'Dumb Starbucks' Coffee Shop Appears in L.A.'s Los Feliz
The Los Feliz coffee scene has a new attention-getting entrant, though all bets are off on how long it sticks around.
Dumb Starbucks Coffee, which parodies the design of a coffee giant chain store, appeared out of seemingly nowhere on Saturday as a pop-up store in a nondescript Hillhurst Ave. location.
All of the coffee, brewed by two baristas, is free (tips appreciated). They also have pastries (apparently purchased from Vons) that are also free for the taking for now. And there is a reasonably long line of people waiting for a novelty brew.
Perhaps due to its impeccably rendered versions of the shop sign, menu and coffee cup design, the store has drawn attention on social media. Community showrunner Dan Harmon and The Office comedian Rainn Wilson happened to boost the profile of the shop by sharing links to Dumb Starbucks images.
In a Frequently Asked Questions page seen in the pop-up store, a few basic questions are addressed. The FAQ notes that, despite being a parody store, it also intends to be a real business.
"Although we are a fully functioning coffee shop, for legal reasons Dumb Starbucks needs to be categorized 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 actually the art. But that's for our lawyers to worry about. All you need to do is enjoy our delicious coffee!"
Starbucks coffee hasn't yet responded to a request for comment from THR.
