BANNED FROM THE 'BUCKS

No More Lattes For Nameless Man

Dusty | Food & Drink

You will not see one Kitchener man, who will remain anonymous, visiting his local Starbucks anytime soon. He has been banned!

Recently the store told this customer to leave and never come back. His actions were causing so much stress on the barristas that one five year veteran quit and left the industry, while another newer employee had to relocate to a Starbucks in the neighboring town of Waterloo. 

Local Assistant Manager Lowree explains, 'this man, we still do not know his name, would come in daily and we would ask him what his name was. You know our practice of putting names on cups to make things personal? Well, this guy would give us a different name almost every single day. It was hell on our barristas, who make it a point to try and remember every customer by name, especially the regulars."

She went on to explain that this name changing customer was causing confusion with the drinks and embarrassing situations with the staff. Morale dropped as the employees felt like they could not do a stellar job, since they kept getting this guy's name wrong. This name changing problem went on for months until one Tuesday morning a long time employee succumbed to the pressure and walked off the job in tears. She was too distressed to return that day or any day after. She has since changed industries to warehousing where she has little to no customer contact.

This was the final straw in the name battle and an emergency employee meeting was held. 95% of the entire staff showed up and voiced their concerns. After a raucous two hours it was decided to ban this man from the store - an unprecedented action by a Starbucks location.

The very next day, at exactly 10:30 am, the unnamed man was escorted out of the store by two of the more burly employees (Perry and Laura) and was told to not return.

The atmosphere in the coffee shop is now back to normal, with loud, bubbly, engaging barristas foaming up drinks at a cheetah's pace. But, that dark stain of Mr. No-name is still in the back of some employees minds. They admit that their drink making careers may never be the same as before the incident. Most have seen the darker side of the public they serve and can never fully trust someone again. 

Next time you go into a Starbucks and they ask for your name. Don't lie. Remember there is a real person on the other side of the cup.

Beanville | 44:13

CANADIAN SNOW BEING USED FOR SNOWCONES DOWN SOUTH

 DUSTY | Foodie Page

A blanket of snow covering trees, roads, or buildings, is a sight many of us Canadians take for granted. But, it is a sight most southern Californians have never witnessed before. That may explain the surprising demand for Canadian snow, which they are consuming by the ton - in the form of snow cones.

A small company, The SNOW Cone Cart, located in Oxnard CA, has recently started using snow in its snow cones instead of the traditional shaved ice. The snow supplier they have subcontracted out to is a Canadian firm located in British Columbia. Owner and operator Carl Mendez believes this 'imported snow' gives him an advantage in the highly competitive snow cone market - and he may be right. Since launching the 'Real SNOW cone', as he dubbed it, his sales have sky rocketed, so much so that he is planning an expansion into new markets and is even looking into a franchising option. Even considering the higher price of the snow cones, due to the increased shipping costs and storage of the snow, Mendez can barely keep up with the demand.

Could this be the start of a new market for one of Canada's least used natural resources?

A comment from the Ministry of Economic Development thinks so. Spokesman Irving Irvine commented, "according to the preliminary numbers, we could be on the forefront of millions of dollars worth of snow being exported...one day we could be looking at adding twenty to thirty thousand good paying jobs in BC alone." Currently snow exports account for under $10,000 in trade.

Interest in the business community is also ramping up with one local entrepreneur starting the process of legalizing claims on snow located atop crown lands, similar to a logging or mining claim. This request is currently pending in the provincial courts, but, is expected to be ruled on in the next few weeks.

On the environmental front, a group of young environmentalists calling themselves AARS (Alliance Against Removing Snow) have started an online petition calling for the ban on extracting and exporting snow. As of today they had just over one hundred thousand signatures. Other environmental groups (WWF, Coalition of the Environment, Treehuggers, Naturalists of BC) have voiced concerns over what they are viewing as another environmental scar caused by business. One tweet from the NOBC that was trending high last week, has really brought the topic to the forefront, "I understand the logging industry replanting the trees they harvest, but, what are they going to do about the snow they take? You can't replant snow! #SAVETHESNOW"

This seemingly insignificant decision to use a scoop of real snow on a snow cone is already causing waves throughout many levels of Canadian society. Is this going to be another oil sands debate, pitting Canadians against one another? 

13:34 | Vancouver