Guess what, the Mermaid wins.
At least, that's the conclusion of a report by the investment banking firm Piper Jafray, reported in the current edition of Business Insider. (Side note: the editor of BI paid a $2 million fine and agreed to a lifetime suspension from Wall Street for insider trading; last year, he sold the firm for $400 million to the conservative German publisher Axel Springer. Moral: crime pays. Just keep that in mind when you read juicy stuff.) Now, where were we?
Ah yes. High-income teens, the survey contends, would rather hang out, socialize, text, slurp up the wi-fi, slurp down the Cocoa Cluster Frappuccinos, and nosh on Cranberry Orange scones at Starbucks than go to the mall. More cafés than malls, in any event, probably ten times as many, at least in cities.
Some interesting also-rans: Chipotle, Chick fil-A, Taco Bell, Mickey.D. Hard to tell if the national numbers would hold up in Seattle, given the absence of a meaningful Chick presence (Bellevue, Tacoma, Lynnwood, Vancouver) in the entire state. Also, given the company's ultra-right-wing stance on gay rights, it's doubtful they'd do very well in this part of the country.
Chipotle, on the other hand, we understand (sort of). We wrote in these columns, three years ago, about Chipotle's new, vegan Sofritas, but we looked away while the chain (2,000 stores) fought its way through half a dozen food-safety alerts, scares, and scandals.
At least so far, no Starbucks disparagement, unless you count the 550 calories in the 24-ounce Caramel Mocha Frappuccino--no worse than a Big Mac, actually. Besides, you can always order off the Evolution Fresh menu, or just relax with a soothing cup of Teavana. The American way: something for every taste. The kids know where it's at.
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