"Dumb Starbucks", a parody of the original coffee house has opened door in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon and has customers lining up to see what it is all about.
A mysterious challenger has decided to give the coffee shop a run for its money by quietly opening up a "parody" coffee shop called "Dumb Starbucks" in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. According to a Los Angeles Times report, the mock store is virtually identical to Starbucks, the only difference is that everything has the word "dumb" in front of it.
The store opened with little to no fanfare, but within hours, customers were lining up to see what all the social media chatter was about. Patrons waited in line for over an hour to get a glimpse inside; because of their long wait times, the baristas started handing out free coffees. Iced coffees and lattes were giving to waiting customers as a promotional strategy.
"They're definitely not serving at Starbucks pace," customer Jeffrey Eyster, 43, joked after waiting about an hour in line, according to the tabloid.
Word of the new store quickly spread through social media and many people were seen gathering near the store and clicking selfies. The store also has a twitter account. Check it out to see pictures of their menu and other interesting updates.
"It's a ballsy move on their part," said another customer to the tabloid. "It feels like they're sticking it to the company. Everybody drinks Starbucks coffee, like zombies."
What's even more interesting is that the mock store also uses the same Starbucks logo. The question that arises is whether it's legal to run such a business with so many similarities of another brand. Dumb Starbucks says it is legal because of the parody law in the country. In a pamphlet given away at the opening, the store answered quite a few FAQs, stating,
"Although we are a fully functioning coffee shop, for legal reasons Dumb Starbucks needs to be categorized as a work of parody art. So, in the eyes of the law, our 'coffee shop' is actually an art gallery and the 'coffee' you're buying is considered the art. But that's for our lawyers to worry about. All you need to do is enjoy our delicious coffee!"
According to the law, "By adding the word 'dumb', we are technically 'making fun' of Starbucks, which allows us to use their trademarks under a law known as 'fair use,'" the FAQ read.
