Tom Mullaney’s article in the Chicago Tribune chronicles his disenchantment with Starbucks’ experience. He even works in a mention of my favorite concept Caffe Baci.
"I've pondered why my dissatisfaction is now shared by so many other once intensely loyal customers. For the first dozen years, Starbucks was a destination stop. It had enormous cachet and street cred. It became the new place for business meetings and the preferred rendezvous for match.com date auditions. Today, Starbucks and hip live on different planets."
It is ok to expand beyond your core, it is ok to test, measure and implement, it is ok to introduce products and services that are good enough. It is not ok to dilute your brand.
