Jose Ruiz

By Jose Ruiz
Consumer Markets

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon (August 21, 2009).- A few days back I read an article about how Starbucks’ baristas were complaining about the new ‘lean’ initiative that was turning them into robots. The baristas – from Italian etymology referring to a person working behind the bar, in this case an espresso bar – were talking about the efforts to eliminate unnecessary movements and steps to improve efficiencies. Methods long used in manufacturing lines…and fast food restaurants.

A grinder next to an espresso machine

The article called it the McDonalization of Starbucks. McDonalization? I have to say I’m not sure what the baristas were complaining about. Starbucks has been in the fast food business for a long time. It’s been years since I’ve seen a stand alone espresso grinder or a tamper in a Starbucks coffee house.

When you walk into a neighborhood coffee house the smell is different. You can spot at least two stand alone grinders that are hand calibrated to get the perfect grain size of different types of espresso beans. The barista grinds the beans, places the grind in a porta-filter and compacts the grind with a tamper and then places the porta-filter in the machine to obtain a shot of espresso. The grinder settings, the hand pressure used to compact the grind into the porta-filter, the time used to extract the shot are all variables the barista controls. It’s an art. To prepare espresso drinks, such as the now famous, caramel machiatto or a cinnamon latte, the espresso shot is added to vapor heated milk. Achieving the right temperature and speed in heating the milk to release sweetness is an art itself. Syrups are then used to add more sweetness and flavors. It has been a very long time since Starbucks baristas have controlled those variables.

Coffee Syrups

Starbucks has long used super automatic espresso machines. At the push of a button, an internal grinder, grinds the right amount of espresso and automatically does everything else for an espresso shot to come out of its spout. There are no syrup racks at Starbucks, only pre-prepared concentrate mixes for their drinks. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a bad thing. It guarantees me that a teenager who just got started will prepare my short latte the same way a seasoned barista can in the same store. It’s a good thing for consistency. But it’s no longer an art at Starbucks. Baristas can complain about the McDonalization of Starbucks but they really have not been true baristas in a long time.

A Tamper

But here is the irony. This morning I walked into a coffee shop. The smell was there. Two grinders stood tall on the bar along side a syrup rack. A tamper and a used grind box was there sitting next to a three group espresso machine. I asked the barista if he could do something special for me…and he did! I took my drink and sat on a real leather sofa to read the newspaper. I wanted to take out my laptop to write this but it just did not feel right.  Ahh, a real coffee shop: A McCafe. Yes, you read right: A McCafe sitting next to a McDonald’s sharing a terrace. McCafe’s are incorporating traditional coffee house techniques and training real baristas.  

Maybe those baristas complaining about the McDonalization of Starbucks should go work for a McCafe.

…Oh, and the price of my short latte was about 20% less compared to Starbucks.  

A McCafe: Notice the grinder on the bar and the real cups sitting on top of the espresso machine. It's a coffee house! They're getting it right.

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