I could go to many places with this thread. I lived in Seattle when there was just the one downtown. They had good coffee and already were offering cold pressed coffee which has since become a 'thing'.

In the following era of Tyrannosaurus Starbucks, Anchorage had been a high coffee consumption town long before Starbucks got here and many of us were loyal to the local chains. I was, for years, until the local blends changed to bitter (coffee taste must have genetic links, and that is an entirely different subject).

So I've been patronizing Starbucks for a couple years now, long enough to be familiar with the many employees who make up the various sites around town. There are approximately six independent Starshops and then maybe eight more within various box stores including both major grocery chains and including Target, but not Walmart.

The people who run these Starbucks have a high proportion of locals; they promote a clean environment and a good work ethic. They are highly diverse in terms of skin shades and sexual preference. (Anchorage is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. and our Starbucks reflect that in personnel and clientele.

They are all closing early today for social consciousness raising. I believe it's referred to as "anti-bias".

I'm in Starbucks now and I will most likely be in Starbucks tomorrow.