So it’s Saturday morning 6 AM and I’m in the Sea/Tac airport looking for some caffeine and a pastry while waiting for my delayed flight. I wander down to the food court and there I find what I’m looking for and more. In fact there are two coffee stands not 30 feet apart, closer to one another than any other shop in the area. One of them is the Isletante Mocha Café, the other, Starbucks. While Starbucks has 25-30 people in line, Isletante has one. Weird.

These shops are in an international airport and I’m guessing that most of the people in line at Starbucks have never been to both of these establishments and thus are not making a judgment based on experience. Both shops sell coffee and pastries, yet people are willing to wait in line for Starbucks when they can get the same items a few steps away without waiting. Ah, the power of the brand.