La Loquita del Zig-Zag

For all you canine worshippers out there--

BISCUITS AND CREAM

BY GEORGINA MARRERO

Entering the drive-through Starbuck’s off US 1, I now fully realized why the Seattle-based mega java purveyor is called the McDonald’s of coffee.
Most of the servers were wearing earpieces, and, at one point or the other, stuck her or his head out the drive-through window to address a customer’s needs.
The smallish store was actually pretty clean and empty, with just a few souls sitting around a solitary table. Beautifully minimalist: soothing; peaceful; relaxing.
I struck up a conversation with the young, bespectacled woman who first approached me. It turned out they were out of Komodo dragon, so she went into the back to fetch their last pound of Arabian Mocha Sanani.
The equally young, handsome brunette barista kept staring at me. “I have a pound of Komodo at home. I can bring it in tomorrow,” he said.
How nice of him. I’d actually purchased another young server’s weekly allotment at the U of M store several months ago. What is it with this dragon?
On my way out, I asked the young woman, “What’s it like to work at a drive-through Starbuck’s?”
“Lots of people. And dogs,” she responded.
“And dogs? Do the dogs drink coffee, too?”
She laughed. “No. We give the owners dog biscuits for their doggies.” She paused for a moment. “Well, actually, we used to, but we don’t do it any more. Many of the owners got mad when we stopped handing out the biscuits. Now they tell us, ‘We’re never going to come back!’”
She continued. “We also give them whipped cream mixed with water for their dogs.”
“Whipped cream mixed with water?”
Without missing a beat, she said, “Yes.”
The Starbuck’s equivalent of the McDonald’s courtesy cup, with canine Ronald McDonald cookies thrown in, for good measure:
It’s definitely a dog’s life.

Copyright, 2005 by Georgina Marrero 300 words All Rights Reserved

In yesterday's sultry aftermath: about to thirstily quaff one of the new Pomegranate Frappuccinos, I spoke with yet another kind young barista. YES: they still stock the dog biscuits (and, apparently, are handing them out again).

So, what are you waiting for?