[ad_1]
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A California coffee shop owner said her business was “flooded with righteous people” after coming under fire for supporting Charlie Kirk.
Following the assassination of the Turning Point USA founder, Invita Café in Rancho Santa Fe placed stickers on its coffee cups in his honor.
Owner Sara De Luca told Fox News Digital she “didn’t think twice” about putting the stickers on the cups beginning the Friday after Kirk’s death.
STARBUCKS BARISTA DID NOT WANT TO WRITE CHARLIE KIRK’S NAME ON COFFEE CUP IN VIRAL VIDEO
“When Israel went to war, we put on Israel stickers and started to support some of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]. I would say that was when I was like, ‘Let’s be courageous,’” De Luca said. “But with Charlie, we had hosted him. We had met him. We’ve met Erika,” she added, referring to Kirk’s wife.
DeLuca said she didn’t even think it “could be controversial.”
“Maybe it’s my ignorance,” she said. “It didn’t even cross my mind that somebody could have some sort of issue with somebody being murdered.”
Invita Café’s decision to honor Charlie Kirk sparked controversy before generating overwhelming community backing. (Juliann Ford)
De Luca printed round white stickers with the words “Thank you, Charlie Kirk” and “We Love You” written on them.
“We’ve supported him for many, many years,” she said — but baristas told her the café’s phones were ringing off the hook with people saying “horrible and horrific things.”
CHARLIE KIRK’S LEGACY HONORED AS CUSTOMERS FLOCK TO STEAK ‘N SHAKE IN SOLIDARITY
“We ended up having to shut down our Google page and Yelp page because we were getting an insane amount of one-star reviews,” De Luca said.
She said what kept her calm was her San Diego community and her church, Awaken, which “showed up” a few days later.
Coffee shop owner Sarah De Luca told Fox News Digital she’s supported Charlie Kirk for “many, many years.” (Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images; Sara De Luca)
“I was actually tearing [up] because I was like, ‘Where did these people come from?’ We went 312% up in sales,” De Luca said. “We were flooded with righteous people just showing up, supporting us, defending us. They were defending Charlie. Obviously, we all were.”
DeLuca said her small boutique coffee shop was soon packed with people waiting 30 to 45 minutes in line.
“We didn’t have any haters show up,” she said. “It was only the righteous showing up – just God-fearing people who are like, ‘Thank you for what you’re doing. Charlie would be proud.’”
The support came not just from her community but from across the nation, she said.
“We didn’t have any haters show up. It was only the righteous showing up,” said De Luca about the traffic in her shop. (Sara De Luca)
“We had somebody from Georgia call and say, ‘Can I just give you $500 and buy the next 100 drinks?’ Somebody walked in and left $300 and just walked out.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Invita Café opened nine years ago, inspired by De Luca’s Italian family.
“The idea was to kind of create a space where the espresso is the magnet that unites people, and it brings the community together and brings the traditions that I grew up with here to California,” she said.
Invita Café, inspired by De Luca’s Italian family, is about bringing the community and traditions together, she said. (Sara De Luca)
De Luca said she believes “God is so behind all of this.”
“This is insane. But I think Charlie would have been proud.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The café still has stickers available and even hosted Turning Point USA for a pop-up.
[ad_2]
[ad_1]
The first Gregory’s Coffee opened in 2006 on Manhattan’s Park Avenue. Nineteen years later, the family-owned business has expanded to over 54 locations around the U.S. as well as a roastery in Queens, New York, that handles coffee beans from Brazil, Rwanda, Nicaragua and other major global producers.
For Gregory Zamfotis, founder of the New York City-based chain, the business is about more than just dollars and cents — it’s also about recognizing the special place coffee has long had in American culture as a driver of social connections.
“Coffee is built into the fabric of our society,” Zamfotis told CBS News. “People come together over coffee. When it’s a meeting or interview, or we just want to get some work done, coffee tends to be the centerpiece of those conversations.”
With many Americans still feeling the effects of elevated inflation, for many coffee drinkers one of those conversations is likely to center on the drink’s soaring costs.
Prices have leaped nearly 21% over the past 12 months, with the average retail price of 100% ground roast coffee recently reaching a record high of $8.87 per pound, up from $7.02 in January USDA data shows.
Several factors are behind the spike in coffee prices, including droughts in Brazil and volatile weather in other regions where the bean is cultivated. More recently, heavy U.S. tariffs on coffee-producing countries — including a hefty 50% levy on Brazil — have also driven up prices.
Though coffee is a staple of American daily life, the vast majority of the beans is imported. Much of that is sourced from Latin America, with Brazil alone accounting for 35%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
By contrast, the U.S. produces relatively little coffee compared to the rest of the world. Hawaii, the top-producing state, harvested 21 million pounds during the 2024–25 season, according to the USDA. Yet Americans consumed a whopping 3.3 billion pounds of coffee during the same period, the agency said.
Jake Leonti, director of coffee at Gregory’s Coffee, said it’s also far pricier to grow and produce coffee in the U.S.
“It’s exponentially [more] expensive because it’s Americans farming,” he said. “Whereas we can get super high-quality coffee from different parts of the world at a price that’s much more friendly to the consumer.”
Gregory’s Coffee has not raised prices yet despite the jump in costs. But Leonti said that could change soon.
“Prices are going to have to go up — there’s no other way around it,” he said. “We’re seeing tariffs from the places where we get our bags printed as well. So everything around the coffee business is getting tariffs at some point.”
Like other retailers, Gregory’s prices vary depending on where a store is located, reflecting regional labor and other costs. In New York City, the chain charges $3.45 for a regular cup of coffee, while at its New Jersey and Washington, D.C., outlets the same item runs $3.15.
Other retailers are also preparing for increased coffee costs. Mark Smucker, CEO of The J.M. Smucker Co., whose portfolio includes the Folgers Coffee, Café Bustelo and Dunkin’ at-home brands, said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call in June that prices will likely increase for a third time this year “due to higher green coffee costs.”
Meanwhile, Starbucks Chief Financial Officer Catherine R. Smith said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call in July that, due to the company’s coffee buying and hedging practices, customers shouldn’t expect price increases until the first half of fiscal 2026.
At Gregory’s Coffee, “The last thing we want to do is just keep raising prices on our guests,” Zamfotis said. “We’re hoping that if prices go up a few pennies across the board, that doesn’t turn off our everyday customers. We’re not doing this to make more money — we’re doing this to protect our business.”
[ad_2]
[ad_1]
Starbucks has closed at least 11 locations in metro Denver and Fort Collins after announcing plans last week to shutter hundreds of stores across the United States, Canada and Europe.
Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol recently announced that the Seattle-based coffee giant has identified coffeehouses that were unable to provide the physical environment expected by customers and employees, or did not show a path to financial viability.
“Each year, we open and close coffeehouses for a variety of reasons, from financial performance to lease expirations. This is a more significant action that we understand will impact partners and customers. Our coffeehouses are centers of the community, and closing any location is difficult,” Niccol said.
The company said it will end the fiscal year with nearly 18,300 total Starbucks locations, company-operated and licensed, across the U.S. and Canada. As of June 29, the company had 18,734 North American locations, according to its third-quarter fiscal year 2025 results report.
The company also announced further reductions in non-retail headcount and expenses, which include eliminating approximately 900 current non-retail partner roles and closing many open positions.
Starbucks has not specified which locations will be closing, but nearly a dozen Colorado locations have been identified by several media news outlets, social media posts and a coffee enthusiast. A company representative said the Starbucks app is the best place to find up-to-date information on hours of operation, including store closures.
Niccol said the company is working hard to offer transfers to nearby locations where possible and will move quickly to help partners understand what opportunities might be available to them. However, for those the company can’t immediately place, Starbucks is focused on partner care, including comprehensive severance packages.
“I know these decisions impact our partners and their families, and we did not make them lightly. I believe these steps are necessary to build a better, stronger, and more resilient Starbucks that deepens its impact on the world and creates more opportunities for our partners, suppliers, and the communities we serve,” Niccol said.
Niccol said that in fiscal year 2026, Starbucks plans to increase the number of coffeehouses it operates and aims to redesign more than 1,000 locations in the next 12 months.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Get more business news by signing up for our On The Block newsletter.
[ad_2]
Jessica Alvarado Gamez
Source link
[ad_1]
It’s September 29, the day that America celebrates its least guilty vice and addiction, known in the streets as “java” or “joe.” That’s right, it’s National Coffee Day—the day that thousands of people burn $2 worth of gas waiting in a drive-thru to get a free $2 cup of coffee from Dunkin‘.
Or how about this instead? Get free or cheap coffee without leaving your house, like a civilized person in the age of the internet. Take advantage of online coffee subscription deals instead.
WIRED has long considered delivery coffee subscriptions to be the promise of technology fulfilled: The best coffee, from all over the country and world, gets scooted to your door without you lifting more than a finger. Anyway, three of WIRED’s absolute favorite coffee subscriptions are offering big introductory deals for National Coffee Day 2025, so it’s a good day to discover the joys of always having good coffee.
Here are National Coffee Day deals on Atlas Coffee Club, Trade Coffee, and Podium Coffee. Each is 50 percent off for the holiday.
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Atlas Coffee Club
Atlas is WIRED’s favorite overall coffee subscription for multiple very good reasons. It roasts very good coffee. It also offers reliable, friendly, and swift service—a simple necessity when conducting long-distance relationships over the web. But especially, it offers single-origin coffee from a different country each month, letting you try coffee with flavors you likely haven’t tried before. Arabica coffee from Vietnam, or coffee grown in multiple regions of China or India. It’s cool. It’s kinda what you want showing up at your door, and you can choose your favorite roast level to suit the kind of person you are.
Anyway, Atlas Coffee Club deals are going big for National Coffee Day.
Between September 29 and October 1, 2025, enter the Atlas Coffee promo code FREECOFFEE to get the following discounts and freebies:
Courtesy of Trade Coffee
If Atlas is our favorite single-origin roaster subscription, Trade Coffee is your ticket to coffee from everywhere—the best and broadest selection of coffee from the best coffee roasters all over the country. I like Trade, especially, as a great way to find roasters I would have never tried, whether chocolatey roasts from Canton, Georgia, or big funky, fruity, light roasts from Portland, Oregon.
And so a Trade Coffee deal is always welcome. On National Coffee Day, Trade Coffee is offering half off a one-month trial subscription.
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Podium Coffee Club
Podium Coffee Club is yet another vision of coffee subscription, and also among my favorites. The name says it all: It’s a coffee subscription devoted to only award-winning coffees that have been judged among the best in the country and world in large and credible competitions. Podium picks just one wonderful coffee to send you each month, depending on whether you asked for the Gold or the Platinum subscription.
The Podium Gold subscription is generally very balanced, classic, excellent coffee beans. The Podium Platinum subscription, in part, raises its standards for how prestigious an award a coffee might need to be included. But also, the Platinum picks are often rare, funky, interesting, or just different—coffee that changes your mind about what coffee’s supposed to taste like. Either way, lucky you, it’s cheap today with an exclusive code from WIRED.
Enter the Podium Coffee Club promo code WIREDNTNLCFF50 for half off your first month’s subscription.
[ad_2]
Matthew Korfhage
Source link
[ad_1]
Coffee is a fast-ticking clock. And the end of this stopwatch is nothing you want. Fresh coffee is all about aroma and intensity—the delicate notes of toffee or nectarine that make each bean distinct. Old coffee loses all of this. It tastes instead acrid and flabby, like a cup of wet cardboard.
But freshness is a difficult target. I drink coffee about like a horse takes to water, but I buy it just as impulsively. I am also constantly testing out coffee to find the Best Coffee Subscriptions, and to give each brand a fair shake, I always drink those fresh in the optimal tasting window. Which means the rando special bag I bought for myself last Thursday often has to wait. And sometimes I can’t manage to brew all my coffee within a few weeks of its roast date.
That’s where freezing comes in.
So, should you freeze coffee beans? Or is freezing just a new way to mess up coffee beans—by introducing frosty moisture, or tainting it with the smell of the frozen chicken and peas in your icebox? The answer, according to coffee experts and chemists alike, is that you’re probably better off freezing coffee than letting warm air do its slow work. But this is only true if you do it correctly.
What’s more, frozen beans can in fact lead to better flavor on light-roast coffee in particular, according to at least one study—because it helps you get more consistent coffee grounds and therefore better flavor. More on that later.
Here’s a quick rundown on how to keep your coffee fresh without also ruining it, and why frozen coffee sometimes trumps fresh.
Believe it or not, there’s such a thing as coffee that’s too fresh. You probably don’t want to brew coffee the day after it’s roasted. For light roasts in particular, most roasters tend to recommend you wait five to seven days after the roast date before brewing, in order to allow your coffee to off-gas a bit and become a little easier to extract. This is especially important when it comes to espresso, where extraction is a volatile and finicky process.
But, alas, if you just leave the coffee in its bag, on the counter, it may start to go stale beginning a couple weeks later. You know that nice smell of fresh coffee beans? Those lovely aromatic compounds are exiting the beans, and dispersing into the air: That’s why you can smell them. Eventually, they’ll diminish. At the same time, oxygen is sneaking in to do its grim work, turning your beans to stale rust.
Depending how it’s stored, coffee can begin to degrade anywhere from two weeks to a month after roast date (i.e., the optimal window may just be a week or two for each bag).
You can delay this a bit by storing the coffee in an airtight container. One that I particularly like (and that we recommend in our Gifts for Coffee Lovers guide) is the vacuum-sealed Fellow Atmos. This can keep your beans fresher for longer on your counter and also keep them from taking on bad aromas in your freezer.
If you know you’re not going to get through a bag of beans, the best time to freeze is not when your beans are already starting to go stale. Rather, do so just before the optimal flavor window.
The science on the staying power of frozen coffee is somewhat thin, notes Christopher Hendon, a materials chemist at University of Oregon, whose research into coffee extraction and flavor has earned him the nickname “Dr. Coffee.” But there’s reason to believe freezing slows the staling process but doesn’t halt it.
[ad_2]
Matthew Korfhage
Source link
[ad_1]
Type 2 diabetes, which affects around 1 in 10 people in America, is a chronic disease marked by insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar, so people with Type 2 diabetes may have high blood sugar levels, which can lead to heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. Diabetes is also linked to high inflammation levels.
[ad_2]
[ad_1]
It’s National Coffee Day, which means you’ve probably already got your go-to order in hand. But here’s the thing — your favorite cup of coffee may actually say a lot more about you than you think.
Dutch Brothers Coffee recently released a personality profile that breaks down the quirks, habits, and even zodiac signs of coffee drinkers based on how they take their brew. Whether you drink it black, add a little sugar, or pour in some milk, your order might just be your personality in a cup.
Stock Photo
Black coffee has long been the badge of the serious, straightforward drinker. No frills, no foam, no caramel drizzle — just caffeine and character. And the stats back it up:
If you’re picturing yourself in this group, chances are you’ve already been up since dawn, walked the dog, and probably caught the latest Law and Order rerun before anyone else even brewed a pot. Black coffee people aren’t just punctual — they’re dependable. And yes, apparently they’re also heavily represented in the Taurus camp. Steady, reliable, maybe a little stubborn. Sounds about right.
For those who take their coffee black but add a spoonful of sugar, it’s like saying, “I want the caffeine kick, but I’m not here to punish myself.” These drinkers lean into balance — a little edge, a little sweetness. According to the Dutch Bros breakdown:
This group is still grounded — still Taurus territory — but with a softer side. They’ll stay up late binging The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, fall asleep at a reasonable hour, and probably still hit snooze once or twice before the morning commute.
Now, let’s talk about the creamers, the oat-milkers, the almond latte crowd. Coffee with milk is the order of choice for extroverts, night owls, and the binge-watchers who are always ready to talk about their latest show obsession. The numbers tell the story:
This group is living proof that coffee isn’t just about function — it’s about community. They’re the folks who will happily grab a latte at 10 p.m. and still crash like a rock. And if you need someone to debate whether Big Little Lies was better than Game of Thrones, this is your crew. With Aries in the mix, it makes sense: bold, outgoing, and maybe just a little dramatic.
At first glance, it’s easy to laugh off the idea that your coffee order could predict your personality. But there’s something to it:
Coffee is ritual. It’s the way you start your morning, the comfort you reach for on a long afternoon, or the companion on a late-night project. The way you take it may not define your destiny, but it does paint a picture of who you are when nobody’s looking — or when you’re just trying to wake up.
So next time you order, think about what your cup says about you. Are you the no-nonsense black coffee drinker who’s always on time? The black-with-sugar type who needs a little sweetness to balance the day? Or the milk-and-latte lover who’s ready to chat about the latest HBO hit?
Either way, on National Coffee Day, raise your mug high. Your coffee isn’t just keeping you awake — it might be telling your story.
Jim O’Brien is the Host of “Big Jim’s House” Morning Show at 94.7 WCSX in Detroit. Jim spent eight years in the U.S. Naval Submarine Service, has appeared on Shark Tank (Man Medals Season 5 Ep. 2), raised over two million dollars for local charities and is responsible for Glenn Frey Drive and Bob Seger Blvd in the Motor City. Jim’s relationship with Classic Rock includes considering Bob Seger, Phil Collen from Def Leppard, Wally Palmer of the Romantics and many others good friends. Jim writes about ‘80s movies, cars, weird food trends and “as seen on TikTok” content.
[ad_2]
Jim O’Brien
Source link
[ad_1]
There are a number of deals for National Coffee Day 2025 on Monday September 29th. I haven’t been able to confirm all of these, but I believe these are all accurate.
Freebies:
Other Deals:
Some nice freebies here, hopefully it doesn’t create big lines.
[ad_2]
Chuck
Source link
[ad_1]
On Thursday, the coffee giant unveiled a $1 billion restructuring plan that will shutter more than 100 North American cafes, cut 900 non-retail jobs, and remodel over 1,000 locations.
The reset, CEO Brian Niccol said, is about restoring warmth and comfort — an effort to recreate the “third place” he has championed since taking the helm last year, the hangout between home and work that first made Starbucks a global brand in the 1990s.
At the same time, Starbucks appears to be losing ground with Gen Z, something it tacitly admitted in its latest earnings, when it moved to shutter mobile-only “pickup” stores built for speed and “frictionless” transactions that it assumed would be catnip for a digital-native generation. Its market share among the cohort has slipped from 67% to 61% over the past two years, marking four consecutive quarters of declines, according to Consumer Edge.
Like many restaurant chains, Starbucks misread the generation. Seeing their social awkwardness and preference for digital ordering, the company wrongly assumed it should structure its stores around those behaviors. But Niccol told analysts in July that the mobile-only format was “overly transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand.”
But Gen Z, Niccol is betting, craves that old Starbucks feeling the same way it pines for a “90s kid summer.”
Dubbed by some as the loneliest generation, they’re gravitating instead toward quirky, local coffee shops that double as community hubs and cultural signifiers – the kind you would see on ‘90s shows like Friends or How I Met Your Mother, Consumer Edge data show.
Niccol thinks the answer is in the original Starbucks innovation of the “third place.”
The idea of the “third place” comes from urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s 1989 book The Great Good Place, which argued that society needs gathering spots beyond home and work. Cafes, pubs, gyms, the nail salon — all counted.
Starbucks worked hard to claim that term; the CEO at the time of Oldenburg’s book, Howard Schultz, used it so often on radio shows and in interviews that people assumed he invented it.
“Starbucks was notable for spacious, comfortable seating in the early days,” Karen Christensen, an author and collaborator of Oldenburg’s, told coffee newsletter The Pourover. “It was the usual place to find a seat and Wi-Fi and electricity in a strange city, and a common place to meet friends.”
However, that vibe has been harder to find in recent years. Drive-throughs and mobile pickup now outnumber long sit-down visits, and six straight quarters of falling same-store sales suggest that customers aren’t sticking around. Niccol said in his note the goal now is to bring people back.
“Our goal is for every coffeehouse to deliver a warm and welcoming space with a great atmosphere and a seat for every occasion,” he told employees.
The company says the new investment will prioritize stores that can be remodeled into “lingering spaces.”
Expect more ceramic mugs, softer seating, outlets and layouts designed to slow customers down rather than speed them out the door. Starbucks ended its fiscal year with roughly 18,300 locations across North America, but store growth won’t resume until 2026.
The price tag is steep: Starbucks expects $150 million in severance costs and $850 million tied to closures and remodeling. The announcement follows an earlier $500 million investment in barista hours through its “Green Apron Service.”
But labor tensions loom. Starbucks Workers United, which represents more than 12,000 baristas, said it would demand bargaining over the closures. Union leaders warned the cuts risk undercutting the very community vibe Starbucks says it wants to restore.
Beyond finances, the stakes are cultural. As Oldenburg argued, third places are vital to social cohesion — spaces where people of all kinds can rub shoulders. In recent years, many third places have vanished, a trend accelerated by the pandemic.
“Public leisure space is critical for society,” Notre Dame professor Gwendolyn Purifoye told The New York Times. “If you don’t build places to gather, it makes us more strange, and strangeness creates anxiety.”
[ad_2]
Eva Roytburg
Source link
[ad_1]
U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are trying to make a bill to exempt coffee from tariffs, as prices are up 21% compared to last year.
That’s because the U.S. gets most of its coffee from Brazil, and as of last month, the South American country is facing 50% tariffs.
The effect is trickling down to even local coffee shops like Roots Roasting in St. Paul. Owner Peter Poire-Odegard opened the cafe seven years ago.
“The margins used to be significantly higher,” he said.
After streamlining as much as he could he reluctantly made two price increases this year. A regular cup of coffee went from $3 to $3.80.
“We spent half again as much on green coffee since the beginning of the year that we did the same period last year. So went up 50%,” he said.
He credits a bad growing season and the tariffs.
“Now that prices are changed, we’re in a wait-and-see. Do people start drinking less? Do people start going out less? What happens to traffic counts? Does this still financially work? It’s a big unknown,” he said.
So far he’s seen a cutback in the specialty drink orders. More people are ordering less expensive drip coffee but they’re still showing up.
Poire-Odegard acknowledges that coffee is one of the last things people give up. Roughly two thirds of Americans have coffee every day, and most have three cups, according to the National Coffee Association.
He’s hoping that his shop will adapt. Even though the cost of supply is going up, the cost of demand isn’t drying up either.
The proposed bill by Congress to lower prices is called the “No Coffee Tax Act.” It would have to be signed by President Trump.
As for tariffs in general, the White House said in a statement that “President Trump is strengthening the international economic position of the United States and protecting American workers.”
[ad_2]
Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield
Source link
[ad_1]
“Everyone can identify with a fragrant garden, with beauty of sunset, with the quiet of nature, with a warm and cozy cottage“
There’s a certain magic when the air turns sharp and the nights come early. Nothing fancy, just the small luxuries: a crackling fire, someone you love next to you, a drink that warms your chest, and a movie you’ve seen a hundred times but still love. That’s comfort.
Welcome to Daily Evening Randomness, where we wind down for the evening under whatever random theme we’ve chosen that night. Tonight? One word: Cozy.
[ad_2]
Hendy
Source link
[ad_1]
Starbucks workers in Colorado and two other states took legal action against the coffee giant Wednesday, saying it violated the law when it changed its dress code but refused to reimburse employees who had to buy new clothes.
The employees, who are backed by the union organizing Starbucks’ workers, filed class-action lawsuits in state court in Illinois and Colorado. Workers also filed complaints with California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency. If the agency decides not to seek penalties against Starbucks, the workers intend to file a class-action lawsuit in California, according to the complaints.
Starbucks didn’t comment directly on the lawsuits Wednesday, but the company said it simplified its dress code to deliver a more consistent experience to customers and give its employees clearer guidance.
“As part of this change, and to ensure our partners were prepared, partners received two shirts at no cost,” the company said Wednesday. Starbucks refers to its employees as “partners.”
Starbucks’ new dress code went into effect on May 12. It requires all workers in North America to wear a solid black shirt with short or long sleeves under their green aprons. Shirts may or may not have collars, but they must cover the midriff and armpits.
Employees must wear khaki, black or blue denim bottoms without patterns or frayed hems or solid black dresses that are not more than 4 inches above the knee. The dress code also requires workers to wear black, gray, dark blue, brown, tan or white shoes made from a waterproof material. Socks and hosiery must be “subdued,” the company said.
The dress code prohibits employees from having face tattoos or more than one facial piercing. Tongue piercings and “theatrical makeup” are also prohibited.
Starbucks said in April that the new dress code would make employees’ green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers. It comes as the company is trying to reestablish a warmer, more welcoming experience in its stores.
Before the new dress code went into effect, Starbucks had a relatively lax policy. In 2016, it began allowing employees to wear patterned shirts in a wider variety of colors to give them more opportunities for self-expression.
The old dress code was also loosely enforced, according to the Colorado lawsuit. But under the new dress code, employees who don’t comply aren’t allowed to start their shifts.
Brooke Allen, a full-time student who also works at a Starbucks in Davis, California, said she was told by a manager in July that the Crocs she was wearing didn’t meet the new standards and she would have to wear different shoes if she wanted to work the following day. Allen had to go to three stores to find a compliant pair that cost her $60.09.
Allen has spent an additional $86.95 on clothes for work, including black shirts and jeans.
“I think it’s extremely tone deaf on the company’s part to expect their employees to completely redesign their wardrobe without any compensation,” Allen said. “A lot of us are already living paycheck to paycheck.”
Allen said she misses the old dress code, which allowed her to express herself with colorful shirts and three facial piercings.
“It looks sad now that everyone is wearing black,” she said.
The lawsuits and complaints filed Wednesday allege that Starbucks’ dress code violates state laws that require companies to reimburse workers for expenses that primarily benefit the employer. Colorado law also prohibits employers from imposing expenses on workers without their written consent, according to that lawsuit. The plaintiffs seek damages on behalf of all Starbucks workers in those states, whether or not their stores are unionized.
Multiple plaintiffs, like Allen, said they requested reimbursement from Starbucks to conform to the dress code but were denied. Gilbert Cruz, an employee in Aurora, Illinois, requested $10 for the cost of removing a nose piercing.
Worker-led lawsuits in state courts are a shift in tactics in the multi-year effort to unionize Starbucks’ stores.
Starbucks Workers United, the labor group that has unionized 640 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, has filed hundreds of unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks with the National Labor Relations Board. The union filed a charge over the dress code in April, but it is not a party in the current lawsuits.
But the board’s ability to hear cases has been curtailed under President Donald Trump. Trump fired an NLRB member in the spring, leaving the board without the quorum it needs to decide cases.
Get more business news by signing up for our Economy Now newsletter.
Originally Published:
[ad_2]
Dee-Ann Durbin
Source link
[ad_1]
Luckin Coffee, China’s largest coffee chain, is making a fully caffeinated move into the U.S., directly challenging Starbucks. After surpassing Starbucks in store count across China, Luckin has launched five cashier-less locations in New York City.
All orders at Luckin stores are placed via a mobile app, and to help convert American coffee guzzlers, Luckin offers steep app-based coupons, with discounts of up to 50%, undercutting Starbucks‘ prices and going straight at its legacy model of in-store ambience and experience.
Related: Starbucks Is Revamping 1,000 Locations
While Starbucks focuses on operational profitability—targeting a per-store minimum margin of 15%—Luckin is accepting early losses to build brand recognition and rapidly increase its market presence, Bernstein U.S restaurant equity research analyst Danilo Gargiulo told CNBC.
Speaking on Luckin’s mindset, Gargiulo said: “I want to make sure that the brand gets recognized on a national basis, even though at the beginning, this means that I might need to be suffering from some smaller losses on a per-store basis.”
Founded in 2017 in Beijing, Luckin Coffee is now China’s dominant coffee retailer, boasting more than 26,000 stores worldwide. (Starbucks has 8,000 China locations.) The menu includes Americanos, matcha drinks, fizzy drinks, and a selection of creative lattes, including the popular coconut and velvet varieties.
In 2020, the company was embroiled in a massive accounting fraud scandal, with executives admitting to fabricating over $300 million in sales. The incident led to fines, executive firings, bankruptcy proceedings, and a major corporate overhaul, per the SEC.
Despite these setbacks, new management and a focus on transparency allowed Luckin to recover, and by 2023, Luckin Coffee was brewing $3.5 billion in net revenue.
Luckin Coffee, China’s largest coffee chain, is making a fully caffeinated move into the U.S., directly challenging Starbucks. After surpassing Starbucks in store count across China, Luckin has launched five cashier-less locations in New York City.
All orders at Luckin stores are placed via a mobile app, and to help convert American coffee guzzlers, Luckin offers steep app-based coupons, with discounts of up to 50%, undercutting Starbucks‘ prices and going straight at its legacy model of in-store ambience and experience.
The rest of this article is locked.
Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.
[ad_2]
David James
Source link
[ad_1]
One of the most prestigious honors we award products is inclusion on our Buy It for Life gear roundup. This list represents products that WIRED writers have personally used for years, and as the name implies, they should last you for the rest of your life with proper care and warranty support. There’s only one coffee maker on that list, the Moccamaster KBGV Select, and you can currently pick it up from Amazon for up to $40 off its list price, depending on the color.
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Courtesy of Moccamaster
Moccamaster
These drip coffee makers are seriously built to last, handmade in the Netherlands with solid steel and copper components. They’re fully repairable, which means they’ll keep churning out hot mugs of perfect coffee even after the five-year warranty ends. There are a variety of models, but we like the KBGV Select because it can also brew a half carafe instead of a full carafe, a useful trick for smaller households or an afternoon energy burst.
Extremely precise temperature control means you get excellent coffee every time, managing to consistently heat within a range of 4 degree Celsius. Technivorm is one of less than a dozen companies producing SCA-certified coffee makers for home use, and the Moccamaster models take up a noticeable chunk of that list.
It has all the features you’d expect from a drip coffee maker, like a hot plate for the carafe that has an automatic shut off, which automatically adjusts temperature based on whether you brewed a full or half carafe. The reservoir is 1.25 liters, so you can brew up to 10 cups of coffee at once, and it takes just four to six minutes from start to finish.
This model is available in a huge variety of colors, and your discount will vary based on which you think will match your kitchen best. I found the best price of $317 on the Turquoise, with the Apricot and Matte Black right behind at $320, as well as lesser discounts on the Off-White, Polished silver, and Juniper varieties. While we think it’s worth spending the extra cash for something that will last you years to come, you can always peruse our other favorite coffee makers if you’re looking for something more wallet-friendly.
[ad_2]
Brad Bourque
Source link
[ad_1]
Photograph: Pete Cottell
Four Sigmatic Organic Coffee for $17: Four Sigmatic was founded about a decade ago by Finnish-American bohos who had the prescience to market mushroom coffee to woo-woo Angelenos who are rich enough to disregard science. Its catalog is expansive and includes a whole constellation of mushroom-infused ingestibles, with bagged, preground coffee serving as the flagship product alongside instant latte mixes, smoothie add-ins, and “capsules.” Buying from Four Sigmatic is a breeze—no need for subscriptions, kits, or any other nonsense. Just pick out what you want, pay for it, and it shows up on your doorstep a few days later. Four Sigmatic’s Focus blend is labeled as a dark roast, but it’s missing the cigarette-butts-and-bowling-alley aftertaste that looms on the finish of similar blends. Despite my preference for lighter beans, this hit like a hug from an old friend after weeks of sipping murky silt. The caffeine buzz normalized after two days of using Think in lieu of more standard shroom-based coffee replacements, so I added a three-quarter-teaspoon hit of the powdered Focus blend to my daily cup to see what would happen. Within 10 minutes I felt an overwhelming urge to sort my finances spreadsheet in preparation for tax season, then I set up a new template in Loopy Pro to accommodate a friend who planned to join my basement jam session that evening. He bailed, but I was jacked on Genius Adaptogens so I played all the instruments myself into the wee hours of the night.
Photograph: Pete Cottell
MUD/WTR Original Blend for $60: The packaging of MUD/WTR isn’t quite as unhinged as a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s, but it’s definitely in the same realm. The spicy dust inside the can is a maximalist circus of weirdness as well, with herbaceous stalwarts like turmeric and masala chai holding it down alongside the usual shroom suspects. It took me a few days to realize that properly emulsifying this ruddy power per the suggested instructions—1 tablespoon with ¾ cup of water, battered thoroughly with the included handheld immersion blender—is an impossible task, so I started experimenting with supplemental ingredients in hopes that some blend of milk, fat, and sugar would minimize the gritty aftertaste that overwhelms the palate. I landed on 1 tablespoon of simple syrup and 4 ounces of whole milk frothed in my trusty Subminimal NanoFoamer Pro. The final result hits somewhere between a chai latte and the kind of hot cocoa you’d order at a coffee shop with boring ’90s music, mean baristas, and a dirty bin full of stale vegan + gluten-free snacks next to the register. I didn’t hate it, but the bottom quarter of the cup is an undrinkable gunky mess. And don’t get me started on the chunky brown lacing that clings to the edge of the cup. The physical and mental effects of MUD/WTR felt more like a facsimile of a boost than a visceral kick in the pants, but a placebo high is better than nothing, right? Combine that with the amount of adjunct ingredients required to make this drinkable and I ended up with a beverage I would only drink every now and then as a treat on a chilly day rather than a daily sipper I can rely on for increased focus, energy, virility, and the million other things this product promises within the wall of text that adorns its packaging.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.
[ad_2]
Pete Cottell
Source link
[ad_1]
Protein powder: For a vanilla latte without all the added sugar, try Burgess’ “proffee” recipe. Mix your favorite protein powder and milk (bonus points for whipping it with a milk frother) and add it to a hot or iced coffee. “It creates a creamer taste,” Burgess says, adding that it’s a fun way to increase your protein intake without a lot of extra filler ingredients.
[ad_2]
[ad_1]
Alongside grinding and dosing by weight, the steam wand likewise allows for a bit of added control, with settings from mild to strong. “Strong” means strong, for big cappuccino froth: Heed the warning and keep your milk level low in the frothing cup, or you’ll probably have cleanup. But especially, the steam wand offers an automatic shutoff at your desired temp, so you don’t accidentally burn off milk sugars. In practice, it’ll probably stop a few degrees lower than you set it, so plan accordingly.
Jump into the custom settings and you can also add a pre-infusion—a lower-pressure water infusion, for more gentle soaking of the grounds. And of course you can adjust the temperature of your water to account for lighter or darker roasts. It’s all pretty easy to do. More espresso machines should do these things. All of these things. But few do.
So far, so good. So how’s the espresso that results? This depends in no small part on the grinder, of course.
I have put the Meraki’s pentagonal conical burr grinder through the paces, on light, medium, and dark roasts. And it does give the Baratza Encore ESP a run for its money, according to taste tests, coffee extraction testing, and particle size analysis I conducted using a device called the DiFluid Omni.
Omni via Matthew Korfhage
Omni via Matthew Korfhage
At the finest grinds, the built-in Meraki grinder actually came in a bit more tightly dialed than the ESP, with fewer large particles that might indicate clotting and cause channeling. It also fared well with light-roast grinds that often overtax integrated grinders. And according to particle size analysis, it maintained good consistency. (This said, I tend to increase dose on light roasts, rather than grind so finely I feel like I’m playing the choking game with my espresso machine.)
Which is all to say, the Meraki’s built-in grinder handily rivals the Breville Oracle Jet’s grinder in raw specs, putting this machine in rarefied air when it comes to espresso machines with built-in grinders. This is true especially because the grinder is stepless, meaning you don’t have large gaps between grinder settings.
Another potential fun feature is an RFID scanner that allows you to scan a coffee roaster’s bag and load up the ideal grind settings for each bean. This said, only one US roaster, Dark Horse, is listed on Meraki’s site as of now. So this feature remains mostly theoretical.
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
This all said, the grinder settings do seem to “float” a bit as the machine operates, perhaps because of vibration or perhaps just while grinding. The Meraki’s grinder may migrate a full setting between one day’s grind and the next—meaning that if you don’t pay attention, tomorrow’s shot may not be the same as today’s. I also have minor quibbles with the tamper and puck leveler, whose tops have a tendency to unscrew while you’re preparing your portafilter.
[ad_2]
Matthew Korfhage
Source link
[ad_1]
Starbucks is joining the protein craze with a new line of lattes and cold foams, part of what the company says is a strategy to modernize its menu.
The Seattle-based coffee chain said Tuesday that starting Sept. 29 it will add protein cold foams and protein lattes to its menu. The cold foam, which customers can order to top coffee, tea or Starbucks Refreshers, adds about 15 grams of protein to a grande drink. The lattes, made with “protein-boosted milk,” contain 27 to 36 grams of protein, according to Starbucks.
The new menu items come as the company works to reignite sales after a revenue slowdown last year. Under CEO Brian Niccol, Starbucks has rolled out a “Back to Starbucks” plan to win back customers.
The new drinks “will resonate with our customers,” said Tressie Lieberman, Starbucks global chief brand officer, said in a company statement.
Protein-laden drinks and foods are gaining in popularity for their perceived health benefits, such as helping build muscle and provide extra nutrition. The number of high protein drinks on the market jumped by 122% from 2020 to 2024, according to Innova Market Insights, a global market intelligence company.
The protein shake market is now a $6 billion sector, according to Beverage Digest, while TikTok videos show a growing fascination with protein-packed meals. Items ranging from potato chips to breakfast foods like cereal also now come fortified with protein.
The new lineup of cold foams will be available flavors including:
Starbucks is also shoring up its popular fall menu, which kicked off Aug. 26, with pumpkin and pecan protein cold foams.
Alongside the cold foam toppings will be a new line of lattes, made with milk that is blended with protein powder.
Starbucks didn’t disclose how much the new products will cost relative to the coffee chain’s other beverages. A regular grande iced latte from Starbucks costs customers $5.95 before tax.
Customers will also be able to request 2% milk blended with protein powder in other milk-based drinks including regular lattes, iced shaken espresso, and coconut milk Refreshers.
The rollout of the new protein drinks and cold foams comes after Starbucks earlier this year piloted a banana-flavored protein cold foam at five locations across the U.S.
As consumer demand grows, major U.S. brands are looking for ways to cash in. General Mills announced Cheerios Protein in December 2024, which it says have 8 grams of protein per serving.
PepsiCo is also planning to expand its protein offerings. During their most recent earnings call in July, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company has some “big launches” coming up in the liquid protein space at the end of this year and early next year.
“Consumers are adopting protein solutions in the diet at a pace that was not the case in a few months back, a few years back,” he told investors during the call.
[ad_2]
