Overview
Dumb Starbucks Coffee is the name of a coffee shop that opened in Los Feliz, California as a parody of the American global coffeehouse chain Starbucks. Upon its opening in February 2014, the store gained much notoriety online after photographs of the storefront began circulating on various social media sites.
Background
On February 7th, 2014, a coffee shop named “Dumb Starbucks Coffee” opened for business in Los Feliz, California. The same day, the store launched the @DumbStarbucks Twitter feed, featuring photographs of the storefront.
Go buy some
dumbstarbucks</a> before dumb lawyers get to it <a href="http://t.co/67E2zq0myf">pic.twitter.com/67E2zq0myf</a></p>— Mark McCune (MarkMcCune) February 8, 2014
As part of the store’s promotional event for its grand opening, all drinks were served to customers free of charge. In addition, the store offered a “frequently asked questions” sheet, which cited the fair use law as legal protection for parodying the Starbucks coffee chain stores.
Notable Developments
On February 8th, the @DumbStarbucks Twitter feed posted a photograph of their full menu, which features Starbucks-style beverages prefaced with the word “dumb.”
Enjoy our full menu of coffees and cold drinks pic.twitter.com/wPacrEEH9k
— Dumb Starbucks (@dumbstarbucks) February 8, 2014
The same day, actor Rainn Wilson from the television sitcom The Office posted several photographs of the store on his Instagram feed,[3] which received over 11,400 likes in the first 48 hours.
Starbucks’ Response
On February 9th, Southern California Public Radio[1] (SCPR) quoted Starbucks spokesperson Megan Adams who said the company was looking into taking legal action against the store. On the following day, SCPR[2] published a follow-up article which included a statement from spokeswoman Laurel Harper:
“We are evaluating next steps, and while we appreciate the humor, they cannot use our name, which is a protected trademark.”
News Media Coverage
In the coming days, many news sites published articles about the new coffee shop, including the LA Times,[4] Time,[5]USA Today,[6] The Hollywood Reporter,[7] BuzzFeed,[8] The Daily Mail[9] and Gawker.[10]
Search Interest
External References
[1]SCPR– Dumb Starbucks mystery
[2]SCPR– Starbucks attempts to contact Dumb Starbucks
[3]Instagram – RainnWilson
[4]LA Times – Dumb Starbucks – Store cant use protected name
[5]Time – A Dumb Starbucks Opens With the Word Dumb Affixed to Everything
[6]USA Today – Starbucks Responds to Dumb Starbucks in LA
[7]The Hollywood Reporter – Dumb Starbucks Shop Appears
[8]BuzzFeed – People Are Waiting For Hours to Visit a Dumb Starbucks Coffee Shop in California
[9]The Daily Mail – Dumb Starbucks shop taunts coffee giant in LA
[10]Gawker – Dumb Starbucks Coffee Store Opens in California