Every so often, customers find their way to MyStarbucksIdea.com simply to request a Starbucks delivery truck. It’s probably not an idea that is going to get launched nationally, but here in Seattle there are a few trucks set up for mobile Starbuck-ing! Here’s one of many threads asking for Starbucks delivery trucks:
StarTrucks thread at MyStarbucksIdea.com
Right now, a Starbucks truck is set up temporarily at the Olive Way store location while the Olive Way store in under construction.
Melissa Allison (who writes the Coffee City blog for the Seattle Times) previously took a couple of pictures of the site under construction and posted them on her blog. The photos of the Starbucks truck are so fun that I decided to go grab a few of my own. As to the Starbucks truck, I think actually that Starbucks may have more than one of them. Either that, or it is repainted often. I believe that I’ve spotted the truck in other places. I think I’ve seen it in downtown Seattle, near Westlake Center, promoting the new Frappuccino or some summer drink. I think I’ve seen the truck at the Ballard SeaFood Fest, and the Green Lake Milk Carton Derby too.
In any case, I thought the Starbucks truck pics were sort of fun, so I wanted to share them. The photos below include the Starbucks truck, the Olive Way store under remodel construction, and the view in that area… I know I said no new content until Sunday, but I just couldn’t wait that long!
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I have seen many Starbucks trucks…here in Germany it is also very popular. During the whole summer season, a Starbucks Germany Truck (same design) is touring thru the country in different cities and delights the people with free samples of drinks and snacks.
It is also very often used on fesivals here, too.
I have also seen this truck on my San Francisco and Miami vacations over the last years. Also on festivals. I think in 2008 they were promoting the new Vivanno Drinks.
@Sebastian Wow, other places have starbucks trucks? I wish we had more of them! Food trucks seem to be the latest fad anyway.
I would be more than willing to pay extra to have Starbucks deliver. I know it’s not the same as a truck, but I think it’s a lot more feasible to have delivery services all over country. I know at my day job, we all dread being the one that has to go to Starbucks to pick it up for the rest of the office. A mobile truck pulling up front of the office would be even better.
Wow is the rest of the country not part of the SB promotions? SB Trucks? Have never seen any aroun here. Remember seeing the threads on MSI. If food trucks are so popular, why can’t SB put more trucks on the road not only in Seattle? Frankly, I don’t understand why everything has to be in Seattle.
Wow! Temporary Starbucks of Olive Way store. The temporary store sells the newspaper. It’s Starbucks. Haha.
I have watched the light blue FREIGHTLINER at gas works Park last year. Here is the photo.
It did only sample distribution, but it of Olive Way store shows a function as Starbucks store enough. It’s very good!
(Without Wi-Fi and outlet. LOL)
I expect that. Probably the Olive Way folder of the Melody’s PC has a large quantity of photos. They are rare photographs because nobody can take that photos if the store is completed.
Melody, do you have more pics? Please show me more photos! 😀 LOL
OH Melody!
My bff and I often vacation on Daytona Beach in Florida– I think they still call that the ‘world’s most famous beach’ and actually we will be going there in about a week for a week of sun & fun and ‘toes in the sand’ 🙂
IDK if you are familiar, but cars are allowed on the beach there and cruising up and down the beach is a favorite past time of many in the area and vacationers alike, especially if you’re a guy with a pickup truck and can fill the back with bathing beauties- ha ha ha.
Anyway, every time we go we sit under the umbrella watching the ocean come and go and come and go and talk about retirement and how we should just move there and get an umbrella truck and rent umbrellas and chairs on the beach.
THEN… about 2 years ago I had the brilliant idea of a STARBUCKS TRUCK cruising up and down the beach selling Frappuccinos and the like.
SO, I’m loving this blog post about the Starbucks trucks in Seattle 🙂
Maybe someday retirement will come and me and my bff can cruise up and down Daytona Beach in a Starbucks truck selling Frappuccinos and of course VIA. LOL 🙂
Its like a small kiosk for the Starbucks. It’s pretty amazing but I wonder how they do like a sewer hookup or power and stuff? It’d be more amazing if they used a 7-ton or had a Starbucks in a cargo container.
@purple1 – I assume that when the truck(s) are not in use, they’re parked at the SSC. Unless the area is a large Starbucks market with a regional office, I can see how the trucks might be very unworkable nationally. I wish some more local Seattelites would weigh in – The GreenLake Milk Carton Derby is a boat race made entirely out of milk cartons. If you’re a participant and you need hundreds of empty milk cartons, where do you go? Starbucks! At one time years and year ago, there was a dairy at Green Lake. I assume that is the original origins of the milk carton derby. But Starbucks has always been, as far as I can remember, a supporter of the milk carton derby. That’s one place the Starbucks truck is always found just thinking about years and years and years of milk carton derbys.
And it must get repainted often – Sometimes to support Vivanno, sometimes to promote the Frappuccino …
It’s a truck for local events, mostly.
@AmazonV
Oh yes…I also saw Starbucks trucks in Taiwan and China as well. But Germany uses them a lot.
So wild that these SB trucks are used more often outside of the USA. Does SB think that people in the USA will not buy from a SB truck?
@purple1 – It seems like they’re way more common outside of the US. I suspect because those markets tend to be small with one regional headquarters where the trucks can be parked. I remember one time that Steve and I were joking in an MSI thread that if the truck had the Clover installed it would be the Clover Rover. I was googling for images of the truck and I think I found a pic of one in Indonesia. I think that market uses Starbucks trucks too.
Probably the geography of the US makes such trucks hard to be widespread – There’s a lot of ground to cover! So many places.
@Sebastian
@AmazonV
This pic is the SAKURA promotion at Tokyo in this spring. 😀
That is so cool! I want one!
Rolling through the city in one of these bad boys would even make Bruce Wayne jealous.
I’m glad you didn’t wait, Melody! I love your pictures! I’ve seen the truck a couple of times in Tokyo, too. Remember it was green. It seems we use the trucks for promotion purposes quite often here. I hear we also have a Starbucks Scooter! 😀
@Nob-san, I really liked the Sakura series! Where was that promotion being held? Have you tried the Starbucks Origami yet? I think it would be nice to have in the office 😀
Dude, that’s awesome! I’d love to see one of those cruising around campus… I’d definitely make use of it!
It’s so cool that you saw this Melody! I was under the impression that Starbucks did away with these vehicles years ago. I had the opportunity once to climb inside one and it was amazing how everything was so well designed on the inside.
My last experience with one of these trucks was 4 years ago at a holiday hot chocolate party we threw for the doctors and staff at Emmanuel Children’s Hospital in Portland. The truck showed up and prepared all the hot chocolate for us and we just had to wheel it around the hospital and hand it out. Back then you could just submit a request for the truck to support an event and if it was accepted, they would just show up on their own and just sample, sample, sample, whatever the promotional beverage happened to be at the time. Also back then, the people that staffed the van, weren’t partners. They were just trained how to prepare our beverages and how we like to sample. 😀 Great post! Thanks!
One of my career goals: Ride in the Starbucks Truck! Haha, I love the pictures! Where will the Startruck turn up next?! 🙂
Starbucks should do a takeoff of Where is Waldo and have the truck go to different locations throughout the USA and have different promotions, gifts, etc. What a neat way to get their customers involved with the brand! And introduce new people to SB! Have people guess where the truck may be next!
When I learned of these trucks, they caused a dilemma for me and my project.
I finally decided that my rule would be that a Starbucks only counts if it is static, not moving.
Thanks for the mention Meloldy. Yes I remember you and I joking about the famuous “Clover Rover” and it made me laugh. I also suggested that, like the ice cream truck played a catchy tune that kids could hear but adults couldn’t the Clover Rover could play “I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover” over and over and over.
Oooooh…I’ve never even seen one before! I recently tried to go to a Starbucks with some friends and it was closed for remodeling. They should have opened a truck on the side!!! Hmph.
I remember seeing one of these in New York at the AIDS Walk.
Very interesting post. Hope not too many of the “need Starbucks delivery” folks on MSI see this, there will be a big jump in requests 😉 .
The Highland Center store in the Tri-Cities is undergoing a major remodel. They sure could use this truck. The contractor does not seem to be very cooperative with store management so the store is losing a lot of morning and evening business (not to mention Baristas losing hours, however, some are being “floated” out to other stores).
IIRC there are 9 Starbucks and 4 to 6 Licensed Stores in our metropolitan area. Our area could support 1 or 2 trucks for events (there is something almost every week) and the remodels that are currently cycling through this area.
Interesting that there seem to be so many renovations going on in stores. I hope whatever they do will give the store a more community and inviting atmosphere. Around here some of the renovations surely lack that. And we could sure use a SB truck!
I think the majority of people wanting Starbucks delivery is to be like pizza delivery and that would definately not work for Starbucks for a number of reasons, the most obvious is that they have special boxes to keep pizza somewhat warm so I too like DadCooks mentioned hope these people that want home or office delivery do not see this. I really think the only use of a Starbucks truck or van would be at special events such as the AIDS walk mentioned by Anthony or like the Ballard Seafest or the Greenlake milk carton races in Seattle as Melody said which drawes a plethora of people or promotions.
I am not interested in SB delivery, but it sure would be nice to have on ocassion a SB truck. Using a truck for special events would certainly be a nice thing, but having an option of a truck where there might not be a SB store or where there are renovations going on is also a nice choice.
@Kaori
Yes, I think that origami drip is convenient. But I will not try origami drip coffee because I usually use Coffee Presses and the espresso machine. And when I don’t clean the machine, I drink VIA. Haha.
@Melody
When the store was completed, you may update article of the olive way and Starbucks VIA Flavored coffee at the same time. Oh, and the holiday promotion.
You are busy. 😀
@Winter
I agree to your rule. Haha.
Hmm, I’m sitting here working, wishing I could call up Starbucks to deliver a mocha frappuccino…
🙂
I SO wish we had one of those in Cleveland! I would be in heaven!
I think that’s an amazing idea, especially now that Pumpkin Spice Latte season is here!
I’m sad you didn’t come visit my store when you were snapping these pics! 😉
@Rachel @Melissa @Minda -and everyone –
Thanks everyone for the comments! I totally think the Starbucks truck is a fun sight to see, hence the blog post.
@Rachel – I’m pretty sure that these trucks are really designed for promoting Starbucks at local events, and not like an ice cream truck. But it would be cool if there were a few of these trucks in regions away from Seattle.
@Melissa – Welcome to the blog! Pumpkins Spice latte is a fave, but I’m hoping for the return of the caramel brulee latte!
@Mindi – I’m sorry! I always forget where you are. Mentally, I think of you as in the US Bank Centre Building because we’ve talked about that before, but I know I’ve got it wrong and you’re not there!
This is a really interesting concept. I think Starbucks should deploy these everywhere like Ice Cream trucks and play a distinctive song when they go through business park and neighborhoods. 🙂
Great photos btw.
@Jason Coffee — Totally, I was just thinking the same thing. Have Starbucks make the rounds — if the truck stops in front of my house, Starbucks can put their mermaid logo on my garage door! Homeowner association watch out!
@Pam lol! I was just picturing adults running out to the Starbucks truck with money in our hands screaming, “WAIT, I WANT MY MOCHA!”
@Jason Coffee Yup! And I’d be leading the bunch of mochas lovers on my block! Especially on cool days like today — it’s mocha weather!
So, a friend of mine and I thought we were being original with the “Starbucks Truck” idea – we never knew they exsisted till I researched and found this site. Oh well, so much for that idea. We were on the soccer field watching the kids play and commented on how well we could do driving up with a “Starbucks Truck”. We are in a big soccer town in NJ and everyone comes to the games with their coffee especially now that’s its getting cooler – it would be great for the weekends. Even though we have two stores w/in a mile – you just can’t seem to get enough and the convenience goes without saying!
@Grace – Welcome to the blog! Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner! I’m not in Seattle at the moment, and visiting with family – Off line for long chunks of time. I love the Starbucks Trucks. I think there might be more than one of them. They do get used in Seattle for big annual Seattle events. Anyway, glad you like: I thought it was fun to show off the truck. Hope you will come back and join the comment community again.
Melody
If I counted correctly there are at least 6 posts on MSI today (Tuesday 9/28/10) relating to a Starbucks truck and/or delivery.
Sure hope none of those folks find their way here. 😉
Hi DadCooks! I went and checked out MSI just now and you’re right there are a few people out there wanting mobile Starbucks. I suspect it’s going to be an idea that comes up over and over again, so long as there is a MyStarbucksIdea.com.
oops too late . Very cool Melody Site
How do we get a Starbucks Truck to Southern Californina?!?!?!
@Gina Tannahill – I’m sorry to disappoint you but this blog article was about a truck used to keep Starbucks operations going in a specific location that was closed for remodel/construction. There are no Starbucks trucks that work like ice cream man trucks (at least not in the U.S.). Starbucks owns several trucks but uses them only (very rarely) at big local Seattle events, and to set up operations when a store is closed for construction or some other reason for store closure.
I just wanna ask if Starbucks Startrucks are still exist to use for special events until this year???
I really appreciate any response…
Thanks!!!
@meryjane – Those Starbucks trucks are so very rarely used. I remember that Starbucks used to always have trucks at events in Seattle, and I rarely see them now. And mostly, they’re just used as temporary operations when a store is closed during its remodel. I get emailed often about renting one for an event – that’s not possible. Sorry, but the Starbucks truck is a super rare sight – one reason I wanted to get a few photos of it. 🙂
how can you get one of these trucks at an event?
Starbucks does not rent these trucks. They use them to continue operations when a store is under construction, and historically they’ve used them at large, flagship Seattle events like the Green Lake Milk Carton Derby.
Hi Melody,
Would it be possible to ask you some more details about the Starbucks trucks?
Thanks,
SK