Why It's So Cold In Starbucks (Drink Up and Get Out)

July 6, 2015 - Going to Starbucks? Take a sweater, it's cold in there. For several years now I have wondered why every Starbucks seems to be too cold. I mean, cruelly cold, far colder than they need to be for the comfort of their customers.

Image via Mike Elgan on Google+

It's not just me who feels this way. Most of my fellow Starbucks customers agree that the air conditioning is almost always arctic in its severity. But nobody can agree on just why. Some folks have long theorized that Starbucks keeps their stores bitingly frigid to discourage us from lingering. I always thought that was a bad theory. Turns out I was wrong, as revealed to me yesterday by a Starbucks employee.

I've asked many a Starbucks barista and manager why they can't turn the A/C to a comfortable temperature. The reasons given are always ridiculous. They'll say that their thermostat is controlled by Starbucks corporate headquarters in Seattle. Some have added that corporate HQ only gives them a leeway of five degrees on their thermostat. Others have said, amazingly, that the temperature is set to keep the employees comfortable because it "gets so hot behind the counter," implying that they care more about their own comfort, and the customers be damned.

OMG! Zanzibar Serves Best Ice Cream in Chicago!

I recently stumbled across a new ice cream parlor. Normally, I don't get excited about ice cream parlors. While I love the stuff, I don't tend to eat a lot of ice cream, and growing up in Wisconsin I was spoiled by the best in the nation. When I passed by Zanzibar's ice cream parlor on a recent evening, however, the place looked so inviting that I just had to go inside and look around. That led, of course, to a sampling of the ice cream. Wow... Dang, I thought, ice cream as good or maybe better than any I'd ever had in Wisconsin! But here's the catch: The ice cream sold at Zanzibar is made by The Chocolate Shoppe in - ta da! - my home town of Madison, Wisconsin! I used to go to Chocolate House Candy and Ice Cream, the predecessor of The Chocolate Shoppe, with my folks. That was back in my grade school days. I haven't had their ice cream in more than 25 years, and here it was, served up in generous scoops right here on Chicago's North Side, at Zanzibar in Edgewater. One of the secrets to great ice cream is to have as few ice particles or microscopic air bubbles in the cold stuff as possible. The incredible flavors served at Zanzibar meet those specifications. Rich and creamy, cold and gooey, it will not disappoint. I know I'm hooked, and if means gaining few pounds this summer, well, you only go around once. Might as well have great ice cream. Yes, that's my banana split in the photo and yes, I ate the whole gigundo thing. Zanzibar is much more than ice cream, though, with great hand-made sandwiches, soups, salads, coffee and tea. The atmosphere is cozy, despite the large size of the room. Free wi-fi makes this a great place to linger. Got kids? Perfect, they'll love the place. It's casual, wheelchair accessible and spitting distance from the Bryn Mawr CTA Red Line station (no parking lot, but metered street parking is right outside). Oh, before I forget - you gotta try the blue moon ice cream. Also see The Chocolate Shoppe web site Leave a Comment... See Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Starbucks to Cut 12,000 Jobs

Can we just get back to a decent 50 cent cup of coffee? Starbucks closing 600 stores, cutting 12000 jobs

What's Your Coffee IQ?

Common Cup will help you raise your coffee IQ with a special "Intelligentsia Seed to Cup" presentation on April 26 at 11:00 a.m.

Common Cup barista extraordinaire Dawn Marie writes:

"There is a lot that goes into your daily cup of coffee! Join Jay Cunningham from Intelligentsia, James Brewer from Ameriprise Financial, and your friends at the Common Cup for a coffee tasting and presentation.

"We'll taste three distinctly different coffees, check out some photography taken by Intelligentsia on their extensive travels to source, and learn more about their unique, sustainable buying model, Direct Trade.

"The coffee tasting will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, at the Common Cup, 1501 W. Morse Avenue.

The cost is $5.00, but all who come will get a complimentary bag of coffee (at $5.50 retail value!).

Space is limited, so please reserve a spot now! Sign up at the cafe or email shethatis@hotmail.com."

Photos copyright 2008 t.h.mannis, all rights reserved