Starbucks Family Fun House
More Diapers | June 5As we sat feeling a bit of cabin fever on the second day of our rainy weekend, Jen had an epiphony: Starbucks should have a play area. As you likely well know, it’s tough to have a VERY active kid and no where to go and no one to play with. We wanted to go to Starbucks or somewhere, but, really our options were limitted. Starbucks doesn’t accomodate kids well — and they shouldn’t. Sure, McDonalds has the playlands, but we’re not going to get Hayes into McDonalds this early on — plus I wasn’t in the mood for McDonalds.
But I was in the mood for Starbucks. I can always find something there that I can be in the mood for. I just need a reason and a wallet.
I mean, imagine this: it’s rainy, snowy, or otherwise a bad time to get the kid outside. There’s no one around for him/her to play with. S/he is litteraly crawling up the walls. What do you do? How about go to that great new Starbucks with the play area, sit in a comfy chair, have a latte and watch as your kid makes new friends — maybe even make some new friends of your own. You know, get some adult time while your kid gets some kid time.
Now I’m by no means suggesting that all Starbucks should have play areas. No, that would really suck for everyone involved. But, kid friendly Starbucks do make for a nifty extension of their branding. They could even partner with a well know educational brand like LeapFrog or PBS Kids. Then expand their menu to include a couple of kid friendly snacks and milk, give the parents a bunch of comfy chairs and then the play area to let the kids run for a while. Sure, we’d still have to do some management, but we could have some coffee and make friends at the same time. Think of it as an upscale McD’s playland with more yupified company and better coffee.
Plus, we’d spend money. Lots of money. Way more money than most of the people that currently camp out in the comfy chairs to work on their laptops and sip an empty espresso drink for four hours.
Then extend this, not only to the working parents who need a weekend break, but to the stay-at-home parents who need a break — every day. Money.
So, why isn’t Starbucks doing this? Why focus on producing movies when there is an easy brand extension that your minions would really dig?
It’s simple. It’ brillaint. (GREAT IDEA JEN!) And you know you’d go. Like the idea? Let’s give it a little blogosphere push and see if we can get something done! Oh, and when this thing happens, please, all I ask is for lifetime Starbucks for Jen and me. For, you know, the effort.
We go to Barnes and Noble to accomplish this. They have the Starbucks type cafe in them and ususally a kids section with stuff to do. The only thing they lack is the comfy chairs.
I would LOVE a Starbucks with a kids play area. My kids do love the kid-area at Barnes & Noble, but it is more sedate play (benches for reading books, a Thomas the Engine train set). A more jungle gym play area, where they could run and leap and race in circles, with other kids! ah,heaven. Especially when it means I would get to drink decent coffee, and possibly even get to know some parents I’d have something in common with.
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Man, that is such a great idea. We’ve done the Barnes and Noble thing, and frankly, it’s a nightmare, at least over here. It’s kind of like what it’d be like if there was a toy train in the kids area of the library and everybody just let their kids run wild. I mean, it’s a book store, not a playground. But the Starbucks thing, great idea (of course, as long as it was walled-off and sound proofed, as all children must be).
Actually, I’ve read an article on this recently - this *is* starting to happen, thoungh I’ve never seen it here in Tucson. But the article talked about how some coffee shops are taking the opposite tack by stating ‘No kids allowed’ on their doors. Apparently, there were some hostile takeovers on the part of some stay-at-home parents in SF or Seattle or something. So the coffee community is devided on this issue.
Yah, there was actually an article in the NYT a while back about coffee houses and restaurants in the Chicago area going on the defense about kids. This is the opposite tact. Make a Starbucks specifically for kids, and then make ones that definitely aren’t. Everyone wins. Even Starbucks.
My local Starbucks is co-located inside a Target. If they incorporated a kiddie playground, I would never leave.
EVER.
There is a Tully’s in Tacoma (WA) that has small toys for the kids (puzzles, books, trucks, etc) and I pass at least 8 Starbucks on my way there….
A play area at the Starbucks within walking distance from my house would be excellent!
The Tully’s in downtown Bellevue also has toys, and generally tolerant patrons. Actually, I think the one near my house does, too - maybe they’re trying to move into the kid-friendly-coffeehouse slot.
There’s also a new “Child’s Play Cafe” in Bellevue that’s further extending the concept, although it’s kind of expensive. http://www.childsplaycafe.com/
Oh, like I don’t spend enough money there already!
Since the Starbucks between my house and my parents’ house has a drive-thru, I’m pretty happy. There is a definite “anti-kid” feeling in the Seattle area Starbucks shops. The adults without children get seriously annoyed when a kid comes in, even a well-behaved one, because they’re afraid it’ll mess with their “ambience”… and their wi-fi. I think this is a winning idea, because anyone walking into a “kid” Starbucks would know exactly what they are getting.
I’m waiting for the time when the kids are old enough for me to bribe them with a vanilla milk and a book and we can just go to Barnes and Noble, because with a Barnes and Noble membership, you get 10% off at the Cafe, too!
I think the general quiet laptop crowd would develop burning radar vision to combat vocalizing children and their parents if we descended on the sanctity of their too cool for kidsdom. I think we’d have to find a different location to incorporate the starbucks aspects into that is already child friendly. I liked the idea of the Target combo. If Target had a coffee shop/play area I might pee myself.
Hartford Coffee in South St.Louis does this. It works out pretty good but it seems to be just parents and little kids there, never just regular people. I guess we’ve scared all of them away!
Java Jungle does this (http://junglejavaplay.com/) and I wish, wish there was one here in Chattanooga.
Have you seen cafe au play? http://www.cafeauplay.org/index.html
Do you live in a place with non-chain coffee shops? There are a few in my neighborhood of Chicago that have play areas for kids - with toys, even, and friendly baristas who do not blink when the kid orders a cup of milk foam. Of course, the one I’m thinking of is directly across the street from the cafe that posted a sign stating that kids must use their indoor voices (which lead to a huge kerfuffle!)
Anyway, the point is - check out non-brand-name places. They often have better coffee and service anyway.
I’ve been whining for one for years now. I heard that there is such a thing in NY City. Now, it might just be an urban legend, but I did hear it from someone who used to live there and could tell you every restaurant play area in her part of town. What a dream!
P.S. Here via Mom-101
I think it’s a great idea. There are already Starbucks stores on every single corner, it seems, so why not designate *one* in an area that is a kid version? We have a local coffee shop that has a Lego table and some blocks and books, but it’s just not the same as a play area.
I am clearly in the minority here. I am a SAHM to two little kids, and I go to coffeehouses to get away from them. Please don’t take away my refuge.
[…] The Blogfathers had a post today about putting play areas (akin to the ones found at McDonalds) in at Starbucks. It seems like a brilliant plan. Not in every Starbucks, some things must remain sacred, but in a few of them. I have driven in to downtown Tacoma to have coffee with a friend at a Tully’s that has small toys for kids just because of the toys. I knew that if I went there Andrew could play and I could talk for at least 30 minutes before the shrieking and mom-climbing began. […]
Our neighbourhood Starbucks has a kids’ table and stools (Ikea, I think), a rack full of kids’ books, and a magnetic chalk board and alphabet magnets. Id rather go to an independent coffee shop, but kid-friendly independent ones don’t even exist in my neighbourhood, and the kid clamours for the ‘bucks when we’re out and about. We run into other families there, and it seems to jibe with what you’re proposing.
I wonder whose idea it was? I have no idea how much autonomy store managers have. But if such a Starbucks exists already, then others could, too.
Amen.
Brilliant idea. Kid friendly one’s should be like the drive-through starbucks, you know only a few sprinked around.
We (parents w/ kids) don’t want to take coffee houses away from people, merely claim one as our own.
I too go get coffe to ‘get away’ from my kids but it’s not like ALL of em would be kid friendly, just one or two.
I would love that, although I have a Barnes & Noble and it’s close.
Some of the Dunkin’ DOnuts in the Rochester, NY suburbs have some amenities for kids. Dunkin’ DOnuts is generally family friendly, but most shops ion the northeast aren’t for sticking around, with or without your kids–theya re “get my breakfast and get on to my next stop.” But some of the upstate NY ones are different, more compofrtable and amenable to hanging out, with really nice patio areas and lawns where kids can play.
I’ve heard that some of the newer Dunkins being built (or renovated) will be more like this–still geared to making things fast for those that want to move on, but also more comfortable for people who want to stick around in a more atmospheric environment.
Wow, I have been searching the web tonight trying to research if anyone is doing a child-friendly play area coffe chain anywhere in the world as I too am a frustrated mother. Recently my sister and I went to our usual coffee shop in our local Mall that has a box of toys (small gratitudes) and comfy chairs at least and really great coffee, however our shock was when we looked around us they had added magazines everywhere around the walls. Coffee with a magazine the girl told us…. but what this meant for my sister and I was the toybox was no longer interesting as the magazines were in easy reach for our toddlers. We ended up chatting in the babies nappy/change area that at least had a small play house, comfy chairs…. but obviously no coffee…. and we refused to go to McD’s.
Anway I was so estatic to read so many of yours letters in respone to Jen’s idea. (Good on you Jen) I am looking to create a coffee chain/franchise in New Zealand that offers parents great coffee and a chance to enjoy it with a kids area. I am just at the idea stage so any thoughts would be so appreciated. Anyone out there interested to combine talents!? Emma Grace