Dumb Starbucks

2014eventclassic

Dumb Starbucks was a parody coffee shop that opened in Los Feliz, California on February 7, 2014, cloning the Starbucks logo and menu with the word 'dumb' slapped on everything. It went viral for three days before comedian Nathan Fielder revealed it was a stunt for his Comedy Central series Nathan For You.

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Overview

Dumb Starbucks was a functioning coffee shop at 1802 Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz that copied the Starbucks green mermaid logo, the store signage, and the entire drink menu, only every item was prefixed with the word 'dumb'. Customers ordered a Dumb Caramel Macchiato or a Dumb Frappuccino, and every drink was handed out for free during the opening1.

A printed 'frequently asked questions' sheet sitting inside the store argued the whole operation was legal under fair use parody law, framing Dumb Starbucks itself as an art piece rather than a functioning cafe2. That legal claim, plus the near-perfect visual copy of the real brand, is what turned a small Silver Lake sidewalk oddity into a national story within 48 hours3.

How It Spread

Attention snowballed fast because of one early cosign: on February 8, The Office actor Rainn Wilson posted photos of the store to his Instagram, and the images collected more than 11,400 likes inside 48 hours6. Fans lined up around the block for a free Dumb Vanilla Latte, and photos of the queue kept the Twitter cycle running2.

On February 9, Southern California Public Radio quoted Starbucks spokesperson Megan Adams saying corporate was 'looking into' legal options, which only pushed the story into the national news3. Coverage followed from the LA Times, Time, USA Today, The Hollywood Reporter, BuzzFeed, The Daily Mail and Gawker within about 72 hours of the doors opening17.

The run ended almost as fast as it started. On February 10, the same day Fielder outed himself as the operator, the Los Angeles County Health Department shut Dumb Starbucks down for serving food and drink without a permit8. A promised Brooklyn location Fielder announced at the press event never opened, and the aired Nathan For You episode later that year turned the stunt into one of the show's signature bits5.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dumb Starbucks

2014eventclassic

Dumb Starbucks was a parody coffee shop that opened in Los Feliz, California on February 7, 2014, cloning the Starbucks logo and menu with the word 'dumb' slapped on everything. It went viral for three days before comedian Nathan Fielder revealed it was a stunt for his Comedy Central series Nathan For You.

prank memes advertising memes consumer culture memes copyright controversy memes brand participation memes

Overview

Dumb Starbucks was a functioning coffee shop at 1802 Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz that copied the Starbucks green mermaid logo, the store signage, and the entire drink menu, only every item was prefixed with the word 'dumb'. Customers ordered a Dumb Caramel Macchiato or a Dumb Frappuccino, and every drink was handed out for free during the opening1.

A printed 'frequently asked questions' sheet sitting inside the store argued the whole operation was legal under fair use parody law, framing Dumb Starbucks itself as an art piece rather than a functioning cafe2. That legal claim, plus the near-perfect visual copy of the real brand, is what turned a small Silver Lake sidewalk oddity into a national story within 48 hours3.

How It Spread

Attention snowballed fast because of one early cosign: on February 8, The Office actor Rainn Wilson posted photos of the store to his Instagram, and the images collected more than 11,400 likes inside 48 hours6. Fans lined up around the block for a free Dumb Vanilla Latte, and photos of the queue kept the Twitter cycle running2.

On February 9, Southern California Public Radio quoted Starbucks spokesperson Megan Adams saying corporate was 'looking into' legal options, which only pushed the story into the national news3. Coverage followed from the LA Times, Time, USA Today, The Hollywood Reporter, BuzzFeed, The Daily Mail and Gawker within about 72 hours of the doors opening17.

The run ended almost as fast as it started. On February 10, the same day Fielder outed himself as the operator, the Los Angeles County Health Department shut Dumb Starbucks down for serving food and drink without a permit8. A promised Brooklyn location Fielder announced at the press event never opened, and the aired Nathan For You episode later that year turned the stunt into one of the show's signature bits5.

Frequently Asked Questions