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Local coffee shop reacts to Starbucks' increase in wages

Brazos Valley coffee shop owners discuss how this could potentially affect their business
Credit: NBC

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — As Starbucks increases its employees' pay rate to potentially $23 per hour, a Brazos Valley coffee shop owner said that was Starbucks' business choice to make and his shop is doing great.

Classic Rock Coffee Company owner Bert Miller said he thinks his establishment might be doing so well because they are in a smaller town.

"We depend a lot on visitors that come through, but we're doing really well," Miller said.

Miller said they are doing better than they were doing in the pandemic, but they are seeing higher numbers than before.

"As far as our staffing, we really aren't having that much of an issue," Miller said.

Miller said they are currently fully staffed at Classic Rock Coffee Company.

"We recently maybe had one position open, but it was filled very quickly," Miller said.

Miller said what makes Classic Rock Coffee Company different from other establishments is their original menu, plus they roast their own coffee.

"From what we're told, in most cases, they [customers] like it better than that Starbucks, so again, it's the product and the fact that we have a music store here that that also has things that that other places just don't have," Miller said. "So it's really about having things and having products that others don't have."

Miller said five years ago, he opened his shop mainly because his community, at the time, had nothing like it.

"So that was what really drove me was the just the need for something downtown," Miller said.

Miller said for Starbucks to increase its employees' rate to $23 is a business choice.

"More than likely it will funnel down and affect the prices they sell their product for," Miller said, "but that would be just a guess on my part."

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