Nathan For You - Dumb Starbucks - Open for Business

- WITH OUR SIGN NOW ON DISPLAY, MY PLAN QUICKLY BEGAN TO WORK,

AS PEOPLE STARTED COMING IN

THINKING IT WAS AN ACTUAL STARBUCKS.

- OH, DUMB STARBUCKS. OKAY, OKAY.

- OH, YOU THOUGHT IT WAS STARBUCKS.

- I DID.

- BUT THE FEW CUSTOMERS WE DID GET SEEMED TO HAVE TROUBLE

UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE WERE ALL ABOUT.

I MEAN, LEGALLY SPEAKING,

THIS STORE HAS TO BE CATEGORIZED AS AN ART GALLERY,

SO WE DON'T HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE SAME HEALTH REGULATIONS

AS A STARBUCKS WOULD.

I MEAN, WE DON'T WANT ANY OF OUR CUSTOMERS TO GET SICK.

BUT IF THEY DO, TECHNICALLY,

THAT'S PART OF THE ARTISTIC EXPERIENCE.

THINGS WERE OFF TO AN OKAY START.

BUT AS THE DAY PROGRESSED, I BECAME FRUSTRATED

WE WEREN'T GETTING THE AMOUNT OF CUSTOMERS I EXPECTED.

SO I HEADED OUT TO A NEARBY COFFEE SHOP

TO TRY AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT MY NEW BUSINESS.

JUST SO YOU KNOW, THERE'S A DUMB STARBUCKS

THAT'S OPENED UP DOWN THE BLOCK.

- OKAY. - OKAY.

IT'S BASICALLY THE SAME COFFEE. CHEAPER PRICES, AND--

- DUMB STARBUCKS? - YEAH.

TODAY, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE A FREE COFFEE ON ME.

- I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE TRYING TO PROMOTE YOUR COMPANY.

- RIGHT. - I ADMIRE THAT.

BUT THAT'S GREAT. YOU CAN'T DO IT ON

STARBUCKS' PROPERTY. - AND I ADMIRE YOU.

AND I WILL BE-- - AND EVERY TIME I STEP BACK,

YOU KEEP TAKING A STEP FORWARD. - NO, I HAVEN'T MOVED.

- YOU HAVE. WE STARTED OVER HERE.

- NO, WE STARTED RIGHT HERE.

- BUT YOU NEED TO WALK THAT WAY. - OKAY, I WILL.

- UNFORTUNATELY, MY MARKETING EFFORTS WERE CUT SHORT.

BUT I WAS AT LEAST ABLE TO GET SOME FREE SUPPLIES.

WITH AN UNDERWHELMING LAUNCH DAY,

I BEGAN TO FEEL LIKE I PUT IN ALL THIS EFFORT FOR NOTHING.

BUT THE NEXT MORNING THINGS CHANGED.

JEREMIAH CALLED ME TO SAY THERE WAS A LINE

OF OVER 15 PEOPLE AT THE STORE.

THEN I SAW PHOTOS OF MY SHOP POSTED

ON A STRAIGHT BODY BUILDING MESSAGE BOARD.

BUT I COULDN'T HAVE FORESEEN WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.

- A NEW COFFEE SHOP WITH A FAMILIAR NAME

CREATING QUITE A STIR IN LOS ANGELES.

THE COFFEE SHOP--GET THIS-- IS CALLED DUMB STARBUCKS.

- THAT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE A STARBUCKS.

THE LOGO, THE LETTERING, THE GREEN COLORING--

HOW DO THEY GET AWAY WITH THIS?

- BECAUSE THEY PUT THE WORD "DUMB" ON TOP OF STARBUCKS,

SO THEY'RE PARODYING STARBUCKS.

- A COFFEE CHAIN NOTORIOUS FOR SUING IMITATORS

MAY HAVE FINALLY MET IT'S MATCH.

- AT THE COUNTER, CUSTOMERS CAN ORDER A "DUMB VENTI"

OR BUY A CD OF "DUMB NORAH JONES DUETS."

- SOME PEOPLE WAITED IN LINE FOR UP TO AN HOUR.

- IT'S AN ART GALLERY WHERE COFFEE IS CONSIDERED ART.

- WHAT'S THE POINT OF THE ART? I MEAN, WHAT'S THE MESSAGE?

- I DON'T KNOW. - [speaking Spanish]

- [speaking Korean]

- I WAS STUNNED.

WE HAD MORE CUSTOMERS THAN I EVER DREAMED OF.

AND WITHIN 24 HOURS, DUMB STARBUCKS

HAD BECOME A WORLDWIDE SENSATION.

- YEAH, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY ARTISTIC VALUE HERE.

- TO ME, THIS IS A PROTEST.

THIS IS A PROTEST AGAINST THE BIG FISH.

THE LEVIATHANS OF STARBUCKS.

- IT WAS COOL THAT PEOPLE COULD DRAW THEIR OWN MEANING

FROM A BUSINESS THAT WAS JUST THERE TO MAKE MONEY.

- THERE'S A RUMOR THAT IT MIGHT BE BANKSY

AND WE'RE ALL REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

- I HAD INADVERTENTLY CREATED SOMETHING

THAT WAS ON PAR WITH ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST ARTISTS.

- SOMETHING TIED TO AN ART INSTALLATION.

MAYBE THIS IS BANKSY.

- BEFORE I KNEW IT, CUPS FROM MY SHOP

WERE SELLING ON EBAY FOR $500 A PIECE.

AND SWINDLERS WERE EVEN TRYING TO CASH IN ON THE HYPE

BY HOCKING FAKE MERCHANDISE OUTSIDE THE STORE.

BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND I REALIZED THAT DUMB STARBUCKS

WAS A BIGGER IDEA THAN I EVER THOUGHT IT COULD BE.

SO I GATHERED THE WORLDWIDE MEDIA TO ANNOUNCE

THAT WE WERE EXPANDING.

[cheers and applause]

HI.

I'M PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE'LL SOON BE OPENING

A SECOND DUMB STARBUCKS LOCATION IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,

WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.

[cheers and applause]

MY BUSINESS WAS NOT ONLY A BONA FIDE SUCCESS,

BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE

IT FELT LIKE PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANTED TO BE AROUND ME.

WHATEVER I HAD DONE RESONATED WITH THE ENTIRE WORLD.

AND THE ATTENTION WAS LIKE SUNLIGHT ON MY SOUL.

MY ENTIRE MARKETING PLAN DEPENDED ON USING

THEIR CORPORATE LOGO TO GET ATTENTION.

AND THE ONLY WAY TO LEGALLY DO IT IS BY USING "DUMB."

- EVERY MAJOR NETWORK IN AMERICA WANTED TO KNOW MY STORY.

- NATHAN FIELDER.

- I WAS INVINCIBLE.

AND I HAVE TO ADMIT, THE VIEW FROM THE TOP WAS PRETTY NICE.

WE'RE ALSO FAMOUS FOR OUR PASTRIES.

I BROUGHT YOU SOME, ACTUALLY. - OH, OKAY. YEAH, GREAT.

- I BROUGHT SOME OF OUR PASTRIES, YEAH.

- OH, THOSE LOOK GREAT. [audience laughs]

WHAT DO YOU CALL THESE? ARE THESE THOSE--

- I BROUGHT MUFFINS TOO. - OH, LOOK AT THAT.

- THESE ARE OUR FAMOUS PASTRIES. - ISN'T THAT WEIRD.

IT SAYS VONS ON THE SIDE. [audience laughs]

- I WAS ALL SMILES AND MY HEAD WAS IN THE CLOUDS.

THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, REALITY HIT.