Big day at Starbucks

If you stop by Starbucks today (or anytime in the near future), you’ll notice things are a little different. Yes, the large menu signs with their $4 coffees from a different era will still be on the wall but next to them will be new signs, more pedestrian signs promoting the previously unheard-of Starbucks value menu.

It offers six meals, each for $3.95, which Starbucks says will save customers “as much as $1.20, and with 100 percent ethically traded coffee and high quality ingredients, they offer a value beyond price.” Err… not sure about that value for price thing. There’s only two coffee choices: a tall cup of drip coffee or a tall cafe latte. The latte comes with either a piece of cinnamon-swirl coffee cake or a bowl of oatmeal. Starbucks oatmeal has been a surprise hit since its debut last fall. The biggest knock on it is that it’s instant, and instant oatmeal is even worse than instant coffee. (Speaking of which, Starbucks is also launching VIA packets today for people who pre-ordered them.)

With the drip coffee comes a breakfast sandwich. The choices include two new ones, the artisan bacon sandwich (with “parmesan egg frittata, four smoked bacon slices, and Gouda cheese”) and an artisan ham one (with “parmesan egg frittata, three slices of Black Forest ham, and mild cheddar”). Starbucks claims each of these sandwiches weighs in at under 400 calories, which means that either they’re skimping on the cheese or the artisan rolls are exceptionally light. The other two sandwiches on Starbucks’ menu are a sausage breakfast sandwich with cheddar and a turkey bacon sandwich with white cheddar. Both sandwiches come on English muffins.

I could see these being a big hit for Starbucks simply because they’ll be served all day. I am not a morning person, and often on weekends find myself waking up too late for McDonald’s so-bad-yet-so-good breakfast sandwiches. Now I can go to Starbucks.