The Badger Herald: ArtsEtc.: New coffee shop falls short of success

ArtsEtc.

New coffee shop falls short of success

Starbucks copycat offers poor seating, few drink selections

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Also by Michelle Langer:

'Peace and love' touch Madison (April 16, 2009)
New Orleans to visit Madison (March 26, 2009)
'Stimulus' bolsters economy through choreography (February 26, 2009)
New coffee shop falls short of success (February 4, 2009)

By Michelle Langer
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 12:00 a.m.

5 Vote 0 Votes

Conveniently located in the Memorial Union, Peet’s Coffee offers a Starbucks-esque atmosphere right on the UW campus. Situated across from the Rathskeller in the former location of the video arcade, this coffee shop looks somewhat out of place with its modern décor of leather, dark wood and metal, but once inside, it is a quiet place to study without all the noise throughout the Union.

Since Peet’s only recently opened, very few people use the seating regularly, which means there’s plenty of room for studying and fewer distractions. Due to the tightness of space, there are only a few small tables, so they are not ideal for coffee with a friend or if you have a lot of textbooks for more in-depth studying.

When ordering, the staff was friendly and polite. The drinks were made correctly, due to the baristas’ comprehensive system of repeating orders to each other. They did take a fair amount of time to make drinks, but this is most likely due to the newness of the staff in a brand-new establishment.

The regular coffee was very bitter and unappealing. The specialty drinks, on the other hand, were quite good, especially their iced drink, the Freddo.

As far as food is concerned, Peet’s does not have a large selection. Among the selections are some of the Union sandwiches, parfaits and a few different bakery items. The food itself was fine, but it was essentially the same as anything else on campus.

The prices are equivalent to those at other coffee shops, and the drink sizes are ample. Even though the coffee may not be amazing, you definitely get your money’s worth.

Since the shop itself is so small, it is almost unnoticeable when walking through the Union. The only way to tell you’ve found Peet’s Coffee is to find the sign hanging from the ceiling — and it’s only visible when looking straight at it. Otherwise, visitors wouldn’t know they are in Peet’s until they meet the back of the shop. The establishment was better advertised when it was still under construction.

While many enjoy the Starbucks atmosphere this store emits, it desperately needs its own identity. The setup of the counter, menu and bakery are almost exact replicas of what can be seen in Starbucks. The only real differences lie in the darker color of the furniture and walls. The chairs are slightly more comfortable as well.

Overall, the experience at Peet’s Coffee was fair. If you are considering going there for a drink, give the staff some time to learn the drinks better. Also, if you do go, stick to the specialty drinks, unless you have a desire to be on a sugar high from the five sweetener packets necessary to make the coffee drinkable.

3 1/2 stars out of 5.

5 Comments | Leave a comment

Anonymous | February 4, 2009 9:20 AM | Reply
IP hash: 9bba8b5d

Do you even know the history of Peet’s? Starbuck’s is a Peet’s knock-off that just happened to get bigger quicker. Literally, Starbuck’s stole Peet’s idea. Look it up.

Anonymous | February 4, 2009 11:23 AM | Reply
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This article was miserable. The author has no style and I had to force myself to finish reading. I know this sounds like a pointless rant, but wow this was a boring article!

Anonymous | February 4, 2009 2:27 PM | Reply
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This article was timely and should help Peet’s improve their visibility and exposure plus it is nice to know there is another convenient, nice quiet place to go considering all of the hustle and bustle at the Union. I wish them well and compliment the author on recognizing the server’s, the coffee choices and providing some helpful tips to increase their visibility.

Anonymous | February 4, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply
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I read your article and thought it was a fair assessment. I thought you were honest and respectful. Thank you

Anonymous | February 4, 2009 9:49 PM | Reply
IP hash: acf6b6f6

For reals, do the research and you’d know that Peet’s is the real deal and Starbucks is pale imitation.

I understand this is a student newspaper and it is a forum for aspiring journalists to cut their teeth, but this is a terribly written article. BH’s editors need to step it up.