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When LAist began it's quest to bring you the sights and sounds of people gathering their morning buzz by using the backdrop of a particular coffee establishment, we never thought we'd endure such chaos and criticism by some jealous LA sites who had wished they'd thought of it themselves.
The evidence? This week's subtle post over at LA Observed, in which they criticize LAist's The Coffee Buzz as "more unbilled product placement."
Even more ironic is LA Observed's praise of another site called "Watching Starbucks," which is "all about America's coffee pourer and the people who work there..."
LAist can't help but try to figure out the difference — and what makes one feature "unbilled product placement" while making the other a noteable link for all to see.
It's a good question. Maybe LA Observed has an answer.
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Coffee Bean is way better than Starbucks. Period. I applaud your series.
whoooooo! i smell a fight after school!
The Starbucks blog is actually informative and is not a cheerleader for the company. And it's by Romanesko, a big deal in blog land.
No one is trying to make this into a competition or product placement. Businesses start in LA and people frequent them. This happens to be a series on one of the most successful. We are simply using an LA institution as a way to compare distinct areas of the city through a common location. I fail to see how that is advertisement in any form, aside from using a place that happens to be attached to a brand name. We do not endorse products nor suggest that anyone must visit the Coffee Bean.
I find it vaguely disturbing that there is an entire site dedicated to gossip about a national chain that openly endorses squeezing out local competition. While the Bean is definitely engaged in franchise operations around the world, they do not open two shops on the same block to squeeze out all competition.
The Coffee Bean is a Los Angeles based company that has gained popularity around the world, so I hardly think that profiling each location of a very successful regional establishment could be called cheerleading in a negative sense. Hooray for the Bean! They succeeded without flooding the market and leaving behind scores of unemployed baristas when they've saturated the market!
Hi guys,
Someone suggested I stop by and see what you are imagining about me. As I read the post, LAist deduced from a 13-word fragment on L.A. Observed that 1) I'm "jealous" that you and not me thought to write a post about every Coffee Bean store in L.A, 2) that those 13 little words subject LAist to "chaos and criticsm" and 3) that it's somehow "ironic" I would, separately, inform my readers about a quirky new blog by the media blogger that I link to the most.
I can't say I get your reasoning, but maybe I can help you out here. I can honestly say it never occurred to me to write a blog entry about every L.A. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, any more than I would do an entry on every Union Oil gas station, Earl Sheib paint shop or IHOP, all successful L.A. spawned businesses. Trust me, LAist has the Coffee Bean beat all to yourselves. As for giving 25 words to Jim Romenesko's odd new blog, I'd have posted a little item about it if it were about Starbucks, Fudruckers or sand.
I'm guessing that, when all is stripped way, you're really just peeved I made the teeniest bit of fun about your CB&TL fixation, so you made up the other stuff to have an edgier post. Why didn't you just say so? I can take it.
Peace
Rrrrrrrrooooooooowrrrrrrrrrr
ffft! ffft!
Ok, Kevin's giving you guys the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf beat...while we're on the topic, can I claim the exclusive on Del Taco coverage?
Mmmm....99 cent b&c w/ green sauce.
God, it's like Puffy & Tupac all over again. Except, really- for those of us natives who grew up in Hancock Park, the Coffee Bean on Larchmont was where it was at. Before coffee became "coffee", it was just a small little franchised business where the owner Mary (God rest her soul) would come in ,work the register, talk to the neighbors and all was well in Pleasantville. All of a sudden Larchmont becomes "hip", they have to put in slanted parking, they bus the sad employees down from Paramount and out pops a Starbucks. Ironic? No. Sad? Yes. Swill? Yes.
Jeezzz. If you want to see product placement people, head over to MY blog. I'm chalk full of sending people to the places I like. I had a week's run on the city's greatest cupcake shops!
Anywhere you can pick up a burrito and fries is awesome, period.
so the larchmont coffee bean is the first one? that's interesting!
And not just fries: uber-tasty crinkle-cut fries.
Brings a tear to this SoCal native's eye.
Re: Jenn's observation about the Larchmont location. I posted a comment a while ago related to another CB&TL post, so here goes again: I think (and do need to verify this fact) it was the "Larchmont Special" that was the real precursor to the Ice Blended. The national blended/frappucino/etc. craze started on the little ol' staid 'Mont. Do any other locals remember this?
Jake, I do not think that the Larchmont was the first EVER but it was around WAY before I started seeing them all over LA- I'm thing back to the 80's. That's precisely why I thought this was Mary's own cute little coffee shop. And yes, Jess I do remember the Larchmont special- especially served up by the delicious T.J.! Gawd, was he cute. Imagine a yummy Matt Dillon/Michael Schoeffling(16 Candles)serving up frothy cold drinks. Wow. Ain't nothing like the real thing, babes
What I just have to say about both places is that they forgot about customer service, pride in their work, how to make great coffe drinks, talent, speed, expertise in preparation! I have been to both (I am in San Francisco), and The Coffee Bean was awful!!! I have made this stuff for 15 years and rank it for 35 years, even created some before they became trendy......they are all like Commercial Rap! CRAP!