Starbucks- Yonge & King

I, like many, have heard grumblings that Starbucks, the worlds most popular coffee house, changed their logo. At first blush I found this suprising, shocking even. Isn't rebranding the tool of lackluster businesses looking for a sheen (winning?), or disgraced corporate entities looking to shed their proverbial trenchcoat and black boots? Conventional wisdom might suggest that you don't re-tool a company that has grown from one location to over seventeen thousand  in less than forty years. Just ask Steve Wynn what happens when you try to finger paint over a Picasso. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/oct/19/arts.artsnews True Story!

So, as if searching for weapons of mass destruction, I attempted to boldly affirm these capricious third hand grumblings of logo change. In doing so, I went to what can only be seen as Toronto's flagship Starbucks location, Yonge/King.



As I work at Yonge/Wellington, and thus pass by the Yonge/King location daily,  I am quite familiar with the large crowds the location attracts. I'm willing to argue, and of course unwilling to research, that it is the single busiest Monday-Friday location in Canada. As I entered it was certainly busy, but with a crowd that left something to be desired. The patrons seemed a little too self assured, everyone was giving everyone else the 'once over', and people were engaged in boisterous faux business conversations. To be truthful I actually get great joy out of all those things. However, unlike with owners of Labradoodles or Mini Coopers, there is no comraderie amongst those with unfounded arrogance.

Upon reaching the cash I ordered a grande bold in a venti cup. The attendant was friendly, the drink was consistent with the other thousand grande bold's in a venti cup that I've odered in my lifetime, and they had four stations where I could put milk or sugar into my coffee. That's the thing about Starbucks, it consistently delivers good service, an above average product, and usually (although not at Yonge/King) a pleasant atmosphere. I did notice they had mugs with the new logo at the cash (and suddenly remembered why I came), and they looked sharp. The machine they poured my coffee from actually had the original Starbucks logo (circa 1975 or so) which was cool, and the sign on the outside had the classic green Starbucks Coffee logo we're all accustomed to. I enjoyed the three generations of logo's, it reminded me of that door/wall you had when you were a kid that traced your growth in small increments. Good memories.

In sum, Starbucks does have a new logo, but it wasn't readily apparent at the Yonge/King location.

Despite the lackluster crowd I would go back, but my reasoning would be convenience and my coffee would be to go.

I give it 6.5/10.