Illustration by Camden Andl ’19 | The Dutch Bros. and Starbucks mascots battle it out over who has the best cup of coffee on the west coast. Trophy students attend both of these coffee shops. 

Dutch Bros. offers superior pricing, options, customer service

By Jack Davis ’17
THE ROUNDUP

Dutch Bros. Coffee was founded in the early 1990s and since then, it has expanded across the west coast, providing a better alternative to other coffee chains, in particular Starbucks.

One reason for why I prefer Dutch Bros. for my daily energy boost—the price.

A standard 16 oz. coffee drink from Dutch Bros. costs a mere $3 compared to Starbucks’ $3.65.

In fact, customers pay $3.50 for 24 ounces of coffee, known as a medium at Dutch Bros., which is still less than Starbucks’ grandé size—let alone venti (20 ounces).

As an avid coffee drinker, the dollars and cents really start to add up.

Dutch Bros. gives me the most bang for my buck, and I don’t think there’s a drop off in taste.

Another reason I prefer Dutch Bros. to Starbucks would be the variety of non-coffee drinks. It becomes a little repetitive to have something as hot and rich as coffee whenever I want a caffeine kick.

Enter Dutch Bros., which provides several non-coffee options including Rebels (a soda-like carbonated beverage), smoothies, teas and sodas.

Starbucks only provides a small selection of teas and smoothies. They can’t measure up to the amount of alternative coffee items that Dutch Bros. can offer.

Lastly, in my experience, I have found that Dutch Bros.’ customer service exceeds Starbucks’.

I never wait as long at Dutch Bros. as I do at Starbucks.

That’s not to mention the energy and excitement Dutch Bros. workers bring when they attend to you. Starbucks just doesn’t have that.

For my morning cup of Joe, there’s simply no other option than Dutch Bros.

Starbucks best place for morning cup of Joe, nutritious breakfast

By Jack Cahill ’17
THE ROUNDUP

Starbucks, founded in 1971, still remains the best place for coffee and is superior to Dutch Bros.

I will concede one thing and that is the pricing. Dutch Bros. is cheaper than Starbucks by a nominal margin of only 50 cents.

However, I believe it is worth it to pay slightly higher prices to get my cup of java at Starbucks.

Firstly, in my experience, Dutch Bros. may have overtly friendly workers, but they do a terrible job at managing lines.

I have spent upwards of 25 minutes in the Dutch Bros. line, boxed in by cars, only to get a mediocre coffee.

That leads me to my second point: Starbucks simply tastes better.

I realize that taste is completely subjective, but something about Dutch Bros. tastes so artificial compared to the coffee found at Starbucks.

When I get a latte at Starbucks, I am met with the delightful taste of quality coffee. It actually tastes like I’m drinking real coffee and not some concoction packed with the taste of

too much sugar and an excess of cream.

That isn’t to say that Dutch Bros. makes bad coffee, it just doesn’t compare to Starbucks.

Starbucks also has a superior selection. Sure, Dutch Bros. may offer more smoothies and energy drinks, but Starbucks far exceeds Dutch Bros. in regards to their selection and quality of food.

Starbucks offers a myriad of healthy breakfast choices, lunches and snacks, whereas Dutch Bros. has only one pastry on their menu.

As someone who often doesn’t have time for breakfast, it is incredibly convenient to be able to order a fairly nutritious breakfast with my morning cup of Joe.

Dutch Bros. may be an up-and-coming coffee store with fair prices, but Starbucks remains unparalleled in regards to taste, customer service and selection.