Starbucks: the decline of the empire
Matthew Lynn
In Christopher Guest's witty canine mockumentary Best in Show, there is a line of dialogue that tells you everything you need to know about the world's biggest coffee chain. 'We met at Starbucks,' says a woman character of her current romance. 'Not the same Starbucks, but we saw each other at different Starbucks across the street from each other.'
Not many companies are so instantly recognisable that their brand names can be dropped straight into a movie without introduction. Nor are there many whose ubiquity could be the punchline for...