Executive Summary : Coffee Shop Essay

For my ethnography project, I decided to observe the Starbucks on Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio. My plan was to observe the subculture of Starbucks’ customers. A subculture is defined as a “structured social inequality or, more specifically, systematic inequalities between groups of people that arise as intended or unintended consequences of social processes and relationships.” My question was twofold. Does Starbucks appeal to certain social statuses? And if so, does Starbucks serve as another example of social inequality?

After carefully analyzing your Coffee Shoppe, I have found several aspects that are considered strengths and weaknesses. Tim’s Coffee Shoppe has already established its presence in the busy downtown area of Sunnydale, Illinois. Your shop is located by a large college and Horvath and Arbanes Station, which are major bus stations. The shops’ location is great because of the steady traffic flow throughout the day and it is accessible from several parts of town. The shop is lacking a few technological updates as well as organization. From my analysis, I concluded that only accepting payments in the form of cash is making you lose some of your

Coffee is a beverage that is globally consumed, but also a product that has different values in different parts of the world. The role coffee plays in society differs around the world, from the farmers who grew the crops to the people who constantly consume them. Social theoretical perspectives are capable of showing the different roles coffee has in different societies. Symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and Marxism are three theories which show coffee’s role sociologically. These theories show how coffee affects people physically, how it affects them emotionally, how it leads them to have interactions, how it connects different parts of society, and how it’s economically controlled by a select few.

I gathered my information from Dunkin’ Donuts shop on the Third Avenue. Dunkin’ Donuts is one of the largest coffee shop chains in the world. I chose this because it is close to our house. When I first walked into the shop, I heard Chainsmokers’ Closer song. It was also a quiet place sometimes where you could just sit and relax. It is a small place with limited seats. There were only three small tables and a long table. The place is air-conditioned, so it is cold. There is also free Wi-Fi, so the customers will not get bored while they are waiting in line or drinking their coffee. There is also a Baskin-Robbins inside the store, so it is not only a coffee shop but also an ice cream shop. I wanted to interview one of the staff, but they were busy. I ended up interviewing an old woman because she was sitting with me since there were limited seats. She is 71 years old and originally from Mexico. She was 23 years old when she moved here. She is married to a Mexican too and they had three children.

Starbucks Corporation, generally known, as Starbucks Coffee is the leading retailer and a brand of world’s forte coffee in the world, with more than 15,000 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim, wherever in this world where premium quality coffee is in demand. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world ahead of UK rival Costa Coffee, with 20737 stores in 63 countries and territories, including 11910 in the United States, 1496 in China, 1442 in Canada, 1052 in Japan and 772 in the United Kingdom. The first Starbucks was open in 1970. The name was inspired from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, a definitive American novel regarding the 19th century whaling industry. The nautical name matches seamlessly for a store that imports the world’s finest coffees to the cold thirsty people of Seattle. In May 1998, Starbucks have finally successfully entered the European market through its acquirement of 65 Coffee Company stores initially originated from Seattle in the UK. Both companies shared a common culture, focusing on a great commitment to customized coffee, similar company values and a mutual respect.

This paper focuses on presenting the steps for starting a coffee shop and ensuring its successful functioning. The paper presents an analysis of the target segment of customers and the coffee shop's specific features, continuing with the project's objectives. The paper sets few recommendations aiming at presenting ideas that will ensure the coffee shop's success in the medium term and long term. The results were positive, which means that opening a coffee shop with library will probably be a good idea and will be a good business investment.

1. In the beginning, how was Starbucks different from other coffee options for coffee drinkers in the United States? What activities and assets did Starbucks leverage to differentiate itself from competitors?

The coffee shop can become more profitable with some minor changes. The business is open 20 hours per day. It would be wise to expand the business hours to 24 hours per day. While the competition, Queequeg’s Coffee has more locations, Tim’s Coffee Shop is the closest to the railways and the university. By opening all night, those late night study cram sessions could turn profitable, as a latte at 4AM will help the students relax, stay focused and study.

Such customers vary in age, although our location close to the university campus means that most of our clientele will be college students and faculty. Our market research shows that these are discerning customers that gravitate towards better tasting coffee. Furthermore, a lot of college students consider coffee bars to be a convenient studying or meeting location, where they can read or meet with peers without the necessity to pay cover charges. For us, this will provide a unique possibility for building a loyal client base.

In 1975, the United States Congress enacted The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, which are a series of regulations that were placed on domestic automobile manufacturers to create more fuel-efficient cars. CAFE standards were created as a result of the Arab Oil Embargo, a primary catalyst for the 1973 oil crisis that created a shortage of fuel across the United States. Since its enactment, CAFE standards have been inefficient and inequitable because most Asian car manufacturers beat the standard, European car manufacturers sometimes meet the standard (and pay the penalty otherwise), while the majority of domestic car manufacturers struggle to meet the standard. Instead of investing in new technology, manufacturers have typically

Coffee drinkers all have one thing in common; they want their coffee made to their specification. Most soft drinks, milkshakes, and draft beer are ready made. Coffee has many flavors and that can be an operational nightmare. Starbucks has 10 different types of coffee beans, 12 blends of flavors and loads of special toppings.

Starbucks is really well known and also believed to be the leading coffee company in the universe. Starbucks is the one of the successful examples to build a good reputation through social media. Starbucks heavily promotes ethical practices throughout the media to create a halo effect. So, Starbucks gains customer’s trust. Starbucks has put different types of Sales Promotion across the country and other nations with hopes of motivating more customer to purchase, especially in times of economic hardships where people are less likely to buy. The coffee company uses all forms of different sales promotion. For instance, Starbucks offered 50% off Frappuccino from 3pm until 5pm on 6 May 2015 in Malaysia. This promotion is

Café Latte, a new espresso bar, is about to open in Pocatello, Idaho. The business was formed as a limited partnership between three siblings and a friend, Cynthia, Stuart, and Rob Chan, along with Jeff Burns, respectively. The Chans are somewhat knowledgeable about running a business

The Coffee Clubs first cafe opened in 1989, since then more and more stores have been opened worldwide. The Coffee Club has two different styles of stores those being either a small cafe or a restaurant. There are many stores scattered around New Zealand from Otago to Auckland with 55 outlets being in New Zealand and 350 plus worldwide.(Franchise New Zealand Limited, 2015) As an organisation their vision is to be a global leader in retail food, coffee and franchising. This means they want to lead by example to other companies in the same industry. Their mission is to provide good food, great service and excellent coffee and a welcoming meeting place with an inspiring contemporary lifestyle to its

Village Coffee Shop is one of the best coffee shops in Montgomery, Alabama. They offer coffees, espressos, smoothies and sweet treats. Customer service is very prompt and the employees are very courteous. Prices range from $1.45 - 4.45. Village Coffee is the Montgomery Advertisers Readers Choice Award Winner for best coffee in Montgomery in 2008. I recommend the Iced Mocha! Village Coffee is located at 7020 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, Alabama. The phone number is (334)395-7323 The Coffee Bean is another great place in Montgomery, Alabama. This is a very unique little place with a drive thru. They serve coffees, espressos and sweet treats. The Coffee Bean has quick service and is very conveniently located on Atlanta Highway. Prices range from $1.10 to $4.00. The Coffee Bean is located at 5472 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, Alabama. The phone number is (334)272-2487. Starbucks is another wonderful place in Montgomery to get coffee. Starbucks offers coffees, espressos, teas and various sweet treats! Starbucks has great customer service. I highly recommend the Espresso Truffle! This Starbucks has fast service and is convenient to shopping. Prices are competitive with other coffee shops. Starbucks is located at 6911 Eastchase Loop, Montgomery, Alabama. The phone number is (334)260-0538. I recommend all three of these coffee shops to anyone that wants a good cup of coffee, or just a sweet treat on the go. I have experienced professional customer service at each of the locations.