Not a fan of the Veranda. Way to acidic which is exactly what happens when you have a lightly roasted blend. But as many have already said, this blend is not meant for myself of most current Starbucks consumers. Its meant to attract an entirely new market: The DD and McDonald's market.

I work weekends at a licensed store for Macy's. I also worked for multiple company owned locations for over two years. I love the place I work but after talking to other baristas at various locations including Target, I can tell you that its going to be very hit and miss. Macy's makes Starbucks quite a high priority because Macy's clientele matches Starbucks clientele and we make a lot of money for the store. The standards and training SHOULD be the same. However, if you come from a busy store like I did, it may drive you crazy when you see that deployment does not even exist. It also may be hard to choke down that just because its a Starbucks store does not mean they permeate Starbucks culture. I believe that can hold true for a company store as well.

Fascinating approach. There is a lot more vested in the outcomes if the cities own the process from cradle to grave including the funding.