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Seattle, native home of Starbucks, invented the current coffee craze way back in the 80s. Now that the rest of the country has done its best to recreate the once uniquely Northwestern coffee-stand-on-every-corner aesthetic, Seattle had to reinvent its coffee scene — or risk fading into the background of a pattern they created. Their answer? Sexpresso.
It’s kind of like Hooters for coffee: scantily-clad girls in chaps and baby-doll negligees serve coffee concoctions like “The Sexual Mix” (a caramel macchiato with vanilla and milk) or a “Wet Dream” (coffee with white chocolate, milk and caramel sauce). One such drive-thru in the Seattle ‘burbs is called “The Sweet Spot,” and some other sexpresso stands go by monikers like “Natte Latte” and “Cowgirl Coffee.”
Some Northwesterners object, complaining that the stores are degrading to women. There is one obvious benefit, however: the money. A normal barista earns about $10 in tips per shift (over and above their normal hourly rate); a “bikini barista” can earn $200.
they’re like betel nut beauties!
posted by hannah on 2-5-2007 at 3:53 pm
The tricky part is asking for cream without getting slapped.
posted by Sheldon Siegel on 2-5-2007 at 4:01 pm
or asking them whether they want to use their provided stir sticks, or mine….
posted by nick on 2-5-2007 at 4:55 pm
I suppose bare-istas shouldn’t be surprising. It’s all about stimulation. It’s just a matter of what, and how much.
posted by Tom on 2-5-2007 at 5:15 pm
This news item does not make me feel smart. It makes me feel icky. I’m glad I don’t live in Seattle and I wonder why this “smart” website supports the puerile.
posted by Phio Gistic on 2-6-2007 at 8:31 am
A comment reads: “I wonder why this “smart” website supports the puerile.”
Well, reporting is not “supporting.” It is simply reporting. Besides, we live in America, where we are free to read (and write) what we want.
IMHO, part of the charm of mental_floss is its occasional delving into the puerile!
posted by Cosmo on 2-6-2007 at 8:43 pm
This idea’s been in practice for (not kidding) generations in Chile.
They call it “cafe con piernas” - coffee with legs, and you can find a few chains (Cafe Haiti, Cafe Caribe) operating in most of the barrios of Santiago.
…the waitresses are even elevated above the coffee bar so you get a prime, bunched-thong facing view.
posted by Jordan on 2-8-2007 at 1:30 am