There is been much brouhaha lately about the current successes and failures, respectively, of McDonalds and Starbucks. My professional I-Have-A-Degree-In-Finance-From-UT-But-Don't-Use-It analysis of the situation is thusly: McDonalds stuck its big toe in the "premium" coffee lake and is succeeding while Starbucks dove into serving food and is failing. Perhaps serving food is where Starbucks went wrong, but I think the real problem is with their bathrooms.
For anyone who has made the nerve-jangling roadtrip down I-35 from Dallas to Austin, dodging 18-wheelers and ducking concrete barriers, you can appreciate the need for a rest stop right around Waco. We specifically chose Starbucks just off the highway, not only to get a beverage, but we felt it would be a more soothing experience than, say, a McDonalds. The zombie soccer moms standing in line ahead of me were scary, but the barista was college-boy adorable and charming. I ordered a single espresso (I refused to say "solo espresso" on principle). I'm guessing not that many people order just an espresso at a Starbucks, so college-boy barista took the opportunity to discuss the taste with me and explain how they had adjusted the espresso machine for better flavor. "Fantastico!" I cried. But the dingy, filmy, "Joe Versus the Volcano"-esqye bathroom? Molto not fantastico.
All of which got me to thinking about my favorite "on the road" bathrooms. Since I now recognize that when it comes to travel, I am bathroom-obsessed, I'm sure I will have more to add to the list. But for those of you traveling in Texas, the following are my current two favorites along with the introduction of my good bathroom/bad bathroom ranking icons.
The Buc-ees in Gi
ddings, Texas (Between Austin and Houston)
A Buc-ees is similar to Stuckey's. It's a "roadside convenience store" where you can conveniently purchase both gas and a variety of nut-based candies. I can't speak to the men's bathroom, but the women's bathroom is absolutely spotless and the stalls are completely enclosed. I honestly don't know how they can maintain the bathroom the way they do, but I bet I have stopped at that Buc-ees no fewer than 50 times and not once has it disappointed.
Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas (Between Dallas and Houston)
Collin Street Bakery is "world famous" for its DeLuxe fruitcake. My mom loves fruitcake, so while living in Houston the tradition became to stop by the bakery to buy her a fruitcake on our way to her house in Dallas for Christmas. For me, when you say a loaf of red and green maraschino cherries, I say upchuck, but Collin Street Bakery not only carries other baked goods, it is home to one of the most glamorous, inviting bathrooms in road trip history. Warm tones and a stylishly comfortable loveseat welcome you to the sophisticated, marbled women's bathroom. Is this a bathroom of a fruitcake bakery in a small Texas town or a bathroom in an elegant Parisian hotel? You tell me!
Starbucks in
Waco, Texas (the one just off I-35)
The Barista? Charming and cordial. Espresso from the adjusted machine? Smooth. The bathroom? "Brain cloud".
-- Clear Plastic Bag
For anyone who has made the nerve-jangling roadtrip down I-35 from Dallas to Austin, dodging 18-wheelers and ducking concrete barriers, you can appreciate the need for a rest stop right around Waco. We specifically chose Starbucks just off the highway, not only to get a beverage, but we felt it would be a more soothing experience than, say, a McDonalds. The zombie soccer moms standing in line ahead of me were scary, but the barista was college-boy adorable and charming. I ordered a single espresso (I refused to say "solo espresso" on principle). I'm guessing not that many people order just an espresso at a Starbucks, so college-boy barista took the opportunity to discuss the taste with me and explain how they had adjusted the espresso machine for better flavor. "Fantastico!" I cried. But the dingy, filmy, "Joe Versus the Volcano"-esqye bathroom? Molto not fantastico.
All of which got me to thinking about my favorite "on the road" bathrooms. Since I now recognize that when it comes to travel, I am bathroom-obsessed, I'm sure I will have more to add to the list. But for those of you traveling in Texas, the following are my current two favorites along with the introduction of my good bathroom/bad bathroom ranking icons.
The Buc-ees in Gi
ddings, Texas (Between Austin and Houston)A Buc-ees is similar to Stuckey's. It's a "roadside convenience store" where you can conveniently purchase both gas and a variety of nut-based candies. I can't speak to the men's bathroom, but the women's bathroom is absolutely spotless and the stalls are completely enclosed. I honestly don't know how they can maintain the bathroom the way they do, but I bet I have stopped at that Buc-ees no fewer than 50 times and not once has it disappointed.
Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas (Between Dallas and Houston)
Collin Street Bakery is "world famous" for its DeLuxe fruitcake. My mom loves fruitcake, so while living in Houston the tradition became to stop by the bakery to buy her a fruitcake on our way to her house in Dallas for Christmas. For me, when you say a loaf of red and green maraschino cherries, I say upchuck, but Collin Street Bakery not only carries other baked goods, it is home to one of the most glamorous, inviting bathrooms in road trip history. Warm tones and a stylishly comfortable loveseat welcome you to the sophisticated, marbled women's bathroom. Is this a bathroom of a fruitcake bakery in a small Texas town or a bathroom in an elegant Parisian hotel? You tell me!Starbucks in
Waco, Texas (the one just off I-35)The Barista? Charming and cordial. Espresso from the adjusted machine? Smooth. The bathroom? "Brain cloud".
-- Clear Plastic Bag
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