The author of Everything But the Coffee loved coffee shops and was fascinated by what he thought he saw in people using them as the new type of public space. What he found out was that Starbucks is first and foremost a money making machine and does not do anything to jeopardize that main mission. He came to the conclusion that Starbucks is a place where people go to be alone in public and are willing to pay extra for the coffee because it makes them appear cool and hip. How he came to that conclusion is very interesting reading.

There is a chapter on the bathrooms in the Starbucks book. Also about the fact that women business sales people often use it as a portable office because it has clean bathrooms and is safe. They come in - use the restroom, order coffee, sit for around using their phones and computers for about an hour, then leave. They do this at Starbucks in urban, suburban, and transportation hubs like airports. The book was a very interesting look at modern culture, and while it is about how we use space and brands in the U. S.

Everything But the Coffee, is a book about the rise of Starbucks and why Americans, and people all over the world, flock to a Starbucks store. I found it very enlightening. The author starts out to try to figure out why American's will pay 4 to 5 dollars for an overly sweet milky latte. About half-way through the book he is still convinced that the reason is because American's want to see without being seen and people are relatively anonymous when they are inside a Starbucks, but as his research progress he changes his mind and says that it is all about status. Buying an expensive cup of coffee from Starbucks says that the buyer is cool and hip. For this we are willing to pay a premium. It is a very enlightening look at American enterprise and the consumer. ( )