National Starbucks Day (September 29th)
Whether you walk up, drive up, order for delivery or grab some at the grocery store, this is the day to enjoy a delicious cup of Starbucks Coffee. It’s time to celebrate National Starbucks Day!
History of National Starbucks Day
More than 50 years ago, the first Starbucks location was opened in the historic location in Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington. At the time, it was a store that sold coffee, tea and even spices from global sources for customers to enjoy at home.
After Howard Schulz was a customer at Starbucks, he fell in love with the product and joined the company. A trip to Milan, Italy in 1983 led Schulz to also love the artistry and warmth of the coffeehouses there. Just a few years later, the coffee shop turned into a coffee house and the future of the company changed forever.
Starbucks is typically credited with the instigation of the coffee culture, providing the average person with access to more and varied coffee experiences. Opportunities to try out new styles of coffee and different flavors of coffee beans were made available.
Expanding significantly throughout the eighties and nineties in Seattle and then around the United States, Starbucks was on a path toward growth. By 1996, international locations began opening up in Japan, Europe, China and more.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021, Starbucks was running more than 15,000 stores in the United States and another 15,000 in 80 countries all over the globe.
National Starbucks Day Timeline
1971
Starbucks is founded
In Seattle, Washington, the first Starbucks was opened at the classic location of Pike Place Market.[1]
1996
Starbucks opens internationally
Its first store opens in the Pacific in Japan, Europe two years later and China the following year.
1983
Italian coffee houses influence Starbucks
Howard Schulz, director or retail operations Travels to Milan and is inspired by the coffeehouse culture.[2]
2004
Starbucks opens the first Farmer Support Center
In an effort to provide farmers with resources and expertise, Starbucks begins their support center scheme.[3]
2022
Starbucks announces reusable cup scheme
In the beginning, Starbucks used reusable coffee cups for in-store customers. They have brought back the reusable cup scheme with a commitment to introduce it to all stores by 2025.[4]
How to Celebrate National Starbucks Day
Get involved with National Starbucks Day on your own or with friends by trying out some of these ideas, or come up with some creative ideas of your own:
Get Coffee at Starbucks
Of course, National Starbucks Day is the day to head over to a nearby Starbucks location. In a hurry? It’s easy to go through the drive-thru and get that coffee to go. But it almost might be nice to take a little bit of time to head inside, sit down, relax, and savor that delicious cup of coffee.
Send Starbucks to a Friend
Since many Starbucks locations now offer delivery options through Uber Eats or other services, it’s easy to get online and order Starbucks for anyone. In celebration of National Starbucks Day, send a favorite Starbucks drink to a friend, boyfriend, family member, or Business colleague. It’s a fun way to surprise someone and celebrate the day.
Get a Snack or a Sandwich from Starbucks
Not feeling like a cup of coffee at the moment? No problem! Starbucks has many other options for eating and drinking. Try out a yummy snack, such as a slice of fresh baked banana bread, cookies, cake pops, yogurt and other tasty options. Or, take advantage of Starbucks savory food offerings including breakfast egg sandwiches, oatmeal bowls, bagels, deli sandwiches or protein boxes.
Learn About Starbucks Drink Sizes
Many people tend to find the way that the drinks sizes work at Starbucks to be a bit confusing. The reason it has developed this way has to do with when marketer Howard Schultz brought back ideas from a visit to Italy in 1983. The original sizes were typically European, with Short coming in at 8 ounces, Tall at 12 ounces and Grande at 16 ounces.
These worked for a while but, as drinks are usually much larger in America, the Short was eventually abandoned by Starbucks in favor of a larger size, the Venti, which serves up a 20 ounce drink. It was named this because “venti” is the word for twenty in Italian. But with this change, in a slightly baffling turn of events, the small of the main hot coffee drinks served at the stores became the “Tall”.
Later, in 2011, the American thirst for cold drinks edging toward bucket-size ushered in the Trenta, which holds a whopping thirty ounces and is actually only used to serve cold drinks.
One more drink that should be noted, but is hardly ever used is the Demi. This is a 3 ounce cup that is strictly used for shots of espresso and the word originates from the French word demitasse, which means “half cup”.
Brew Starbucks Coffee Beans at Home
For those who find it a bit pricey to go to Starbucks on a regular basis, or who just prefer to make their coffee at home, it’s still possible to celebrate National Starbucks Day! They offer a few different varieties of roasts that can be purchased either in a Starbucks or they can also be found in many different grocery store locations around the world.
Many Starbucks locations also sell various selections of coffee cups, Travel mugs and even methods for brewing. This may include a French Press, Travel presses and even espresso machines so that making your own tasty cups of coffee at home is a viable and fun option.
Hold a Starbucks Coffee Taste Test
Brewing coffee at home can be a fun adventure. And learning which kinds of coffee are your favorites can be a delicious and satisfying activity. Grab a few friends and host a Starbucks coffee taste test. Or, host a taste test in the break room at work! Brew some of these different Starbucks blend coffees to see which is preferred:
- Starbucks Veranda Blend. This blonde roast coffee is the lightest of Starbucks blends, with hints of baking chocolate and toasted malt.
- Starbucks Pike Place Roast. Named after the original location in Seattle, this blend of coffees hails from Latin American and the blend offers subtle flavors of toasted nuts and cocoa.
- Starbucks Siren’s Blend. Inspired and created by the women who blaze trails in the coffee industry, this blend of beans has citrus and chocolate flavors. With the purchase of each bag, Starbucks makes a donation to charities that champion women in coffee-growing communities.
- Starbucks Odyssey Blend. Uniquely zesty, with flavors of tangerine and wild honey, the Odyssey Blend also helps to support innovations that are beneficial to the environment.
National Starbucks Day FAQs
Was Starbucks founded in Seattle?
Yes. Starbucks was founded in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1971.[1]
Is Starbucks a franchise?
No. Starbucks no longer allows for franchises so all new stores are owned by the parent company.[2]
Are Starbucks cups recyclable?
Due to a plastic liner on the inside of the cups, Starbucks cups can only be recycled at special facilities, which are only in a handful of locations in the US.
Does Starbucks deliver?
Most Starbucks locations deliver using Uber Eats.[3]
Why is Starbucks called Starbucks?
The name of the company was inspired by the character Starbuck, from the 1851 Herman Melville novel Moby-Dick.[4]
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