Content area
Abstract
In an interview, occupational psychologist and business consultant Joseph Michelli, author of "The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary", discusses his new book, "When Fish Fly", a study of workplace dynamics at Seattle's Pike Place Fish Market. When asked if are there similarities between the Pike Place Fish Market and a Starbucks store, Michelli said the similarity is the commitment to creating an experience. At the Pike Place Fish Market, you buy fish and hand them money, but that's not what it's all about. It's about watching vendors throw fish and getting the customers involved. People come there to watch the show and buy fish in the process. The Starbucks experience is more about affordable luxury, being in a homey environment. You walk in and it just feels like the living room of the community. When asked how Starbucks has influenced the food service industry as a whole, Michelli said he thinks it has raised the bar. But there's a downside - the mom-and-pops versus Starbucks.