.jpg)
When Starbucks introduced their new gluten-free cake, there was dancing in the streets in our community. The company had run a test market on gluten-free brownies in NYC back in 2007. The brownies were a big hit with all the customers, not just those on the gluten-free diet.
On a nationwide level they didn't bring out the same brownies, but instead created a gluten-free orange sponge cake. It was very good and all was right with the world - for a while anyway.
When speaking to some people about the cake, there seemed to be an issue with the quality. The orange oil was stringy and one might think there was a human hair in the cake. Actually, people started reporting it was a hair but in fact, it was just some funky orange oil. The first cake I tried did not have the problem but the next one did. Then every piece after that had the same issue. Starbucks didn't care to comment about this issue so we just assumed they were working to fix it.
There were other problems than the string factor though. Many Starbucks were opening the individually wrapped cakes and placing them in display cases with the gluten treats. This makes them unsafe for people who can't eat gluten to consume them. Then there was the issue that many stores did not know how to ring up the cake. This happened at most every store in Atlanta. Every day of our lives we are reminded that we can not live a 'normal' life by American standards.
Starbucks is a frailly Savoy company that took notice of how large our market is becoming, and realized the potential of growing their market share by catering to us. Then they failed miserably. We have to take an extra ten minutes to order our meals out in many parts of the country, even at places with gluten-free menus. Now we have to walk into Starbucks and aggravate everyone in line behind us because no one in the store knows how to ring up our pastry - including the manager. Such are the lives of the gluten-free set.
All things considered, the news that came out yesterday is not surprising, but it is more disheartening then anyone who isn't on a restrictive diet can understand. Starbucks announced via Twitter that they were discontinuing the gluten-free cake. They are bringing in Kind bars instead. Excuse me? We can get Kind bars in every health food store and many grocery stores in America. Why in the world would that be Starbucks answer to our community? They did a bad job in the selection of product, didn't train their staffs to keep the food safe for us to consume - or teach them how to ring it up. It seems that we are being punished for Starbucks tremendous marketing blunder.
Here is a free tip about how to offer gluten-free products. You need to offer them to all your customers. Give out free tasting samples to gluten-eating customers. Do not tell them the product is gluten-free until they have raved about how great it is. This is what I advise all my restaurant consulting clients do. It works. You could not pay me to go to Starbucks for FREE coffee now. This is bigger than them discontinuing the cake. This sends a message to other companies that it's not worth their time to cater to our market when nothing could be further from the truth. Shame on you Starbucks. Oh yeah - thanks for the "Tweet".
For more info: Please call Starbucks (1-866-355-3780) and tell them how you feel about them now.
Know a gluten-free teen in LA? Let them know about the cool gluten-free pizza and pool party this Saturday!
Comments
You are so right Tiffany! I am just so irritated that I found out via Twitter. I JUST went to Starbucks (20 min ago) and they sold me one, and had NO clue when I asked about them being discontinued. Nice.
Wow, did they make a HUGE mistake! I will now be boycotting!
In fairness to the company - they do need to sell the cakes they have in stock or throw them out. I don't think they've told the store employees yet since the person I spoke to was also surprised by the news before putting me on hold forever before confirming it was true. I was boycotting them mostly before the cake was available so I'll just go back to my old routine of getting coffee elsewhere. I used to meet friends there pretty often before my dx.
Boycott all you want, take to the streets, call your congressman... it won't matter. The small % of people that will decide not to go to Starbucks for a few days until their will-power runs out is like a drop of water in an ocean. The Kind bars have a much greater mark up and obviously can handle a longer shelf life. The fact is that we were throwing more away than we were selling. In the end the added sales and loyalties of a few customers we would gain for keeping the cakes would never make up for the cost. Starbucks is a company with stock holders that like to see a profit. Where are all the vegans complaining out there? They can't eat either. What about people who are Lactose intolerant and allergic to soy? Who else can we get to complain about what they can't consume at Starbucks? People love to complain about Starbucks... drink your latte and be happy you are alive.
I guess I'm lucky. I've been going without SB for over three years until this June. I think I'll live without their overpriced coffee, which isn't as good as it used to be - in this market. I work with restaurants that see a 10-20% increase in business when they competently offer an interesting gluten-free menu. We matter and we have power. SB was trying to cater to the largest allergen group, which is the gf/df set. I eat dairy and could not get over how great the cake since it was dairy free! And for the record, people with no will power can't possibly follow the gluten-free diet so no worries there about living without SB.
Hi Tiffany,
I think you are correct in all of your points although I did not personally have all of the issues you mentioned (strings, ringing up on register, unwrapped, etc.). I do strongly agree with the marketing misplay.
I am not as harsh on them. They were savvy enough to recognize the market, they just misjudged execution. I do believe that should they choose to do so, they can still hit it out of the park and more than make up for their lost GF community goodwill. I think a boycott is not the answer (at least for this issue), we are too small to make a noticeable difference and we then lose our voice. I think continued strong voice of the customer to help them be smarter is a more productive approach.
While I think KIND bars are good, as someone pointed out, you can buy these in many places including the internet while the only place you could get the orange valencia cake was SB. I don't typically pick up a sweet to enjoy with my coffee but when I did, it was nice to actually have a sweet that looked "normal" and wasn't clearly different in looks from someone else's sweet.
So, did you think it is possible the gluten-free community let themselves down? How many of your readers purchased this product in the last few days, weeks, months? I am in a starbucks everyday and I used to purchase several of thses cakes to give out to friends/coworkers. I never saw anyone else buy or even ask about the cakes while I was in the store. You cannot expect a company to hit a homerun every time and if you tell your readers to stop speding money there at the same time you demand food inovation from large companies, you are shooting yourself in the foot my dear as the meessage you are sending to companies is get it right the first time, no mistakes, no time for innovation and if you don't were gone. Business these days is brutal and innovation more brutal. Instead of chastising your readers for not purcahsing cases of this product daiy to fund innovation and thus prove to Starbucks & other food manufacturers that this is a viable market, you citicize & complain.
I give them credit for trying. Few major corporations are even considering such a move.
I suspect if economic conditions were different, they'd have kept it longer, but with margins the way they are now, a quick return on investment is a must. I hope they try again with something with more universal appeal AND better staff training and customer promotion.
Wow! I'm flattered that people think I have such power that I can call for a boycott of anything. I didn't come up with idea in the first place. I wasn't going to SB once I was gluten-free so this is no big change for me. I went to SB many times in the course of two months only because of the cake. I certainly don't care what anyone else wants to do - or where they choose to spend their money. As for the question about if we let ourselves down...I'm not the one to answer that but I do know that once the "hair in SB cake" rumor started it would not lead to good things. That is why I asked the company if I could let people know that they were aware of the problem and were working on it. They didn't reply. In the end, it would not have mattered. There are towns that had the cake where no one knows what celiac is - including the doctors. How was SB supposed to sell the cakes there? The entire marketing plan was not right to start with and for that I'm truly sorry.
The Starbucks cake as I had it was slimy and not so good. Our local coffee shop has wonderful gluten-free muffins that you couldn't tell from gluten-y muffins. And that are fresh and individually wrapped. (They make them themselves.) The choice is obvious.
(It also annoys me that Starbucks has nothing in the way of gluten-free lunches or breakfasts; no salads or non-mutilated yogurt, for example.)
I have gotten the cake several times in several different Starbucks in the Pittsburgh area. I have had no issues with them and enjoy them. Another gal in our office is also gluten-free and had one at a different Starbucks with no problems. In fact the Starbucks she went to said that Starbucks is planning to do seasonal cakes.
Maybe the climate has something to do with the string factor because it's been reported in CA and GA and TX, that I know of. The cake still tasted fine it was just a little shocking the first time you think there is a hair in your pastry.
Oh JudyGS, what I would give to walk into a bakery and pick up a gluten-free muffin...well we were able to do that in Siesta Key FL on vacation. www.islandgfbakery.com. We went every day! They even had doughnut holes but those were fried and had to be eaten on the same day. The muffins could be left on the counter for days without getting stale. If it was not so hot down there in the Summer we'd move just to be able to enjoy their goodies all the time!
I work at a SB. I can tell you for a fact that NO ONE buys these things. We keep one in the case for display, making sure it looks OK, then on the rare occasion we do sell one we give the customer a pre-packaged one from behind the counter. They have a two-day shelf life; we throw away 3 for every 1 that we sell... not very profitable. We sample them, we talk about them in a positive way, still... NO ONE buys them. We, as consumers talk a good game; we say we want healthy choices and options. I can tell you first hand the stuff that sells is the worst crap in the case. We serve 7 different kids of warmed sandwiches; some with mushroom and spinach and roasted tomato. The sandwich that sells the most is the crappiest piece of S in the case; the one that is an exact replica of something you would find at McD's. If you folks that can't eat gluten want something to stick around you need to mobilize. Buy cases and cases of this stuff... go crazy... and most of all STOP COMPLAINING
I am a vegan and have a gluten intolerance so it's hard for me to eat many things. I stopped going to Starbucks after I got a, what they told me to be, "vegan" smoothie that had whey protein in it. ITS wasn't vegan.. anyways, I completely agree with you on them being a disappointment. There are so many opportunities for MAJOR companies like Starbucks to make money in the vegan and gluten free community.
I think it's time for a change.
What upset me is Starbucks trying to spin it that the cake was not a success because it was a "treat", like celiacs are a bunch of orthorexics who want to live on twigs and stems. Maybe some of them are but I like food, and will eat any nongluten thing that does not try to eat me first. Scott, apparently a whole lot of people are doing a great job of keeping out of Starbucks lately, to judge from their profits (or lack thereof). McDonald's has better coffee. And I will complain as long as I have air in my lungs, because being loud and visible is one of the few ways to effect change. Squeaky wheel-grease!
Last night on the celiac listserv, someone posted Starbuck's e-mail response about the cake being discontinued. SB said people should post their comments on their website. SB even suggested people should ask that the cake still be offered. My take is that they should not have to lose money by offering something that has a 1-2 day shelf life (first mistake) which is not going to sell in areas where no one who has celiac knows it. If they want to offer anything gluten-free, they can not limit their buying pool to only the gluten-free set. I know some people here who eat gluten and loved that cake. They tried some of mine and then started buying it themselves. One of my clients sells gluten-free carrot cake (locally made) to all his customers. The gluten-free patrons know the cake is gluten-free but the gluten customers do not. If they knew it was gluten-free beforehand they would not bother trying it. The carrot cake is one of the best five in town, including gluten versions.
Ettal, I'm not complaining about Starbucks discontinuing it, I'm complaining about the wording of the announcement. Instead of saying sensible things like "this cake does not sell, we're losing money, it was a bad idea" they make it sound like we all ganged up on them with torches and demanded Kind bars because Celiacs only eat "healthy" food. Don't try and blame the celiac community because a quick spoiling funny textured cake did not sell. Its not that we don't eat treats, that is not the problem here. The problem is they chose the wrong gluten free product to introduce to the market. The spin they put on the product removal was really insulting.
Jean F - Thank you!!! Yes, the problem is the spin of Starbucks decision to discontinue the cake, implying that we are totally to blame as a community. I eat way too many sweets and treats now that I'm gluten-free and I don't want a KIND bar at Starbucks. I buy them by the case and keep them in my car and home.
The company should go back to the drawing board and come up with something good that has a decent shelf life and can be enjoyed by ALL their customers. They have to be able to make money and they just missed the boat this time around. After much consideration I can answer a previous question about who's fault this is. It's Starbucks bad - not ours.
JudyGS - At what local coffee shop are you getting GF muffins?
Sadly, I never got to try this infamous SB cake. I looked in several SB locations intown Atlanta over last few months - natta.
Hi Tiffany,
I just wanted to let you know I linked to this article in my recent one about Starbucks.
Best, Connie
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!