Downtown Starbucks (1 of 2): Coffee.

A few weekends ago I headed downtown to use a birthday coupon from Express that was about to expire, and pick up a few other things.

After my shopping, I went to go stop by the flagship Starbucks and have a cup of coffee, only to discover that they had moved a block up into a new "built from the ground up" building.

Then, not only that, but I discover that Starbucks is introducing a new 'evening menu' w/savory foods and beer and wine...

I mosied up to the 2nd floor lounge, which was dense with chairs and *packed* w/people, and I sat around a small bar near 4 (middle-aged) (white) guys with laptops.

Every once in a while, a (female) barista would come out with different samples of the new menu - bacon-wrapped dates, and roasted chicken skewers with a honey-dijon sauce - and me and the other guys at my table started talking about the evening menu.

The (male) barista overheard, and he gestured towards 2 gleaming new espresso machines.

"And take a look at that," he was like.  "That machine cost $15,000, and that one cost $30,000.  And let me tell you, they make good coffee."

"Good coffee?", I was like.  "They make a good case for revolution."

At that, 2 of the men near me went back to work without a response.

From their books I could see out, I think they were MBA students.

The (male) barista didn't say anything either.