The coffee at Starbucks may suck balls, but as I sit here in a Starbucks killing time, I can’t help but be thankful for what Starbucks does offer.  The yogurt parfait (the one with berries) is quite a nice little breakfast.  The pastries are adequate for a snack.  There’s free WiFi, and I always get perverse pleasure out of the sheer befuddlement of the cashier when I refuse to order a drink.

The “cafe culture” that Starbucks has created is actually a bit like the Cult of Apple.  Both companies created (or rather perverted) a pre-existing product (or products).  Apple at least makes cool gadgets (whether or not you can stomach their business practices is a different issue).  Starbucks on the other hand, has completely wrecked the coffee they serve, but have convinced the people that it’s what they need (not want).  They did this by providing a community around the product that people found attractive.  In the computer age, free WiFi is a big deal.  So, the ability to come in, sit down, type up a mud-slinging blog piece about the very establishment providing the WiFi is really cool.  People meet for job interviews, tutoring sessions, short business meetings, blind dates, the list goes on.  And, while your here, have a drink.  Unless your me.  In which case, you pre-fill the Starbucks branded travel cup someone got you as a joke with a home roasted, home brewed latte and sit down without buying anything.

So, Starbucks is good for something, just not coffee.