure you have the best experience. It's those 3rd Wave folks that people should be lining up to be served by.