Starbucks will stop writing ‘Race Together’ on your cups now

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After just one week, Starbucks employees will stop writing “Race Together” on your coffee cups.

CEO Howard Schultz ended the effort Sunday, after days of pushback against the company’s initiative to start a conversation about race within its more than 20,000 stores. Other parts of the year-long Race Together program will continue, including forum discussions and special sections in USA Today. But the scribbling of a somewhat-ambiguous message on lattes has been quickly phased out.

“While there has been criticism of the initiative — and I know this hasn’t been easy for any of you — let me assure you that we didn’t expect universal praise,” Schultz said in a memo.

The message was meant to be “just the catalyst” for a broad conversation about race, after a year in which the topic has figured prominently in news headlines and dinner-table conversations across America.

Instead, the announcement of Race Together was a conversation about Starbucks. Was the coffee giant exploiting a very real issue for financial gain? Did you know that 16 of the company’s 19 executives are white? What jokes can we make about this on Twitter?

A Starbucks spokesperson said the Race Together inscriptions were not canceled but instead concluded today “as originally planned.” The move will also have practical implications: As journalists went to Starbucks to try out talking about race, they quickly realized that making conversation with a barista really holds up the line.

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Why Starbucks employees spell your name wrong

Top 10 secret menu items

Secret menus are huge these days. From Starbucks to Denny's, it seems like just about every restaurant has a fansite dedicated to all the great options its servers aren't allowed to tell you about. They're a lot of fun too.

Ordering off-menu is like being part of a club, slipping the cashier a password that upgrades your "hamburger and fries" to an "animal style with fries well done," in the case of In-N-Out.

The only problem with all of this is that, unfortunately, secret menus don't actually exist. For all their noise, coverage and popularity, the fact is that restaurants just don't have them. The closest anyone comes is places like In-N-Out Burger, which has posted a list of extra options online based on popular customer requests.

"We don't have any unofficial or official secret menu items," said Mark Baldwin, a spokesperson for Chick-fil-A. "We're just able to customize our offerings to meet whatever taste preference a customer may have... We have fresh squeezed lemonade, and we have iced tea, so if people come in and say 'Can I have an Arnold Palmer,' we'll give them half tea and half lemonade."

So, with that in mind, here are some of the best ideas people have had with what their favorite restaurants can do:

#1. Poutine, A&W/Kentucky Fried Chicken
To get this entry, you'll need to go to a joint KFC and A&W location, one of those increasingly common fast food mergers where they've built both restaurants into the same building. They're not that easy to find; the last time I saw an A&W "All American Food" was somewhat ironically in Malaysia.

Still, it's really worth it in a greasy, hate-yourself-the-next-morning, I-just-slept-with-my-best-friend's-wife sort of way.

This fast-food poutine is a serving of A&W French fries smothered in gravy from the KFC counter right next door. This isn't the traditional way of serving poutine--up in Quebec they serve the dish smothered in cheese curds as well as gravy--but it's also not typically served up in a small, orange box either. What it lacks in cultural accuracy, A&W's secret menu option more than makes up for in flavor. This one is well worth trying.

#2. Biscotti Frappuccino, Starbucks
I waited as long as I could before Starbucks made an appearance here, and you'll be seeing the coffee shop chain again fairly soon. But for right now, the biscotti frappuccino needs a mention. First, however, a warning straight from the barista's mouth: Starbucks gets busy, sometimes really, really busy. Your friendly neighborhood barista is almost always more than happy to mess around with crazy drink combinations for you, except for when she's got 12 people waiting in line. Then all she wants is to crank through her routine and get people out of the store.

By all means. have some fun and go off menu, but do it when everyone has a little room to breathe. Don't be that guy who brings rush hour to a standstill, because he decided to get creative.

When you do, however, make sure try the biscotti frappuccino. It's any ordinary version of the frozen drink, except with a biscotti blended in to give the entire thing a great cookie crunch. It's a fantastic idea, and hopefully we'll see it on the board sometime soon.

#3. Nachos, Chipotle
Chipotle is a simply great idea, and a great, simple idea. It's the fusion of Mexican food with ingredients that won't make you sick and die. The concept is brilliant, and I'm astounded it took someone as long as it did to get around to it.

One of the other great things about Chipotle is that, according to a spokesperson for the company, the employees will try to make pretty much anything they can for you. As company policy, if they've got the ingredients, and your order's not too crazy, they're willing to give it a try. Which brings us to nachos.

An order of Chipotle nachos is fantastic. It comes with a plate full of chips, covered with cheese, meat, beans and choice of salsas. I personally always prefer the corn salsa, but that one's up to you. If there's any confusion, just make sure to specify what you want on your plate. It's not as portable as a burrito, but then again, who really cares?

Starbuck's CFO slams anti-gay marriage shareholder

At Starbucks' annual shareholders meeting in Seattle, Wash., on Wednesday, CEO Howard Schultz told off an investor who tried to argue that the company's support for gay marriage is bad for business.

NPR affiliate KPLU captured audio of the heated exchange:
"In the first full quarter after this boycott was announced, our sales and our earnings -- shall we say politely -- were a bit disappointing," Starbucks shareholder Tom Strobhar said, referring to the National Organization for Marriage's boycott of the coffee company.

Schultz replied bluntly that Starbucks's endorsement of marriage equality wasn't about making money, but about the principle of diversity.

“If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38 percent you got last year, it’s a free country. You can sell your shares of Starbucks and buy shares in another company. Thank you very much," Schultz said, to applause from the audience.

Last year, Starbucks endorsed a Washington state bill to legalize gay marriage, andreleased a statement saying it was "deeply dedicated to embracing diversity." The bill later became law.

Strobhar, who is the founder of the anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage Corporate Morality Action Center, has been a vocal opponent of progressive causes in the past. He is also the chairman of Life Decisions International, a Virginia-based non-profit that has been fighting to oppose Planned Parenthood since 1992. His website boasts that he has fought against corporate involvement in gay marriage, abortion and pornography at major U.S. companies from Microsoft to Pfizer.

At last year's Starbucks shareholders meeting, Strobhar asked Schultz to stop endorsing liberal issues because they were bad for business, Yahoo reported at the time.

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Secret drinks at Starbucks

Samoa Frappuccino
Commenter Heather W. suggested a summer-only favorite, the Samoa Frappuccio. "It's the mocha coconut Frappuccino with caramel drizzle. It's a dead ringer for the Girl Scout Cookie! We used to make it in our café all the time!"

Thin Mint Frappuccino
Another drink that borrows its name and flavor from the Girl Scout Cookie repertoire is this creation, which, according to commenter Julie A. is made by blending the Tazo Green Tea Crème Frappuccino with chocolate syrup and java chips. According to her, it's "heaven in a cup." We imagine adding a pump of peppermint syrup wouldn't hurt the combination either.

Snickers Frappuccino
"We do know a lot of these drinks and more," noted Annalise, a commenter and a self-described Starbucks barista. "Try a Snickers Frappuccino: Java Chip Frappuccino with two pumps of toffee nut and a caramel drizzle on top. It tastes just like a Snickers."

Banana Cream Pie Frappuccino
According to an anonymous The Daily Meal commenter, "At our store (licensed), my favorite drink is a Vanilla Bean [Creme Frappuccino] with vanilla [and] hazelnut [syrups], whipped cream, and a whole banana. But I am prepared to pay the $6 for a grande and I don't call it out or refer to it as a Banana Cream Pie, which is what it tastes like and the nickname it has acquired."

Apple Juice Orange Blossom
This combination of Tazo Orange Blossom Tea steeped in steamed apple juice (with no water), is what one anonymous The Daily Meal commenter calls "a perfect tasty tea alternative for us non-coffee drinkers."

The Grasshopper Frappuccino
Recommended by another The Daily Meal commenter who identified themselves as a barista, the Grasshopper Frappuccino consists of a Mocha Frappuccino blended with java chips and peppermint syrup. "It tastes like mint chip ice cream and is a personal favorite."

Cookies & Cream Frappuccino
Per a commenter, this is a White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino blended with java chips and a dash of peppermint syrup.

The Dirty Hippy
Prefer your Dirty Chai Tea Latte with soy milk instead of regular milk? According to one barista commenter, that's called a Dirty Hippy.

Marble Mocha Macchiato
Says an anonymous barista commenter, "The Marble Mocha Macchiato is a twist on the signature Caramel Macchiato. White mocha on the bottom with no whip, shot on the top and mocha drizzle."

Cinnamon Roll Frappuccino
According commenter and Starbucks barista, Jonathan, this combination of Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino and cinnamon dolce syrup tastes just like the popular breakfast pastry.

Bootleg Brulée
Per a commenter, this creation involves adding "two shots to any white mocha, and add toffee nut [syrup] and caramel drizzle."

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Starbuck's secret menu

You won't get free Starbucks on Facebook people!

The Starbucks fraud proclaims to be a give away to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Seattle coffee giant.

It's a tried and true formula for con-artists to get your to share their scam with your friends, and then lead you to a website asking you to divulge personal information.

These scams begin with asking you for your email address with some standard legal verbiage about being 18 years old and a resident of -insert country here-. They then proceed to lead you to another form asking you to disclose sensitive personal information.

Unfortunately thousands of Facebook users have been spreading the message, helping these criminals propagate their fraud. Innocent people thinking they might share a great deal with their friends are being used to social engineer those same friends.

Steer clear of these frauds and warn your friends that not even a cup of coffee comes at no cost. While both Starbucks and Tim Hortons may be trustworthy brands and offer occasional specials, be sure to only participate in contests from their own websites or stores.

Make sure that you keep informed about the latest scams spreading fast across Facebook and other internet attacks. Join the Sophos page on Facebook, where over 100,000 people regularly share information on threats and discuss the latest security news.

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Starbuck's promoting job growth program

Starbucks hopes customers will be willing to pay at least $5 more when they stop in for their morning cup of Joe.

Credit: CNN

Starting Nov. 1, Starbucks will begin collecting donations of $5 or more from customers to stimulate U.S. job growth through its "Jobs for USA" program. The Seattle-based coffee chain is collaborating with the Opportunity Finance Network, a nonprofit that works with nearly 200 community development financial institutions to provide loans to small businesses and community groups. Starbucks says 100 percent of the donations will go toward loans for firms and organizations that can add jobs or stem job losses.

Starbucks, which pioneered how Americans drink coffee, declined to estimate how much money it plans to raise, but millions of people visit its nearly 7,000 company-owned U.S. stores each day. Customers who give will get a red, white and blue wristband that says "Indivisible."

"This is about using Starbuck's scale for good," said Howard Schultz, Starbucks Corp.'s CEO.

The program is the latest effort by Schultz to address the nation's economic woes. In August, he sent more than 200,000 Starbucks employees a memo urging them to do what they can to help business thrive. Then, he asked fellow CEOs to stop contributing to political campaigns until the nation's leaders reached a long-term economic solution. After that, he hosted a national telephone forum, bought full-page ads in two major newspapers and started a website, Upwardspiral2011.org.

Schultz said he feels personal responsibility to do something to stimulate the U.S. economy. Starbucks is hiring about 200 people a day in the U.S. as part of its efforts to remodel thousands of stores and add about 200 more locations in the next year. But Schultz said he wanted to do more.

Starbucks is covering the operational costs to get loans out through the program, which will run indefinitely. Its charitable arm, The Starbucks Foundation, is giving $5 million to get the program started, with the hope that funds will be invested in communities within a month of a donation being made.

Opportunity Finance Network works with 180 financial institutions -- banks, credit, unions, loan funds and venture capital funds -- that give loans in low-income communities that don't have easy access to credit. The organization, created 27 years ago, has invested $23.2 billion and generated nearly 300,000 jobs through 2009.

Loans through the network have supported everything from charter schools to grocery stores nationwide. The organization found that, even during the recession, more than 98 percent of the money loaned out has been repaid, which is in line with traditional lenders.

Through the program, businesses will apply to financial institutions, which along with the Opportunity Finance Network will assess their potential for adding jobs. Preference will be given to applicants who can add jobs within six months. An outside organization will audit the program within a year.

"We want to match up every person who has $5 to share with every person who can't spare $5," said Mark Pinsky, CEO of Opportunity Finance Network.

The effort has the potential to be successful, say some experts. Community institutions succeed, they say, because they understand the needs in the areas they serve.

"I think it's a really worthy effort," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "In theory, this is a great idea and should have impact."

Online: For more information, visit createjobsforusa.org or for information on Opportunity Finance Network and how to find a community development funding institution, visit opportunityfinance.net