32 Super Interesting Facts About Starbucks That You Should Know

Starbucks, the American coffeehouse chain has come a long way. From just being a regular coffee shop back in 1971, to a brand that is recognized and available all over the globe. Its popularity has made Starbucks synonymous with coffee for the javaphile.

Here are 32 super interesting facts about Starbucks that all its lovers should know:

1. Starbucks started off by selling roasted coffee beans and not the brewed coffee that is popular today.
2. The three founders: Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker met during their college days at the University of San Francisco. Surprisingly, none hold a degree in business administration.
3. The founders believed that words beginning with “st” are very impactful and initially had the name “Starbo” in mind, but then they zeroed down on the name “Starbucks.”
4. Another name that was close to being chosen in place of Starbucks was “Cargo House.”
5. At present, the Starbucks shares are priced at $80 approximately. But, the first Starbucks shares were priced at $17 only (the stock has seen 6 splits).
   
6. It is estimated that on average Starbucks has been adding 2 outlets worldwide per day since the year 1987.
7. When it comes to employee count, the total employees working at Starbucks across the globe total more than 137,000.
8. Interestingly enough, Starbucks spends less on coffee beans than what it spends on employee’s healthcare insurance.
9. Starbucks has its own 10 minutes rule for better customer service. This rule has the Starbucks outlets opening 10 minutes prior to the opening time and closing 10 minutes post the closing time.
10. The mermaid logo of Starbucks was a siren with bare chest, flowing hair and had an open tail pose to symbolizes the seductive power of coffee.
11. The racier version of the logo was made more subtle only after 1992. And, it is over the years, that the logo of Starbucks underwent several changes and the color was also updated to a shade of green.
12. Tall, grande, venti and trenda are the names of the serving sizes. But, these names are really not related to the quantity being served. And when it comes to the meanings, there is none! These are just names that were brainstormed in a meeting room.
13. Talking about sizes, trenda, the largest serving size of coffee available at Starbucks holds 916 ml which is even more than what one’s stomach can hold. The average capacity of a human stomach is 900 ml!
14. The Starbucks at Squaw Valley in California has a ski-thru zone so that the skiers don’t have to get out of their skiing gear to enjoy Starbucks.
15. A prank had some people believe that Starbucks was in the process of setting up a transcontinental pipeline through which, freshly roasted coffee beans would be transported. The believers failed to pay attention to the date when the announcement was made, which was the 1^st of April!
16. Starbucks follows a particular design pattern when it comes to designing the store interiors. Heritage, artisan and regional modern are the three concept designs that the company chooses for its stores. This is the reason why often two stores seem to be identical!
17. Apart from the templatized store designs, Starbucks houses round tables and not the square or rectangular ones. This strategic choice is made by the company to make solo customers feel less isolated.
18. Additionally, Starbucks is also very particular about the smell in its store. This is the reason why the baristas are advised not to wear colognes or perfumes while at work. Moreover, smoking was also banned at the stores during the 80s as the coffee beans have a tendency of absorbing bad orders.
19. Starbucks has its coffee lab in Seattle. This coffee lab is a disguised coffee shop wherein new recipes are tested and new products are created, without the Starbucks branding.
20. The CIA headquarters in Virginia has its own Starbucks. It is the busiest Starbucks outlet in the USA and has strict rules wherein a detailed background check is done of the baristas for security reasons. Additionally, the baristas are only allowed to leave with a CIA escort.
21. Starbucks entered the Saudi Arabia market in the year 2000. Initially, the siren was removed from the logo, but later the more subtle international logo was used. The coffee outlets in Saudi Arabia had a wall to divide the store into men and women sections.
22. In 2005, Starbucks had launched a drinkable dessert with the name “Chantico.” The thick and sweet drink was similar to hot chocolate, but within a year of its launch, the drink was removed from the menu.
23. The seasonal favorite, Pumpkin Spice Latte was introduced by Peter Dukes, who joined Starbucks in the year 2001. The popularity of this latte was sensational and this also earned the basketball player space in the murals at the Starbucks headquarters, along with a gigantic pumpkin.
24. The Pumpkin Spice Latte has set its own record. Pumpkin Spice Latte with 101 shots of espresso is the most expensive drink ever ordered. Priced at $93.58, it will surely give one a caffeine overdose!
25. The drip based grande coffee at Starbucks can also give one a caffeine overdose. The caffeine content of 320 milligrams is way higher than any other caffeinated drinks like Red Bull, which contains just one fourth the amount of caffeine.
26. Starbucks uses approximately 2.3 billion paper cups every year!
27. A Starbucks loyal customer visits the store more than 16 times per month!
28. In 2007, just after Starbucks launched its own record label, the company roped in Paul McCartney to be a part of Hear Music.
    
29. Kenny G. is partially credited for the creation of the popular Starbuck’s Frappuccino. The saxophonist has been an early investor in Starbucks and it was with his suggestion that the successful Frappuccino was launched.
30. The real estate market faces a phenomenon called the Frappuccino Effect. This implies that the value of the real estate is said to double up once a Starbucks is opened in the vicinity!
31. The cinnamon chip scone at Starbucks is surely not for calorie watchers as it has a lot more calories than a quarter pounder at McDonald’s.
32. The permutation and combination of the core beverages, the modifiers and the customization options can lead to more than 87000 drink combinations! Coffee lovers are indeed spoilt for choice at Starbucks!