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In the face of attacks and pressure by the influential gun control group, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly known as Hangun Control, Inc.), Starbucks is sticking to its guns and welcoming armed customers in its Atlanta stores. Following a Huffington Post article by two officers of The Brady Center, in which words like "disturbing" and "scary" were repeated, and decrying what the authors see as "normalzing the carrying of guns in public places, openly and concealed," Starbucks corporate headquarters released a comment clearly indicating that they were not going to bow to The Brady Center's intense pressure....

Good news! Gun owners are welcome at the Casper Starbucks. A Starbucks Representative contacted me and said "there has not been any policy change and Starbucks follows the laws of the state and municipalities they are located in" They also said "this has been a misunderstanding and apologies go out to any customers this may have inconvenienced". It is encouraging that Starbucks has taken this stand in light of the pressures being put on them to do otherwise. Say thanks, by patronizing Starbucks today!

We noted the other day that Starbucks Coffee has resisted Brady Campaign pressure to ban lawful carry of firearms. Like the saying goes, I have some good news and some bad news. The Danny Tarkanian for United States Senate campaign has issued the following press release: TARKANIAN APPLAUDS STARBUCKS GUN DECISION - ORDERS PERSONALIZED STARBUCKS CARDS FOR CAMPAIGN CARD TEXT: "DEFEND GUN FREEDOMS" TARK2010.ORG FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2010 Contact; press@tark2010.org Republican U.S. Senate candidate Danny Tarkanian applauded Starbucks' decision to stand up for gun owner's Constitutional rights and announced his campaign has ordered personalized Starbucks cards with the...

Recently David Codrea wrote an article in which the Brady Campaign is petitioning Starbucks to ban firearms. Is it possible that Starbucks is experimenting here in Wyoming before making sweeping changes to policy in all their stores? Recently a member of Wyoming Gun Owners stated “after I purchased my beverage I was asked to remove my firearm from the premises”. Has Starbucks already caved to the Brady Campaign? It appears that Starbucks is taking a clear path to ban firearms in Wyoming locations. I can only say this because of conversations with the store manager Matthew at the Casper location,...

examiner.com — So if you are a gun owner, the next time you need a cup a joe, drink at Starbucks. And its OK if you are not open carrying a holstered handgun, but do try to wear some pro-gun paraphernalia like an NRA hat or a "Guns Save Lives" button. And as you saddle up to cash register to get that latte, just look that that barista in the eye and say . . .

The Brady Coalition is at it again. This time Starbucks is their target. Here's their paranoid Press Release. (Note: all bold emphasis in the release was done by the Bradys.) "Brady Campaign Urges Starbucks To Prohibit Guns In Its Retail Outlets Feb 5, 2010 Washington, DC – Radical gun enthusiasts have begun parading into California restaurants and coffeehouses in recent weeks brazenly displaying handguns. The gun activists have frightened customers, alarmed police and caused at least two restaurant chains to establish firm policies prohibiting firearms in their retail locations. Ten days ago, gun violence opponents in California started urging a...

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has declared war on a Northwest institution, and in the process perhaps the public will discover the extremes gun prohibitionists will go in an effort to push their radical agenda. The Brady Bunch has Starbucks squarely in its crosshairs, hoping to browbeat the coffee giant into refusing service to an evidently growing clientele of law-abiding firearms owners. In an e-mail message sent out this week, Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke laments that, “Starbucks is refusing to prohibit open carrying in its stores, despite protests from loyal customers." UPDATE: My colleague, David Codrea, weighs...

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has declared war on a Northwest institution, and in the process perhaps the public will discover the extremes gun prohibitionists will go in an effort to push their radical agenda. The Brady Bunch has Starbucks squarely in its crosshairs, hoping to browbeat the coffee giant into refusing service to an evidently growing clientele of law-abiding firearms owners. In an e-mail message sent out this week, Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke laments that, “Starbucks is refusing to prohibit open carrying in its stores, despite protests from loyal customers.” Over the past few months, more...

Singer Carly Simon is suing Starbucks Corp., saying the coffee company's now-defunct music venture didn't adequately promote her 2008 album, dooming the record before it was even released. The singer, whose biggest success came during the 1970s and '80s with hits like "You're So Vain" and "Anticipation," is seeking unspecified damages related to the release of the 14-track "This Kind of Love" in April 2008.

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Starbucks aired the first creative for its Via Ready Brew during the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" last night. Four 15-second spots from agency BBDO, New York, challenged consumers to a taste test at its cafes this week, to discern the difference between its much-lauded instant product and the Starbucks house brew. The company wouldn't confirm details about the upcoming national advertising campaign for Via, other than the official launch date, this Sept. 29. An executive familiar with the matter cautioned that "SNL" creative may not reflect the look and feel of the upcoming campaign. The...

Here is video of a new Starbucks teaser ad for their "Via" instant coffee product. The ad uses a Town Hall Meeting as the setting and says: "People who yell at town hall meetings can't tell the difference." It then has two people shouting that they can't tell the difference. . . . (VIDEO)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Starbucks unveiled a brand of instant coffee Tuesday that the high-end chain says "will change the way people drink coffee." The Seattle-based company will begin selling a "ready brew" coffee called Via at all of its U.S. locations in a move designed to tap a growing market for instant coffee. "With a $21 billion global instant coffee business, and instant coffee representing 40% of overall global coffee sales, we believe Starbucks is uniquely positioned to capture a significant share of this market," said Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz, in a statement.

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The California Supreme Court will not review a appeals court ruling that wiped out an $86 million judgment against coffee giant Starbucks over tip sharing at its stores in the state. . . . In 2008, a San Diego County Superior Court judge ordered Starbucks Corp. to pay millions in restitution to baristas who had to share their tips with supervisors. In June, the 4th District Court of Appeal reversed that ruling,

Coffee chain Starbucks, which for years raised prices without any customer pushback, said on Thursday that it is cutting prices for the first time on some drinks while boosting prices on others. The company, which announced in April that it would join other restaurant operators in fine-tuning pricing amid weak consumer demand, will cut the price of popular beverages like small coffees and lattes by 5 to 10 cents in every market, spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said. Prices for large, complex drinks such as frappuccinos and macchiatos could go up by as much as 25 cents in some markets, but on...

Starbucks is still losing customers, but not as many as it has for the last two quarters. These days, that qualifies as welcome news. On Tuesday, Starbucks, which is based in Seattle, reported that net income in the third quarter, ended June 28, was $151.5 million, or 20 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $6.7 million and a penny a share in the same period last year. Revenue fell 6.6 percent, to $2.4 billion, from $2.6 billion a year ago. “The transformation of Starbucks business — including the success of our consumer-facing initiatives and the permanent changes...

Recent high school grad charged with bombing Related Topics: Ray Kelly | Starbucks Corporation A teen arrested in the bombing of an upper East Side Starbucks was inspired to plant the explosive device by the movie "Fight Club," cops said today. Kyle Shaw, 17, of Chelsea, was charged with arson, criminal mischief and criminal possession of a weapon for placing the bomb at the E. 92nd St. coffee shop, police said. Shaw was inspired to plant the bomb at the Manhattan eatery by watching the anarchic behavior of Brad Pitt in the film "Fight Club." He picked the site because...

Starbucks Corp. says its dropping its name from one of its stores and adding alcohol to the menu. (Starbucks will still own the store) They plan to open it next week - On the menu: Coffee Tea and..

Starbucks agreed in April to pay a former lead network engineer in Seattle $120,000 plus a mediator's fee to settle a lawsuit that alleges racial discrimination and retaliation "so severe that it required him to take a medical leave of absence." Victor Washington of Shoreline, who is African-American and worked for Starbucks from September 2006 until May 2008, alleges in the July 2008 lawsuit that a white co-worker made racist comments to him such as repeatedly telling him to "fetch" the co-worker's umbrella and tie his shoes for him. In the lawsuit, Washington says he complained to his supervisor and...

In my June 8 article on the grand opening of the Intelligentsia Coffee location in Venice, I mentioned the fact that they use not one, but two Clover machines. This alone is a remarkable feat. The Clover machine is and has been one of the ways boutique coffeehouses differentiated themselves from the big chains. However, last year, Starbucks bought the company that manufactures Clovers. As a result, all future Clovers will be found only at Starbucks locations. Any coffeehouse that already owns a Clover will essentially have to rely on Starbucks for parts and service. Doug Cadmus described this situation...

Bay City, Michigan - In 1994, a jury awarded a New Mexico woman $2.9 million after she was burned by spilled McDonald's coffee. Now a Bay County woman claims she's steamed at Starbucks for the same reason. Irene Bruno alleges she endured severe burns and permanent scars three years ago when a worker at a Midland County Starbucks Coffee outlet improperly secured a lid on a large cup of coffee, causing the hot liquid to spill onto Bruno's lap, inner thighs and legs. Bruno, in a lawsuit filed in May in U.S. District Court, claims the lid on the coffee...