For decades, Dunkin' Donuts (see entry under 1940s—Food and Drink in volume 3) franchises offered consumers the equivalent of a workingman's coffee break: a simple cup of coffee (see entry under 1990s—The Way We Lived in volume 5), accompanied by a sweet, tasty donut. Starbucks, on the other hand, is a franchise that caters to an upscale, sophisticated coffee drinker. It features not only coffee but also specialty drinks: latte (coffee mixed with steamed or hot milk), Frappuccino (a low-fat, blended beverage), and chai (a strong tea-based drink). Plenty of exotic coffee mixtures, along with assorted confections, pastries, mugs, and coffee-brewing equipment, can be found at Starbucks. Indeed, it is through the success of Starbucks that flavored, blended coffees, and such terms as latte and chai, have entered popular culture.

Starbucks is a Seattle, Washington–based company that has been in existence since 1971. Back then, it was a...