星巴克的集装箱咖啡厅

Starbucks, of course, can't afford to be totally idealist. They still have market challengesof their own and, sooner or later, there are only so many large coffee housesyou can build and expect profitability. Rubinfeld describes the issue as one ofneighborhood-level demand. Starbucks sees countless markets that might exist,but each is a bit too small to sustain a traditional store with larger squarefootage.

Their new buildingparadigm--officially labeled a'pilotprogram'--is a confluence of all these variousimpulses. The environment. Localism. Market growth. Low-cost, low-riskexpandability. And making it all come together is the responsibility of AnthonyPerez, a senior concept design manager who envisioned Starbucks's original prefab store.