Starbucks starts a dating service

Java giant joins Yahoo! personals, offers users hot coffee.

Published January 20, 2006 10:59PM (EST)

If the Yahoo! personals service is to be believed, its users rate the coffee date as their preferred first-date option. Starbucks heard the news and got so excited it spilled Frappuccino mix all over the venti lids. Now, the two corporations have spawned Espresso Dating, a marketing partnership disguised as a dating service for the caffeine addicted, which started on Thursday.

Among other features, the site offers dating tips (on wardrobe: "We live in a world where some people judge on appearances"), anecdotes about patrons holding their wedding ceremonies in Starbucks and a guide to what a person's preferred beverage says about him or her. So, if the hottie ahead of you in line orders a Cinnamon Dolce Latte, you're looking at someone who's "sweet, with a fiery glow simmering just beneath the surface." (See, we might have guessed that person was prediabetic with a lot of disposable income, but then we've never been known for our ability to spot a fiery glow.)

They're cunningly offering $10 gift cards if you sign up before the middle of February, but since you're required to drop at least $24.95 for a subscription, it might be more economical to look for love -- or coffee -- somewhere else.


By Page Rockwell

Page Rockwell is Salon's editorial project manager.

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