In an effort to give a face-lift to its pastry cabinet, Starbucks has released a new collection of baked goods nationwide, which are now available here at our campus location.
“La Boulange is a San Francisco bakery and café that has been serving artisanal pastries, and great food since 1996,” according to the Starbucks website. “Sit tight and stay tuned as we expand the new ‘La Boulange’ baked goods across the country; it’s well worth the wait.”
The French baker Pascal ran this new line of food with pink in mind. The pastry cases are “lined with pink paper, and muffins and cookies will leave the store in pink ‘La Boulange’ bags also bearing the green Starbucks logo,” according to the Seattle Times.
“It looks like a bad lingerie line,” said an anonymous student.
On-campus worker Sarah Mapes said, “It’s very different.”
Tech Starbucks employee Jordynn Holm said there have been many complaints at other Starbucks locations, where people have said the pastries are “more fattening and smaller and don’t taste good” but Holm said Starbucks has “been selling more than we ever have before.”
The new pink “La Boulange” bags read, “Now served warm.” However, this is, in fact, the opposite if visiting Tech’s on-campus Starbucks.
“It says in plain sight, ‘now served warm,'” employee Kimberly Smith said. “And we don’t even have a warming station because we don’t have enough room for it.”
According to the employees, the back counters could not support a heating system, but they wish it did to better accommodate the new baked items.
“We have so many people who want their food warmed up,” Smith said.
Students on campus, however, have reported little change.
“I have had the old kind of pastries,” student Talal Almitairi said, “and they both taste the same. They just look different.”
Student Saleh Alyami said, “I can’t even remember the old ones.”
Camila Leme said, “I usually don’t buy food, but this brownie was affordable in price.”
Employee Bryce Whittington said, “Even though the food has decreased in size, so has the price. It’s a little bit easier on your wallet.”
The pastries are available at Tech’s on-campus location and at the Starbucks on Interstate Drive in Cookeville.
