Starbanks
by Jerry Guarino
“I’ll take a
Venti hot chocolate, raspberry scone and one of
those new holiday cups,” said the man as he
flirted with the beautiful girl behind the
counter. The Latina barista took his money,
winked and prepared his order. Meanwhile, the
line was back out to the doorway, not uncommon at
this time of the morning.
California coffee houses were a little different
than those back east. Sure, they still have their
share of serious bankers, lawyers and business
professionals, but you can tell by the way they
order. On Wall Street, it’s a lot of black
coffee, maybe with a Danish. In D.C. it’s a
croissant and latte and in Boston, it’s
black tea and “that’s all thanks…I
have my Dunkin Donut.”
But the prices were still high. $3.25 for a hot
drink, more if you wanted anything special. Not
that any coffee shop is taking change anymore.
More likely, people are scanning their debit card
across a laser, totaling $11.25 or more. But it’s
a new day. Coffee houses are as important as
showers for the fortunate few and almost as much
for the 99%. Thank goodness for debit cards.
Fortified with coffee and a superior scone, they
go off to conquer the world, knowing that the
working Joe can’t compete with his home brew
and store bought donut. The right breakfast
separates the haves and the have-nots and creates
confidence. If you’re sitting down to a $39
breakfast buffet, you’ve already impressed
your potential client. He/She will go along (thanks
to expense accounts), ignoring the cost,
demonstrating that they are as comfortable in
this venue as the mechanic getting his meal at
McDonalds.
That’s why this latest trend will catch on.
It’s a natural marriage, the combination of
all that is required in today’s society with
the convenience of starting the day off right.
The Latina barista took off her apron and walked
over to the man she had served. “Well, it’s
almost 9:00am, time I got to my day job.”
She kissed her husband, coming on for the day
shift at the cafe and walked across the floor to
take her place behind the bulletproof glass. An
older woman with a cane walked up to her, handed
her a paper and smiled. “Dear, can you put
this social security check in my savings account?”
The Latina looked as beautiful behind the teller
counter as she did at the café inside the bank.
“Certainly, Mrs. Wilson. When you’re
finished, you should try the Italian roast today.
It’s very good.”
Starbanks
by Jerry Guarino
Copyright December, 2011 – All Rights
Reserved
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