Starbucks practices rigorous bean quality control, selecting fine Arabica beans, and its own highly skilled professionals handle the roasting. To keep the shops smelling fresh and the beans in good condition, no smoking is allowed inside Starbucks coffee houses. The darkly roasted, full-bodied coffees are the main attraction. Also on the menu are plenty of food items, including sandwiches and salads. Full-sized Starbucks locations are designed as warm, welcoming places to drink coffee, with natural wood decor and glass fronts that create a bright atmosphere.
Many stores also feature terrace seating outside.
Inside, the array of merchandise lined up on the shelves includes freshly ground beans as well as T-shirts, mugs, and other goods emblazoned with the company's siren logo. In just three years, the number of Starbucks locations in Japan has grown to more than 50. The success of the first foreign entrant into the Japanese coffee-shop scene has not gone unnoticed. These include Tully's Coffee and Seattle's Best Coffee, both of the United States, and Segafredo Zanetti, Italy's largest coffee-shop chain. But major Japanese chains are not leaving this segment of the market untouched.