Starbucks has had all sorts of trouble with its training and quality control program lately. A chain that prided itself on focus and consistency had come partly off its mooring, customers and financial analysts alike agreed. And all this came while the company was going, in the words of a former top executive, "100 miles per hour" with worldwide growth.
The return recently of founder Howard Schultz was an admission that efforts to replace him and keep the culture had failed. Now Schultz is staking his legendary reputation on Starbucks getting its caffeine back How much of a difference will tonight's 5:30-8:30 program in stores around the county make? It will take some time to tell.
--Noel Rubinton