The ubiquitous cup of Starbucks coffee has become an integral part of the morning routine for millions of Americans. In fact, in the One Fat Frog office alone there are at least 5 people who are totally unable to function without their morning coffee. Without it, they become nervous twitching messes (it’s not a pretty sight). Starbucks built an empire on turning a quick cheap cup of coffee that anyone can make at home into something social and trendy. Now they want to do the same thing with tea.
I know what you’re thinking. America was founded by people who threw all their tea into a harbor. We’re just not as into tea as other countries. We like our coffee. But is that true of everyone? Are there enough tea drinkers in the U.S. to make this chain work? Can Starbucks conquer the tea world like they did with coffee?
Starbucks recently launched their first tea café, Teavana, in New York. They are planning on rolling t he cafes out nationwide. So far the tea cafes have been a success, and let’s be honest, Starbucks isn’t known for making bad business decisions.
In a nonscientific poll, 60% of Americans surveyed (who also happened to be One Fat Frog coworkers who I could ask about this) said they thought a Starbucks tea café is a good idea and they think it will be successful. 40% of Americans surveyed said they thought it was a bad idea, with 12% saying “tea’s not strong enough; does that even wake you up in the morning?” Another 8% of One Fat Frog employees said “I think he should resign from office for the good of the country.” I don’t think he understood the question.
As someone who doesn’t like coffee but drinks iced tea (preferably sweet tea) almost every day, I’m excited about this. I’m looking forward to getting a great tea selection from a company that is known for innovating morning beverages. What do you think, Froggy Blog readers?