Biggby Coffee (the coffee shop formerly known as Beaners) has a neat blog that I just found out about today via an email. The blog’s title is “Where is Bob?” with “Bob” referring to Biggby CEO and co-founder, Bob Fish. It’s basically a collection of Biggby Coffee news as well as stories about the franchise owners and possible upcoming locations (Owosso looks like a winner).
This is a great example of what a big company blog should look like. It provides business information, but at the same time helps spread their message and shows you that they aren’t a faceless corporation – the stores are owned by people living in the same community as the coffee shop.
I fell in love with Beaners Biggby Coffee when I used to live and work in Lansing (their first location was on Grand River in East Lansing). My Biggby Coffee standard order (unless I try one of their limited time special flavors) is the Caramel Marvel. Man, that is THE best cup of coffee I have bought each and every time.
Contrast that with a well known national chain that sells music, food, books, and then coffee as an afterthought. Biggby Coffee sticks to what they do best – make a great cup of coffee with excellent service and a comfy atmosphere.
While that faceless corporate coffee shop closed their locations yesterday for three hours of training at least one Biggby Coffee location in Grand Rapids (located just across the street from said faceless corporate coffee shop) was offering all of their coffee drink items for f-r-e-e during the three hour time frame.
Even if there isn’t a Biggby Coffee near you I have seen a select number of their whole bean coffee variations for sale at Meijer. It looks like their expansion plan will lower the number of folks that don’t have a location nearby.
This quote from their website Biggby.com says it all about what they stand for –
Every BIGGBY café is locally owned and operated; there are no corporate stores. The people behind the counter are people from your communities, and the dollars generated stay in your communities.
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{ 9 comments }
Is this guy the president of the company or what? He’s clearly not a customer, because if he was, he would not have such a high opinion of the corporate chain. I’ve tried Biggby and it’s not as fresh as the coffee at places that roast their own coffee. Plus, the service is not as good.
Seems like Biggby is falling in the same trap as Starbucks, which is a corporation getting larger and larger and only focusing on corporate profit. While the stores are nice, they people behind the counter change month to month. No one knows your name, or even cares to find out. It’s hi, what’s your drink order, where’s the $4.35, and get down to the end of the counter and wait. For this much money, seems like I’d get something more than just an okay cup of joe.
I’m told that Biggby does not roast their own coffee, but rather, buys it from the big corporate giant Paramont, which frankly has some rather stale coffee for sale on store shelves. Finding a coffee house that roasts their own coffee on site makes all the difference in the world. One, they generally know so much more about coffee. it’s their passion. Second, their coffee is only a day or two out of a roaster, which is the freshest cup you can get.
I can’t find anyone in Lansing that roasts their own coffee on site. I have been to Jackson, and did find one in downtown that roasts their coffee on site. I looked up the name, and it was the Jackson Coffee Co. I have been there on three occassions. Don’t get to Jackson much. Anyway, their coffee blew me away. I stopped in one time while they were roasting and the smell was terrific. Guy roasting talked a bit much, but I learned some stuff about coffee.
There’s also another one in Brooklyn, which I can’t find the name of. I traveled through there some time back, and found that they had a good cup of joe too.
Anyway, don’t let this writer fool you. Biggby is no Starbucks, buy they are a large corporate giant in the Michigan coffee business. It’s a chain that seems more concerned about the bottom line than the people that come there. Just my opinion.
No, Jack, I’m not the president – just a satisfied customer. There must be quite a few other satisfied customers like myself or Biggby coffee wouldn’t be expanding. I’ve never had an unpleasant experience with anyone working behind the counter either.
Sorry you haven’t had the same experience.
Have a Great Day
!
I don’t know which Biggby’s Jack went to but I have always loved the coffee and the service. I have always found everyone to be chatty and the coffee is EXCELLENT!
Hey Jack you need to get your story right! I dont know which biggby you went to , but as a barista at biggby coffee, we lOVE our customers and we know most of them by name and have their drinks finished before they pay. And yes we DO roast our own coffee!!!
Thank you for the added perspective, Abbey!
Hey Jack, I bet you really have not been to a Biggby Store, because if you do, you will agree that they have the best cofee and the best experience you ever had ina a coffe shop. They have the best baristas and the franchisee (they are not corporate owned, another one of your misinformation, is usually in the store welcoming and talking to customers. Try Visiting one in Metro Detroit area.
Right on, Jose. I just stopped at the West Main Biggby store in Kalamazoo and in addition to the kick-butt Caramel Marvel (my favorite!) I was treated like an old friend (even though I wasn’t familiar with either of the baristas working on Sunday). I wasn’t quickly ushered through the coffee purchase like another well known chain that is incidentally closing quite a few of their locations.
Biggby Coffee also has great drinks that don’t have coffee if you are not a fan of coffee. Might i suggest the magic milk. The Jackson MI location which i also work at makes a great strawberry magic milk. For those of you that don’t know what magic milk is, it’s just a fancy way of saying milk with one of the many flavors offered added to it.
Also i would like to add that i can’t tell a difference in the Jackson Coffee Co. coffee when compared to Biggby. They both taste pretty fresh to me.
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