New York Woman Sues Starbucks Over Tea That Was ‘Too Hot’

US coffee giants Starbucks are facing a lawsuit from an American woman over claims she suffered second degree burns after being served tea that was too hot. She had been served the tea which was "unreasonably hot, in containers which were not safe" in a Manhattan branch of the chain.

Zeynap Inanli, of New York, aims to sue the corporation for unspecified damages after it is claimed she suffered "great physical and mental anguish" which included the burns. Her lawyer stated she had not been able to observe warnings on the container of the drink due to her lacking skills in English.

The US coffee giant is no stranger to this kind of allegation and refused to comment although a legal expert has noted that the cups in question have two warning signs on the sides and a third on the lid along with design measures to guarantee any hot liquid cannot spill out accidentally.

The debacle is familiar as in 1994 a jury ruled that McDonald's pay nearly $3m to an Albuquerque woman who claimed she had burnt herself with the restaurant's coffee. The parties settled out of court but it opened the floodgates to those looking to seek compensation against large corporations for hot drinks accidents.

This case is the third legal battle in the last twelve months that has faced Starbucks taking another shot at their already damaged reputation. Veteran musician Carly Simon, who signed to Starbucks own record label, failed to sell many records so she set out to sue Starbucks for 'loss of earnings' alleging her album was not even promoted, the case was thrown out of court.

In February of this year, Starbucks battled a case to ban gun carriers in Denver to openly carry firearms in their coffee shops. Although Colorado law states that civilians can openly carry firearms with a licence, many city centre business forbid the carrying of weapons indoors. Starbucks made the decision to allow their customers to observe the 2nd amendment but risked losing the faith of at least on side of the argument. Starbucks claimed they were trying to cater for customers while observing local law but it has dragged them into the centre of a dispute between gun control activists and gun advocates.

Starbucks have consulted health and safety experts in order to prevent liability over their printed paper cups and paper cup lids and their warnings are written in several languages and shown in a visual form, legal experts suspect the case will be thrown out of court.

Tags: claim, coffee, compensation, corporation, court, lawsuit, PR, starbucks, sue

May 11 2010 | coffee | No Comments »

Starbucks Coffee vs. Dunkin’ Donuts

One of the most preferred drinks in the world is coffee. People love the taste, and even more so the physical boost it provides. Giving energy to both the body and mind, people have come to depend on it for work, not to mention the social benefits of it too.

Two of the most popular brands in the nation are Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. In bigger cities, you can't go a few blocks without seeing one of the two and there are branches of each present in both towns as well.

There are those who claim that Dunkin Donuts is better, and they're fiercely loyal to the brand. Others feel just the same way about Starbucks. Which is the better option of the two? Let's have a look.

We're going to look at Starbucks first here. They say that Starbucks could one day outnumber McDonald's in terms of locations, which goes to show the strength of the brand. Aside from their coffee, they've branched out to various foods and other drinks.

While people generally approve of the food, in no way does it compare to the coffee. Though they definitely enjoy the taste of the coffee, many people love the caffeine that one cup packs in. Starbucks offers up some of the strongest coffee out there.

There may be less caffeine in Dunkin Donuts drinks, but many coffee drinkers have no problem with this. They don't feel that they need the caffeine kick that comes with a Starbucks coffee. They also appreciate the generous servings at Dunkin Donuts. For the same price, you can generally get a few more ounces to drink.

Dunkin Donuts clearly wins the value war between the two brands, and they also win the flavor battle. The coffee menu at Dunkin Donuts is a bit more varied, and those who like flavored coffee may prefer this.

Now that we've looked at the facts, you may be wondering which company offers better coffee? In taste tests, you might be interested to know that more people prefer Dunkin Donuts. However, you're looking for caffeine and something a bit more gourmet, Starbucks might be your answer.

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Tags: awards, business, coffee, drink, fast-food, food, franchises, fun, health, hobbies, product reviews, restaurants, shopping, starbucks

October 27 2009 | coffee | No Comments »