One LA-based coffee shop is baring all in an effort to beat the economic downturn by enticing customers with baristas dressed in the less than traditional uniform - bikinis. Is Bikini Espresso Café a clever niche-marketing idea, or is it stereotypical exploitation of women, masquerading as a smart business move? Unsurprisingly, it is aimed at attracting male coffee drinkers and, according to reports, enjoyed success in its first week. Bikini Espresso – which offers ‘coffee with a tease’ – admits staff don’t have to know how to make lattes. It may not only be the Californian’s catching a glimpse of this bizarre new trend. Managing Partner Gary Gillett says the company will open outlets in UK, France, Russia and Spain. So, watch this space.

Flickr photo by DeusXFlorida

Clearly there has been a move away from when free WiFi would give coffee shop operators the edge. I guess in a fiercely competitive market, you have to have an approach that differentiates you and makes you stand out from the crowd. The question is, will bikini baristas do it though?

Is it a case of ‘desperate times calls for desperate measures’? What about the ladies? Just to be fair, should hot men be serving coffee in speedo’s? Or is that a step too far?

In Need of a New Brew? Starbucks Opens Unbranded Stores

Flickr photo by rudolph_schuba

This announcement comes days after global coffee shop brand Starbucks revealed plans to launch unbranded coffee shops. They have been redesigned to resemble independent local cafés. It aims to reflect the local community more than the original stores did. This launch follows an advertising campaign by Starbucks to ’shake off’ its image as a purveyor of overpriced coffee. The global coffee giant certainly needs to do something. This year, Starbucks closed more than 700 stores and cut thousands of jobs when it reported a 97% drop in profits at the end of the last quarter in 2008. Comments made by a rival of Starbucks labels this move as their ‘mid-life crisis’.

Flickr photo by Mark Warner

Will the coffee chain’s trial of unbranded shops boost the core brand or backfire? Let us know what you think about this crazy trend in the ever evolving coffee shop culture. Leave us a comment here or send us an email.