I previously wrote about Starbuck's coming to Argentina. Tonight I went to one of their pre-opening events. Since it is opening, I can now come out and say that yes, we did get picked to be one of their product suppliers; in fact, we supply them with cookies and brownies.
This is Argentina's first store and it is located in the Alto Palermo Shopping Mall (
Flash web site).
The store is big. It is also very cozy and comfortable. The outside seating is very spacious. I can't say enough good things about the place. I was very impressed. There are lots of comfortable chairs, couches, and
ottomans. This place was made to entice you to stay and enjoy your cup right there on the premises.
As soon as I walked in the door I was offered a cappuccino brownie. Funny, I didn't supply this. Right away I saw John (this guy flies around the world and is in charge of making sure that all the international stores get the products right) and asked him if those brownies were his doing. He was guilty as charged and I humbly congratulated him; they were fantastic.
One other thing they seemed to have gotten right, and this is something that is very difficult to pull off, is that the employees that I have dealt with during this whole time are so enthused and so into this project you would think that this is their store. This is difficult to fake on an ongoing basis.
The store opens this Friday the 29th of May at 7am.
The
previous post I wrote on this subject generated some passionate debate. In that post I also linked to other blogs that wrote about the impending arrival of Starbuck's. Makes for some interesting reading...
Below are some pictures of the event...
