Dumb Starbucks

I was lucky enough to hear of this place early and check it out before the lines became crazy.
This was a confusing, hilarious, and mysterious experience.

Found pubes in my dumb venti. Other than that my dumb Starbucks experience was great! It’s is a family friendly coffee shop, that does not discriminate against Pegasuses nor man bear pig. Come for the coffee. Stay for the chairs

oh i see, you want a review with substantive consumer experience. ok, try this:
this consumer stood in line for over an hour to discover the establishment was a canadian comedian’s parody of a popular american retailer by dispensing supermarket pastry and low-​grade coffee at no charge. it was a joke with no punchline, satire with no wit. comedy central will edit it up, add a laugh track, and be complimented at award season for its ironic «brilliance.»
again, it lived up/​down to its name.

Good for a chuckle but that’s about it. Waiting in line for well over an hour just to check it out. Waste of time. Figured I’d get a free tea since they had it on their menu only to find out they weren’t stocking tea.
I’m surprised this place stayed open as long as it did. Good for them for going all out with the logo and look, but at the end of the day, this place was just… well…dumb.

The «dumb» concept is actually quite brilliant. Making a mockery out of the nation’s giant coffee monopoly? Absolute genius. It doesn’t matter what’s behind it, because you know there’s got to be more to it than just shelling out coffee. And that is what made people so curious enough that they (including myself) would stand in line for 2 hours to see. I justify it as an attraction, just like how people are willing to stand in line for a ride at Disneyland.
By the time we were in line for an hour, they announced that they had run out of coffee. But for those who had so patiently waited, they were handing out empty cups with the infamous logo. The store was identical to the name brand-​from the menu where all the drink names had «dumb» before it, the evergreen aprons worn by the baristas, to the baskets and shelves with merchandise, though nothing with their name on it. Even the outside table with the large green umbrella… dumb.
Word had it, the coffee they were using was from Vons, as were the pastries in the display case. And they were giving it all for free. Was it an art gallery in which the coffee was art? Were they making a statement against capitalism? Perhaps it was all at the hands of the mysterious Banksy. The curiosity was mounting.
Minutes later, Nathan Fielder from Comedy Central’s Nathan For You, surfaced to make an announcement that he was behind the whole stunt. Minutes after that, someone from the health dept. arrived and shut the place down for having no health permit.
The whole point? It got you, me, social media, and the news media talking. Heck, people were shelling out $ 56 on eBay for a paper cup! Ok, so that last part is totally absurd, I admit.
Nathan and Comedy Central, you definitely stirred us up.

Genius! Should start a food truck now.

Hope this ‘Starbucks’ stays around! Love it!

Oh you just gotta love the name! SoOO
O R I G I N A L (sarcasm hehe) when I heard about this place I just had to check it out for myself. I waited in line behind a stinky guy for almost an hour only to see a paper passed around stating that they will close at 5:30. (Sunday) what! so sad. So I got out of line when I saw them close the door and just hung out there for a bit. I got to see a bunch of cameras, this guy selling stuff and even this girl who threaten to tell everyone «the big secret behind this establishment» if she and her dog were to not be let in (only to have the door shut in her face when she did try to get in as someone was leaving) priceless! :P

‘Dumb Starbucks, what’s that?!’ ‘Why would anyone want to wait in a line like that?!’ ‘Yuck, their coffee tastes like horrible!!’ Are just a few of many questions and comments I have been asked and overheard. Simply put, Dumb Starbucks is just one’s tribute upon Starbucks. As one can see on every social media, news outlet and texting gossip, everything within (including the logo) has ‘DUMB’ right on the beginning of it. Its funny to see that many honestly believe on receiving a free decent cup of coffee. In reality, its probably one of the worst cup’s of coffee one can taste. Served by a ‘barista’ that was found from an ad on craigslist. So, this must be the main question that all should be pondering… ‘What is the main focus that the artist is trying to portray?’ The taste of real Starbucks coffee is rather rash. The pastries served at a real Starbucks oddly tastes like one from a Von’s. Everything seems to be on point with a real Starbucks. There’s only two things that seem to be missing that the artist didn’t put in… Dumb gift cards and the Dumb long line at Starbucks coffee. Well, let’s just say he just forgot the gift cards. To whomever the artist is.
Cheers to you.
So…the man behind Dumb Starbucks… Nathan from Nathan For you

I’m surprised people are rating this place anything below 5 stars! It’s a «Dumb Starbucks» coffee shop! Let’s be honest you’re not waiting in a 90 minute line because you heard the coffee is delicious! lol you came for the «Dumb Starbucks» cup and you’re staying in the long line because it’s free! The only people that have the right to be mad is Starbucks and they are lol
Starbucks spokesman Jim Olson spoke to CNNMoney saying the company appreciates the humor but doesn’t want the name or the protected trademark logo being used. Currently Starbucks is reviewing their options on whether to sue or not. I don’t know how much longer Dumb Starbucks will remain open because their coffee doesn’t taste good and it’s only a matter of time until the «buzz» is over. Maybe after it closes we will see a «Dumb McDonald’s»

This is so fuckin genius I can’t stand it!
I’d rather wait an HOUR in a line for a DUMB latte than for anything from a real Starbucks.
Whatever this is — I enjoyed it coming to town.

D
U
M
B
Or
Is
It?
Only
time
will
tell.
But
for
now
Health
Department
wins
on
shutting
it
down.

I really don’t wanna complain when I’m getting everything for free, but the line was insane. Average 1 – 2 hours wait. I was here around 11:30am so it was early enough to get my free coffee and some free pastries from Vons. I saw some people were just grabbing cookies and water. I guess you can do that since everything was free.
They don’t have machine so they can’t make frappuccino yet. I tried black coffee and caramel macchiato. Caramel macchiato tasted like hazelnut. Black coffee was watery and it wasn’t hot, not even warm.
Also I really don’t appreciate people who were bringing dogs inside the store. Do you even think about people who are allergic to it? like me? I don’t hate dogs, and I’m sure dogs are part of your family but please think about other people who can’t have animals around. That’s the manner.

Dumb Starbucks.
Because I had nothing better to do than wait 2 hours for a free hot beverage.
Because a parody is way funnier when «business owners» throw $ 30,000 into it.
Because absolutely NOTHING is better than pissing off the man.
I think we’ve found the epitome of Los Angeles, ladies and gentlemen!

why are people reviewing this place when they havent even tasted anything here, people in line even. this place was awesome. it was great to go inside and check it out. Free coffee is always good and Im not going to complain. Service with a smile! I had a small dumb coffee and my friend got a frap, which wasnt that good. but nevertheless free and a nice new hang out. We will come back again and thanks to Dumbstarbucks see you again soon!

Hilarious! Where else would you find a parody in the land of Intelligentsia, Caffe Vita, and Cafecito Organico? Right here in the land of artists (Los Feliz and Silver Lake), that’s where!
Not sure how long this will last but, they’re giving out free cups of coffee from who knows where, and baked goods from Vons.
The line was incredibly long, wrapping around the block! The interior looks authentic, the uniforms with the similar logo, and the cups with stickers that look pretty darn close to the real thing.
Oh, there’s even a patio area with a few tables with the hunter green umbrellas with the «Dumb Starbucks Coffee» logo on the flaps! These guys really paid attention to details.
What I’m thinking, it’s an art installation and a commentary on popular culture. Or rather, something in popular culture that brings people together – a shared experience.
It turns out that they already ran out of their signature cups and the wait is over 90 minutes long!
I didn’t bother standing in line, but wanted to check out the scene for myself. I heard that the coffee was horrible. However, again, this is a clever idea. There is talk about others wanting to duplicate this concept over at other highly popular places, but, it won’t work since it’s been done. This is definitely an original. A social science art experiment. I love it!
So, the would-​be customers that don’t want to spend so much time in line are flocking to our amazing local coffee joints. It’s great that Dumb Starbucks Coffee is doing a smart thing by bringing lots of business to our wonderful local coffee shops!

I love this concept. After reading about Dumb Starbucks on Gawker, I knew I had to come check it out. I’m not a huge fan of Starbucks corporation but will drink it every once in awhile, so imagine my amusement when this popped up.
There are many rumors circulating about who’s behind the store. Is it a Starbucks publicity stunt (doesn’t seem like it, but that would’ve been super cool)? Is it a pop-​up art installation? Is it some really wealthy hipster who has too much money and time on his hands? What about all the legal issues? Well, according to the store:
«Although we are a fully functioning coffee shop, for legal reasons Dumb Starbucks needs to be categorize 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!»
As for everyone suspecting Banksy to be behind this hilariously entertaining parody store, I highly doubt it’s him since this isn’t really his style. He’s a fan of subtlety and this store is no where close to being subtle.
If anything, more than likely, it has to do with a TV show or movie, as the first people to tweet about Dumb Starbucks were TV writer Dan Harmon and actor Rainn Wilson.
I’m currently in line (I hear the wait is 90 minutes long) and it’s pretty dumb. There’s even a dude selling (or really, asking for «donations» ’cause you know, parody law technicality) Dumb Starbucks trucker hats and mugs. I’ll update my review after I receive my free dumb coffee!
Update –
We waited in line for two hours and were right about to go in; but instead of closing at 6 pm, they decided to close at 5:30 pm and stopped letting people in at 5:40 pm, literally closing the door right in our faces. What. The. Fuck.
Update –
It’s been confirmed! It was all for Nathan Fielder’s (Comedy Central) TV stunt & social experiment:
Well played, sir. Well played.