Thread: Brewer praised for $6 Starbucks smack-down

Brewer praised for $6 Starbucks smack-down
January 2, 2014


The $6 cheque brewer Jeff Briton sent to Starbucks in a sarcastic response to a cease and desist letter that has gone viral.
(Facebook)

A small pub owner in the US has been “cheersed” around the world for his sarcastic response to Starbucks when the oversensitive coffee giant demanded he change the name of one of his beers.

Missouri brewer Jeff Briton, owner of the Exit 6 Pub and Brewery, received a cease and desist letter from Starbucks claiming three people had posted on an online drinking website about a coffee-blend beer that they referred to as "Frappicino".

Starbucks argued the name was dangerously close to its trademarked beverage Frappucino and demanded Mr Briton change the beer's name so customers would not be confused.

His hilarious response has gone viral.

In a letter responding to Starbucks, Mr Briton first pointed out the beer was never named Frappicino but rather that was the descriptor chosen by only the three customers who were commenting on a vanilla crème and chocolate coffee ale brew they had bought at the pub.

Mr Briton, who posted a copy of his response on Facebook, promised to refer to the beer only as "The F Word" to avoid the "risk of further lawsuits" and included a cheque for $6 that he would have made in profit from the three customers in question.

"Please apply the enclosed $6.00 towards the legal fees Ms Owen Kramer received for her efforts in nabbing Exit 6 in our dastardly F Word naming practices," he wrote.

"We realize Mr Bucks probably paid her more than Exit 6 made last year.
"We just want to help a business like Starbucks. Us small business owners need to stick together."

Mr Briton said he would promptly also "stop production of our 'Starbuck-McDonalds-Coca Cola-Marlboro Honey Lager' for fear of further repercussions".

He poked fun at the legal notice, saying he "never thought that our beer drinking customers would have thought that the alcoholic beverage coming out of the tap would have actually been coffee from one of the many, many, many stores located a few blocks away".

"I guess that with there being a Starbucks on every corner of every block in every city that some people may think they could get a Starbucks at a local bar. So that was our mistake," he said.

After posting the Starbucks letter and his response on his Facebook page he's received thousands of likes, hundreds of shares and coverage by national media outlets, being praised for his funny smack-down of the pedantic coffee giant.

A spokeswoman for Starbucks told CNN the cease and desist letter was "respectful" and "just like many businesses, trademark law requires all companies, including Starbucks, to consistently protect its brand".

She said the company would not be cashing Mr Briton's cheque.

news.ninemsn.com.au

Originally Posted by news.ninemsn.com.au

His hilarious response has gone viral.

http://i.imgur.com/pSVvtP9.jpg

Comments are hilarious :

Missouri Bar Owner Mocks Starbucks' Cease-and-Desist Letter - ABC News

Good on the guy.

Starbucks - overpriced shit.

Funny that the twats think it's ok for them to combine the two words Frappe and Cappuccino, but what he's done is wrong.

Bullying corporate fuckwits.

Originally Posted by Albert Shagnastier

Good on the guy.

Starbucks - overpriced shit.

Funny that the twats think it's ok for them to combine the two words Frappe and Cappuccino, but what he's done is wrong.

Bullying corporate fuckwits.

There is an interesting documentary [and rather critical] of Starbucks and their expanding empire.....all the while, the well known founder and CEO claiming that his beloved mega-monster is nothing like a corporation or said corporate mentality.

I'm sure that this documentary [almost in news form] can be found in full on youtube or like video archive sites.

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

There is an interesting documentary [and rather critical] of Starbucks and their expanding empire.....all the while, the well known founder and CEO claiming that his beloved mega-monster is nothing like a corporation or said corporate mentality. I'm sure that this documentary [almost in news form] can be found in full on youtube or like video archive sites.

Is this what you mean?

So, Starbucks has people perusing the web and social media looking for these types of things?

Must be....

^
Wake up and smell the coffee

Originally Posted by Albert Shagnastier

^
Wake up and smell the coffee

I'll take that as a "yes."

^ Jesus.

I am from Seattle and can say that Starbucks and its CEO especially are not well liked here. He caused the city to lose its NBA team the Super Sonics. Punk ass.

Originally Posted by Mid

FWIW and before the obvious canditates start , I foked up placing this in Thai / Asia news and have requested the mods to move it to World news .

Edit :

which they have now done , thank-you .

Obvious candidates?? You're the only tosser that goes on about which bladdy subforum new threads get placed in....

Originally Posted by barbaro

So, Starbucks has people perusing the web and social media looking for these types of things?

Must be....

Oi, Starbucks lawyers:

Fuck you and your shitty frothy overpriced fag-uccino! Your "coffee" tastes like anal seepage, you should be suing yourselves under trades descriptions for labelling such dross as coffee.

You don't sell coffee, you sell limp-wristed, posing, hipster, pretend-writer faggot fuel.

Please cease and desist peddling your filth to the world for extortionate mark ups and cluttering our streets with your identikit poofter emporiums, you tax avoiding bland cock dribbles.

Originally Posted by khmen

Oi, Starbucks lawyers: Fuck you and your shitty frothy overpriced fag-uccino! Your "coffee" tastes like anal seepage, you should be suing yourselves under trades descriptions for labelling such dross as coffee. You don't sell coffee, you sell limp-wristed, posing, hipster, pretend-writer faggot fuel. Please cease and desist peddling your filth to the world for extortionate mark ups and cluttering our streets with your identikit poofter emporiums, you tax avoiding bland cock dribbles.

Khmen for Prime Minister

Originally Posted by khmen

Your "coffee" tastes like anal seepage

Err... how do you know that?

Originally Posted by Mid

Comments are hilarious : Missouri Bar Owner Mocks Starbucks' Cease-and-Desist Letter - ABC News

I reckon two of the posters there being Aberlour and DuffyDuck

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Originally Posted by khmen

Your "coffee" tastes like anal seepage

Err... how do you know that?

You really don't wanna know.