The greatest disappointment of my last road trip was this–the closure of my favorite Starbucks. When I lived at Flag City it was right there, and when I rode to my citizenship ceremony it was right there, and when I stayed at Flying J, it was right there.

Until this trip. This trip, I wandered over and stopped dead at the sight of the empty shell. Workmen were on ladders, taking down the signs.

Starbucks are idiots for closing down this location. They are idiots for not finding ways to promote it to the huge number of people who come through this busy intersection–the truckers, the travelers, even the locals. In this coffee shop, the staff knew my name–even if I only showed up once every few months. They knew I liked my coffee in a “real” cup. They smiled, chatted, recommended, explained. They were a great team who worked well together and did the company credit.

Now, what’s left is the miserable downtown location, staffed by people who couldn’t care less, and for whom you’re the next in line to be processed and moved on. The wonderful team is broken up, scattered who knows where, and I’ll probably never see any of them again.

Farewell,

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