Starbucks shuts for barista training; other cafes offer free coffee

Could you make a better-tasting latte, cappuccino or Americano with a few hours of extra training?

Thousands of Starbucks stores across the country are shutting their doors tonight to try. Wednesday, we'll start finding out.

More than 7,000 company-owned stores are retraining about 135,000 employees in milk steaming and other drink-making essentials.

About 4,000 licensed Starbucks stores (the kind you find in supermarkets and airports) soon will follow suit, spokesman Brandon Borrman said.

This unprecedented retraining comes as the international coffee giant tries to boost sales growth and rejuvenate its brand. Chairman Howard Schultz returned last month as chief executive to oversee the turnaround, which will include faster expansion overseas, two hours a day of free Wi-Fi to certain customers and an end to warmed breakfast sandwiches (stay tuned for more at the annual meeting March 19).

Online, Starbucks critics on many a coffee-related site are wondering whether all this effort will make a difference in the end, since the company has said it doesn't plan a return to manual espresso machines. Starbucks fans pointed out that some independent shops could benefit from extra training, too. Ultimately, the company hopes the training will help workers deliver the perfect drink every time, Borrman said.

Meanwhile, competing coffee purveyors, like Seattle's Caffé Vita, are offering free drip coffee and espresso drinks during the shutdown.

Sascha Sprinkle, a barista at Caffé Vita's Queen Anne location, said extra workers are coming in tonight to handle expected crowds.

"We just want to show people what we have to offer," she said.

Karen Gaudette: 206-515-5618 or kgaudette@seattletimes.com