By Lucy Terry | News Editor
March 8, 2019
There’s one on Pico, one at the Outlets, and many more stationed in stores like Target and Ralphs. What is it, you ask?
The answer is the one coffee place we love to hate: Starbucks.
It seems that San Clemente just can’t get enough Starbucks, and the only proof we need is the construction of an eighth Starbucks, at 620 Avenida Pico, better known as the recently deceased Carrow’s restaurant. While the location was hotly contested to house a Chick-fil-A or In-N-Out, the San Clemente City Planning Commission approved the construction of a two-story Starbucks in May of 2018.
Despite being the eighth Starbucks in San Clemente, this establishment is nothing like we’ve seen here before. Not only will this Starbucks two-stories, but there will also be a drive-through option. This may be a cause for concern for some, given that Pico can be trafficky enough on early weekday mornings, with commuters coming off of the I-5 and students rushing to our very own San Clemente High School. This reasonable concern for traffic was one of the reasons that two other options, Chick-fil-A and In-N-Out, were not built here. Given the tight confines of the street and the amount of drivers already on these roads, adding drive-through for either of these fan favorite fast food eateries would be a nightmare. However, a drive-through at Starbucks, while much less congested, may still prove to be a problem.
Frequent Starbucks patron and senior at San Clemente High School, Cory Sugano, is not worried. “I understand it may cause traffic because it’s a drive through,” Sugano said, “but I personally don’t care because I don’t drive that way to school.” Sugano has racked up 9 rewards from points accumulated from his Starbucks purchases, and claims he is “saving them for rainy days.” It’s hard to tell if this new Starbucks will dominate the competition, but, with students heading there after school or to study, it most likely will.
A 2,400 square foot floor plan cannot be beaten by other smaller, tightly packed Starbucks. Despite this, the Starbucks at Target will still hold a place in Cory’s heart, as he affectionately refers to it as “TarStar.” “I love the Starbucks at Target,” Sugano said. “The space is big, it’s a Pokestop, and I can be loud without disturbing people. (leverageedu.com) ”
Others are not as enthused by the implementation of this new Starbucks, and find it ridiculous to have eight of the same coffee shop so close. Avery Scott, senior, is one of those people. “I like the iced mocha, but I really don’t think we need eight of these in one town,” Scott said. “What’s the point?”
As construction on this new Starbucks begins to draw to a close, citizens are waiting either in anticipation or in frustration. Only time will tell how venti of an impact another Starbucks will have here.
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