Denise: the excuse they gave you seems bogus to me. If it’s a health department regulation, why does every other restaurant and coffee shop in my state offer lemon with iced tea, but not Starbucks?

Roberto: actually they would probably refuse you, because how would they know you aren’t a looney bringing tainted food into the establishment.

As for ambiance, I understand your point, though I am much more comfortable in a regular coffee shop than in Starbucks’ rarefied Yuppie atmosphere. But that’s just me.

As I sit here with my large (um, Grande) iced coffee (well, OK, it’s an iced decaf espresso Americano b/c Starbucks does not have cold decaf available for an iced coffee) I wonder about all the comments to Bob’s simple rant (I mean simple request). Yes, the coffee is better at local shops and it is important to support the local small businesses. Yes, there are better places to get iced tea in my town (well, any town, probably). But Starbucks is not really about coffee or tea anymore, at least for me. Starbucks is a great place to gather and have a discussion with one or more people when no other place works. The Mom & Pop shops won’t let me meet there unless I buy breakfast (or lunch or whatever), and the staff is just plain lame. And they rush me out ASAP so they can “turn the table” for another customer. I tolerate the over roasted coffee and iced tea w/o lemon so I can gather with my friends, associates, clients, band of brothers, etc.

Perhaps you could try an experiment (perhaps we could all participate in it with you!). Here it is: each of us who enjoys iced tea with lemon in it will bring a lemon to Starbucks and ask the Barrista to slice it and add a piece to our tea. Let them know that the rest of the lemon is for other customers who would like lemon in their tea. Let’s see what happens and report back next week. Did they honor our request? Would they share the remaining three wedges with others? Did they shave the rind off and twist it into an espresso? Or did they firmly state that it is against company policy and refuse to cut the lemon.

Are ya up for it Bob? And Denise, and Lou and Knoblauch, and Edward, and Bob, and Stacey, Jay, and Ryan?

I think I can answer your question. I, too, enjoy a slice of lemon in my iced tea and have found it odd that no Starbucks can fulfill my request. I asked while I was in a Starbucks in Green Valley, AZ. I was told it was a health department issue. A peculiar answer given so many other establishments,such as Einstein Bagels, offer it.

http://gawker.com/388244/starbucks-doesnt-have-any-god-damn-lemons
http://www.slashfood.com/2008/05/07/when-life-denies-you-lemons-choose-a-different-coffee-shop/

Look, I could post in my own blog about topics that already have dozens of blogger comments from months and years ago, but I don’t because, well, it’s been done several times over already.

McDonald’s, on the other hand, has come up with health food servings, coffee for seniors, and price specials which they push aggressively from time to time.

Once upon a time, Starbucks built a better mousetrap. But now the mice are beating a path to more appealing coffee spots.

Markets get old and tired, and need a caffeine spike. Nothing’s forever. Wake up Starbucks and smell all the OTHER coffee!

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_9163360

I bet you don’t even drink iced tea.