Starbucks Corporation

Burger King Offers 25-Cent Seattle's Best Coffee

It ain't free, but compared to what Starbucks charges, it is. Burger King, in efforts to promote their new line of coffee by Seattle's Best (which is owned by Starbucks, if you didn't already know), is offering a small 12-ounce cup of either their hot or iced coffee for 25-cents. 

Man Orders The World's Most Expensive Starbucks Drink

His name is Beau Chevassus and he claims to have just ordered the world's most expensive Starbucks drink. He has the proof on a YouTube video he shot of himself ordering what he calls a The Quadriginoctuple Frap, which cost the man $47.30. It has 48 shots of espresso in its 52-ounces (a mug he bro ... More >>

Five Awesome Murals Honoring Dead Musicians

By: Rae AlexandraThe Los Angeles mural that has served as a site for Elliot Smith fans to pay tribute to the much beloved singer-songwriter has just been given a recent revamp, by Punk Rock Marthas -- an art-minded group of charitable folk -- who felt the mural needed a pick-me-up in honor of the ni ... More >>

Woman Claims To Have Lost 85 Pounds By Eating All Her Meals At Starbucks

MSNBC reports that a 66-year-old woman has lost 85 pounds by eating all her meals at her local Starbucks. She has an oatmeal and coffee in the morning, and resorts to those pre-packaged boxed meals in the display fridge for her lunch and dinner. It's all about those nutritional labels, she says. It ... More >>

Los Dioses de la Cafeína: Das Cortez

After a night spent out late on Sixth Street or in the pulsating, mind-altering nightclub known as Clássico, the body needs two things: restorative caffeine, and something chile-spiked and offal-y. The latter is easily found anywhere in downtown Tijuana, with menudo and birria practically bursting ... More >>

Theorem: Portola's Specialty Concept Bar For The Ultimate Coffee Nerd

For a little over a year, Portola Coffee Lab has been educating, surprising and inspiring the caffeine-deficient in OC and beyond, prompting java lovers to hang up their Starbucks mugs for good. The Costa Mesa shop has surely won us over with its specialty beans and unique brewing processes--check o ... More >>

Starbucks Invests In Mobile Payment Startup

Wired Magazine equated the $25 million investment the coffee giant recently made to a mobile startup called Square to when eBay decided to partner with a little startup called PayPal.The techies are gabbing about how big a deal this is for Square, vaulting them to "it" status with the words "game-ch ... More >>

Newport Libraries Can Now Kick Out People Who Don't Shower

The library is a wonderful place of information and literary gems to be enjoyed by all. Well, all except those who stink up the place with their rank-ass BO.   Last night, the Newport Beach City Council approved a new policy that allows employees to order people to leave for a "lack of per ... More >>

Starbucks To Start Opening Tea Shops?

Starbucks got Americans hooked on coffee--can they do the same with tea? The coffee empire is opening its first Tazo tea store in Seattle this October. Bloomberg reports that the shop will offer more than 80 varieties of loose-leaf tea, priced by the ounce, and feature a tea station where custo ... More >>

Vegans Bugged By New Starbucks Natural Color Additive

​Fresh from what seem like a victory against the "pink slime" beef, now there's some controversy about what Starbucks is starting to put in their Strawberry Frappuccinos.The substance is called cochineal extract, which is a food coloring made from crushed bugs. It's not new. Also known as carmine, ... More >>

OC Judge Reversed For Cruel Treatment of Ex-Husband in Child Support Case

​By 2010, Southern California home building executive James E. Lockington lost 99 percent of his $14,500 monthly income, short sold his house to prevent foreclosure, loaded his credit cards with debt and moved into his sister's house to avoid becoming homeless, but Superior Court Judge Ronald P. K ... More >>

Now Open: Breakaway Bar & Grill Inside John Wayne Airport

​Last week was opening day for John Wayne Airport's newest arrival, the Anaheim Ducks Breakaway Bar & Grill. Located in expanded Terminal C, between Southwest Gates 18 and 19, passengers can leisurely await flights with cocktails, sandwiches and flat-screen televisions. We scored a booth overl ... More >>

Dr. Alvin Yee Met 'Patients' At OC Starbucks, Allegedly Wrote Prescriptions For $600

flickr user Yosuke Hasegawa​​An Irvine-based doctor who allegedly did his shady business transactions at Starbucks was arrested last night after a year-long investigation.Alvin Ming-Czech Yee, 43, allegedly met with more than 10 "patients" a night -- usually at a Starbucks -- and wrote them pres ... More >>

Chuck Boogie Trio

Commonwealth Lounge

Starbucks Frappuccino Happy Hour Returns This Friday

Starbucks good, DUI bad...​If you manage to scrape yourself off the floor after a rousing Cinco de Mayo, stumble into your nearest Starbucks for a sobering happy hour. Reusable mug, coupons, and secret phrases not required.Starting Friday, May 6 through Sunday, May 15, participating stores will ha ... More >>

This Week in Food: Bánh Mì Rants, Awesome Catfish and Kittens in Pots (But Not Cooked)!

Flickr user namillionairee​Between infographics on Flamin' Hot Cheetos and much more, it's been quite a week on your favorite infernal blog. Best of the week after the jump!

Delaware North Says its Offer for John Wayne Airport Food Contract Won't Rip Off Consumers, Like Rival Bid HMSHost would

Flickr user b r e n t​Many of ustedes are probably going through John Wayne Airport for points north and east this week, probably munching on food you brought with you from home lest you get ripped off at Mickey D's or Starbucks. Many of you are hoping that the Orange County Board of Supervisors a ... More >>

Worst Restaurant in the Anaheim Resort: Five Contenders

Original image: heidigoseek @ flickr.com CC BY-NC-SA 2.0Ding-dong, the witch is dead, the witch is dead, the witch is dead...​The Baker's Square on Harbor Blvd. in Garden Grove closed at some point. I'm not sure when, but I only noticed it a few weeks ago when we had friends staying in the area an ... More >>

Eibar Coffee in Santa Ana Finally Open

Wikimedia CommonsPhoto of Eibar's namesake town...​Okay, I'm late to this story, but still beat the Orange County Register and those crazy Yelp kids, so the scoop: downtown SanTana now has another coffee shop to give the venerable Gypsy Den a challenge in the name of Eibar Coffee.

Self-Caffeination As It Was Meant To Be Done

Our coffee culture, sadly, tends to run toward Starbucks and drive-through at It's A Grind. Largely missing from la naranja is the local, artisanal small-batch roaster whose singular focus on the product raises the coffee bar. Sure, we have Martin Diedrich, and the lines out the door at his two coff ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Irvine's 85°C Bakery on NPR

85 Degrees Celsius (pardon me if I don't use the ° from here on out), local Asian bakery and unstoppable juggernaut was featured in an NPR story a few weeks ago (yes, this post is a bit late on reporting on the report), but the piece by Neda Ulaby for Morning Edition is still worth a listen if you ... More >>

Starbucks to Offer Free, Easy Wi-Fi July 1

​Beginning July 1, all corporate-owned (i.e., not franchised) Starbucks locations will offer free, unlimited, registration-free Wi-Fi to all customers.

Is Brea Downtown Doomed?

Brea, Brea, what is going on with your downtown? The grand civic experiment that housed some of the only non-chain restaurants in the entire city is now sprouting more and more blank doorways as restaurants close.​

Overheard at the Farmers' Market

Original image: nataliemaynor @ flickr.com CC BY 2.0​As predicted, the crowds at the Irvine farmers' market this weekend were thinner; New Year's resolutions that require getting up before noon on Saturday are hard to keep. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera handy to capture the visual gag I s ... More >>

Black Keys Hip Hop Project: Good Thing or Great Thing?

James Carney​We may be a day or so behind on this one, but in a quest to find some ever-elusive liner note credits for Black Key's Thickfreakness album, we stumbled onto something a hundred times better. Up until now, things were staying pretty quiet on the whole "rap-rock" front, at least for the ... More >>

Five Great "Anti-Starbucks" Coffeehouses

​By "anti-Starbucks" I don't mean they've launched campaigns against the coffee behemoth (not that I know of, anyway), but that in terms of look, feel and menu they're the antithesis of the chain everybody loves to hate. The Gypsy DenOf the two locations (Costa Mesa and Santa Ana), I prefer the la ... More >>

The Benefits Of Social Networks: Free Ice Cream For Your Friends

Starbucks is giving away a total of 20,000 complimentary pints of its own-brand ice cream from now until July 19 (that's around 800 an hour). The catch? You have to be on Facebook, and you have to nominate a "Friend" to receive the coupon (redeemable at local grocery stores).I've not tried the froze ... More >>

[CD Review] Sonic Youth, 'The Eternal' (Matador)

OC Restaurant Closures During May

As well as at least four Starbucks, seven restaurants closed for good. This time it was the City of Orange and Santa Ana's turn to bear the brunt.In Orange, the Cask 'n Cleaver and Mustard's Cafe both shuttered; the latter will be replaced by gastropub Haven later this summer (August, officially). ... More >>

Live From Earthquake Central!

WikicommonsYou know what's funny? Earthquake coverage. To be specific: coverage of moderate earthquakes. NPR's coverage of the devastating Chengdu tremor in 2008 can be called many things, but not "funny" isn't one of them.When a 4.7 quake hits Southern California, as one did last night, you have to ... More >>

It's a Quick Read: Silver 25 Edition

UPDATED! Orange County Register: The first Orange County Starbucks targeted for closure is (drum roll, please) . . . the one at 24502 Del Prado, Dana Point. . . . Based on the photo that pops up (and out!) when you open this, a flotation device turned out for The Real Housewives of Orange C ... More >>

Midastee Brews A Mighty Fine Cuppa In Brea

I'm always in favor of the underdog, or at least giving them a shot, and, when it comes to eating out, that basically means anything that's not a chain.That's why it was nice to discover a new tea shop in Brea. The nearby Starbucks had closed anyways (it's about to be replaced by a branch of Yogurtl ... More >>

Caffeine 'n' Cartoons

So what's up with the dude on this coffee package? The label says "high octane," but he looks like he's just kinda chill. Maybe the motorcycle drank the coffee instead. I don't even like coffee much, but Starbucks keeps sending me stuff in the mail, like a $5 gift card recently -- II guess the make ... More >>

Locals Only

Gotta Rhyme: The Lost Art

Not Just for the Sake of Crazy

Have your tea and eat it too at Chuao Chocolatier in Irvine

Diary of Mad County

July 12 - July 18

Diary of a Mad County

June 28 - July 4

Oye Como Va

(Dont know what that means, but I like it)

Porn for the Paranoid

Fabrice Gygi feels your fear

Laguna Woods

Seal Beach

Going Down!

L

Braking Away

La Habra

Discount capital of OC

Should We Stay, or Should We Go?

We Blow

CPDD

Letters