Companies and/or brands that do not sponsor the Olympics are banned from having a presence there. Starbucks is one of those companies. If you're in Sochi and in need of a caffeine fix, you will have to get it from McDonald's.
Unless, of course, you work for NBC. According to The Wall Street Journal:
The media giant, which paid $775 million for exclusive U.S. broadcasting rights for the Games, has erected the Sochi Starbucks in its cordoned-off area of the Olympic media center. Baristas serve the free java 24-hours-a-day to the roughly 2,500 people NBC says it sent here.
Bringing in the joe is a delicate exercise. NBC flies in a rotating crew of some 15 baristas from Starbucks coffee shops in Russia, sets them up with accommodations in Sochi, and pays their regular wages. As with past Games, Starbucks has gladly cooperated with the effort.
All told, the barista battalion is larger than the Sochi Olympic teams of some 57 countries.
So, let me get this straight – there are more people in Sochi right now running a private Starbucks for NBC employees than athletes competing in the actual games for countries? Should we be concerned? Because the coffee shop is in NBC's private facility, they are not technically breaking any rules, but this seems a little absurd and kind of waste of money. I mean, they're not even offering a full menu, including plain black coffee. What the…?
NBC has apparently been engaging in this little excercise in loop holes since the 2000 Summer Games. However, according to WSJ, this year is only the second time they have had to bring Starbucks to a city that did not have one.
I guess we should never underestimate the power of a chai latte.
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