Considering just how fast the food finds its way to your hands, it may be unreasonable
to expect the food offerings from Starbucks to blow your mind.
With that being said, there are still plenty of secrets regarding their food selection
that Starbucks would rather you not know.
Tempting customers to complement their coffee order with a $3 pastry helps Starbucks franchises
keep those profits up.
In fact, 22 percent of Starbucks' sales came from food as of 2017.
But how exactly do they encourage customers to order more than just a cup of coffee?
“Can I get a tall chai."
"And a large black coffee."
"A what?"
"Large black coffee."
"Do you mean a venti?"
"No, I mean a large."
It's all about psychology.
Everything, from the cozy atmosphere featuring natural construction materials to the lack
of dollar signs on the menu, is intentionally placed with those two goals in mind.
One of the other intentional things they do is light up the food case.
In fact, the area with the sandwiches and pastries is typically going to be the best
lit spot in the whole store.
They want to draw your eye to the display so you're more tempted to splurge on that
coffee cake in addition to your beverage.
Furthermore, Starbucks stores use stand-alone food displays with various grab-and-go items
like chips and candy to help form the line to the register.
Eyeing those fruit bars as you wait for your turn to order?
That's exactly what they thought you'd do.
So, take your time ordering, or...maybe not.
“Hurry up and order!"
"Excuse me."
"Thank you.”
The suits over at Starbucks headquarters know the value of becoming a destination for food
as well as coffee.
They started experimenting with food offerings in 2003, and they've had some hits, such as
their bistro boxes, and yogurt and granola parfaits.
But they've also had some giant misses, like their brunch items and their $100 million
acquisition of San Francisco-based bakery chain La Boulange.
Why did they flop after just a few years?
“Because the company says they're underperforming and not sustainable long-term.”
When you buy food at Starbucks, you pretty much always know what you are going to get.
If you order a breakfast sandwich, it won't be the one in the display case… but it'll
look just like it.
You can expect this uniformity of product because everything is prepared somewhere far
away from your local Starbucks before they are delivered frozen.
If you thought there was a top-notch chef toiling away in a tiny kitchen at the back
of each Starbucks location, we're sorry to be the bearers of such bad news.
It's worth noting that Starbucks is very transparent when it comes to their standards for food
transportation.
However, delivering frozen foods always comes with several risks for contamination — even
when it comes to the ready-to-eat items that are served at Starbucks.
Their menu is already jam-packed with so many beverage items that can be customized to your
liking.
“Eight pumps chai, six pumps vanilla [...] with two shots.”
But there’s also a secret menu that features all kinds of crazy concoctions inspired by
candies, popular breakfast cereal, and even mythical creatures.
So how can you find out which items are available on this mystery menu?
“And you can only find out [...] or if you hang out with the right people.”
Or, you can just continue watching this video and we’ll share one of the tastiest menu
hacks: the Oatmeal Latte.
Just order the oatmeal but ask for steamed milk instead of water.
If you're dairy-free, you can ask for soy, almond, or coconut milk instead.
In addition to the oatmeal, order a shot of espresso — or two if you really need it
— and have the barista pour it on top of the oatmeal.
Or just order it on the side and you can add it yourself!
Top the oatmeal with the accompanying brown sugar and nuts when you're ready to eat.
You end up with a hearty, filling breakfast that features a decent amount of eye-opening
caffeine.
It's the perfect all-in-one meal.
Cake pops are great.
First of all, they're cake.
Cake is always good news.
But for all the deliciousness that comes with a cake pop, it's lacking in size.
What you want is two.
According to Reader's Digest, there's a discount when you buy two cake pops together.
You may not have noticed it on the menu board — because no Starbucks pro ever looks at
that — but it's there.
The site Fast Food Menu Prices lists a single Salted Caramel or Birthday Cake Pop for $1.95,
while two Salted Caramel or Birthday Cake Pops will put you back $3.50… a 40 cent
discount for ordering two.
There may be discrepancies in final prices depending on location and sales tax, so keep
that in mind.
But feel free to go ahead and treat yourself to two cake pops next time you have a sweets
craving.
It's a much better deal!
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
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