Worth the time?
I'm not sure that this will be the time discussing but I'm tired of hearing about Starbucks drink size names.
I don't like Starbucks for all the reasons most of the rest BXers don't. But is it really that big of a deal that they call the small size 'tall'?
Don't they make it pretty clear of the fact?
You order a 'small latte' at the register; the register barista calls it out to the bar barista as a 'tall latte.' They do that because that's the company lingo, it's only consistent for them to do so.
McDonalds did this sort of thing for years with the XL being the large and dropping the small size resulting in Medium, Larger, and X Large sizes. Stupid? Yes. But it was pretty straight forward for the consumer to understand.
It's stupid for them to do so I agree. I'm just kinda tired of everyone making such a big deal about it. It was funny the first 1000 times, now its just old.
This does not however, condone the Starbucks Barista making a big deal and going out of their way to correct someone. They need to take the order and fulfill it. The SBux barista is just a capable of inversing the Small-Tall linguistic calculation.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lindsey on
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You wouldn't go to Burger King and order a big Mac so i feel that it is kinda rude when you come into my shop and order a grande carmel macchiato and it's not on our menu.. it all gets worked out in the end, but is it really so hard to order from my menu?
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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on
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Must be worth your time, you started the thread. If you don't want to talk about it, don't bring it up!
And yes, I've been certified for many years as a bonfide online curmudgeon:)
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Permalink Reply by zack burnett on
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One of our coffee shop accounts has a big sign behind the bar stating: "We do not speak Starbuckian or Dunkonian it's Small, Medium or Large. Thank You, Mgmt."
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Permalink Reply by Jared Rutledge on
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i solve this problem by only having one size.
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Permalink Reply by Derryl Reid on
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I've thought of this as well when we open our shop! We only offer one size at the farmers market & it seems to be easier on us and our customers!
Jared Rutledge said:i solve this problem by only having one size.
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I also think this is the best solution.
Jared Rutledge said:i solve this problem by only having one size.
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Permalink Reply by Phil Proteau on
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It is interesting to note the history of where all this comes from. There is both tradition and powerfully successful marketing at work here.
We, (in America, where Starbucks originates) are accustomed to very large portions in most areas of food service. But this is only a recent historical phenomenon. It was not that long ago, the 80's in fact, that standard cup sizes in the U.S. ran small and regular; 8oz and 12oz respectively. This was true for MacDonald's and most all the fast food places. When to-go cups came in style at coffee shops as we know them today, there was the short 8oz, and the tall 12oz. As MacDonald's began introducing larger and larger sizes, we began to accept them as the norm. Eventually, the 8oz just wasn't enough for our gluttonous ways, and the short cup was virtually eliminated. So now the Tall, which was the large, becomes the small. But in some circles, Starbucks most notably, the name remained. This is where the current confusion of Tall with Large comes from.
The marketing genius of Starbucks is to brand everything they do on their customers. Their shear global size is capable of spreading their terminology to virtually every consumer. If you are an independent coffee shop, you will be seen as the outsider using incorrect lingo. It is really a great marketing advantage with a hell of a lot of leverage behind it. Those of us in the specialty coffee community should respect the ingenuity and power of this great branding strategy. If we don't, we will fall prey to and be devoured by those who know how to play the game. It is futile to claim that the game isn't fair, or try to buck the system. Just play it better.
I have found it most useful to employ a more literal approach. Try calling your drinks by their capacity: 3oz, 6oz, 8oz, 24oz, or whatever. There is no confusion there. Whenever I order a cup at Starbucks, which happens out of circumstance from time to time, I ask for a 12oz. What do I care what they call it back to the barista as? If you engage your customers who use Starbucks lingo by trying to get them to call the sizes what you call them, you are exhibiting the very same attitude you receive at Starbucks when they try to get you to call it a Vente or what have you.
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That may be your best solution, but it's not the best solution for all coffee shops.
zack burnett said:I also think this is the best solution.
Jared Rutledge said:i solve this problem by only having one size.
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Permalink Reply by christopher myers on
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I think this is the best solution. I'd put something like that below samples of different cup sizes (8, 12, 16oz works for me). Sounds nice to only have one size for simplicity, but it seems excessively simple. A few limited options won't kill you.
zack burnett said:One of our coffee shop accounts has a big sign behind the bar stating: "We do not speak Starbuckian or Dunkonian it's Small, Medium or Large. Thank You, Mgmt."
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Permalink Reply by Daniel King Pizzutti on
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I just hate it, becuse most of the time when someone orders with the "lingo," it turns out they wanted a different size. So i just ask the customer what size that means. Becuase, I really don't know, and don't care to know it.
Anyways, it also is major lame because, I have to correct the person and then they usually bring up Starbucks. I'd call it a form of "attached marketing." But the biggest problem is the fact that Starbucks (appears to) purposely change the name of drinks, so that they are not authentic. For as long as I've done coffee, it's partly been about education. They certainly aren't doing that. And ugh, don't get me started on the drink sizes!
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Permalink Reply by Bob Von Kaenel on
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I wonder how many people know that Venti actually means twenty in Italian, (as in Starbucks 20 ounce drink). I think it's hilarious that a local coffee shop here has added a 24 ounce drink to their menu, and since they were already using "short, tall, and grande" for their previous sizes (12,16,20) the new 24 oz is called the "venti". I wonder if anyone's ever told them.
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