[Ponine]

There again, you have a great many people like me.
I was never a coffee drinker... couldnt tell one roast from another. (still cant)
BUT... they built a starbucks or two on my way to work.
Now, I drink coffee-like beverages.

I know where there is a Deithrichs, and a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
(Alas, I have no idea where a Peets is)
I also frequent two hole in the wall coffee shops.

Why? Because they are there. Becuase they wake me up.
One of the hole in the walls has a great pesto bagel.
One has a great coffee called a Chocolate Candy Bar.
I dont go for the coffee... I go because I lack the initiative to make myself breakfast.

Is it about the quality of the coffee? No.
Can I tell you if a Starbucks barista made my beverage wrong? Only if they forgot a flavoring.

McDonalds was a great example from a marketing aspect. (as is Starbucks) There was a time anywhere you went you saw the Golden Arches.
It was predictable. You knew what you were getting no matter where you were.
A four piece nugget in So Cal is a four piece nugget in Indianapolis.

A Peppermint mocha will be the same.

I'm not sure what started this thread,but I agree with a great deal of what BE is saying.
Marketing, and education is what put these companies where they are.
They are the Joneses the rest of world is keeping up with.

Yes, McD's is revamping their menu. But they are still one of the most recognizable brands in the industry. And truly, werent they changing to keep up with the healthy choices being offered by the other chains?

(I've now totally lost my train of thought)