Baristas Coffee, Growing Chain Of Cafes, Hopes To Fuse Hooters, Starbucks And Reality TV

Baristas Coffee Company is making a bet that even if you prefer your coffee iced, you'll appreciate a bit of hotness in your coffee shop experience. The growing chain of drive-thru cafes, based out of Seattle, Wash., has been described as a cross between Hooters and Starbucks. And true to that moniker, it is staffed only by "attractive female baristas" wearing "a variety of appealing costumed-themed attire" -- think skimpy French maid uniforms and lingerie bedecked with angel's wings.

The original store opened in 1996. The 15 years since then may not have brought growth comparable to Five Guys or Starbucks, but they've still been good to the company; it now operates a total of seven stores in Washington and Texas. Baristas has also inked deals with local development companies to open several more outposts in New Jersey, Arizona and in the Tampa area.

That said, Baristas has had its fair share of hiccups along the way. In September, federal officials accused the company of failing to pay its workers as much as they were due. The investigation is ongoing, and is expected to lead to a jury trial in 2013.

And the "sexpresso" business has historically faced an uphill battle across the country. The topless Vietnamese coffee shops of San Jose, Calif. have been fighting back and forth with city for years. One high profile nude coffee shop in Maine was burned to the ground in a brutal arson. And Seattle-based drive-thru chain Grab-n-Go, probably closest analogue to Baristas, found itself embroiled in charges of prostitution.

But Baristas has a secret weapon: reality TV. Just the other day, the company announced that it would hold open casting calls (for women between the ages of 18 and 25, of course) for a new reality TV it's developing based on its service workers. They'll be housed in a domicile called the "Coffee Castle" during filming.

There's nothing more American than coffee, breastaurants and reality TV. (Except maybe apple pie.) We wouldn't bet against you.

Want to see more? Watch this video Baristas made when it opened its Texas location:

Related on HuffPost:

Comments

[eugene4la]

02:12 PM on 04/01/2012

BCCI-Baristas Finishes Remodel in New San Antonio Location Set to Open in this Week
And Here is a sneak peak at the storyline
The first season will take place in Seattle, Baristas’ home base. In Seattle they have six locations and a mansion called the Coffee Castle. The girls, called Baristas will compete with each other in a series of challenges to determine who gets the best shift (girls can make up to $500 a day in gratuities) and who gets to live in the opulent Coffee Castle. Every week 35 new girls will audition for spots at the locations that have been vacated by girls who failed to meet the challenge. Along the way we learn about the lives of the girls and the two entrepreneurs who founded Barista’s , Barry and Scott along with the girls supervisor Christina, a former Stanford Law School student and the ex wife of the founder of AskJeeves. Com as they try to run the business.

We can smell the merchandising opportunities brewing as we write this... can you imagine, depending on what network this airs, the amount of eyes that will see the Baristas name, week after week? Translate those viewers into diehard fans and POOF, you have a brand that can be worn on t-shirts, mugs, hats, phones-just about anything. The opportunities, at least to us, seem endless.

Coming soon, BCCI TV.....

[eugene4la]

02:04 PM on 04/01/2012

BCCI is just now starting to get investors attention again, after a quiet period over the last several Months. Will this be an extended run like we had last year?

[adamben]

11:43 AM on 02/09/2012

i'll have a tall double doppio latte please.

[Dear Old Dad]

10:32 AM on 02/08/2012

After Sartbucks refused to send coffee to the troops, you know those fighting for us, because they did not believe in the defense of Freedom for American, you coildn't GIVE me a cup of their coffee. Hope they go under.

[cuoi]

09:16 AM on 02/08/2012

Heh, heh, reminds me of an European prank show I saw years ago. In coffee shop, after coffee brought to table by beautiful waitress, customer was asked if he wanted milk. Ones who said yes, the waitress bared one breast and squirted some breast milk in the coffee. Some dumfounded customers and some very appreciative customers.

[sabelmouse]

07:50 AM on 02/08/2012

is the coffee fair trade ?

[cameron d]

11:54 PM on 02/07/2012

Is the coffee any good?

[cuoi]

09:18 AM on 02/08/2012

No, but milk excellent.

[Unreadable]

06:48 PM on 02/07/2012

What would their Alaskan branch look like?

[cuoi]

09:21 AM on 02/08/2012

High beams left on...

[Mochilero]

05:19 PM on 02/07/2012

On my way to work there are two expresso stands a hundred yards apart, one a pink bikini barista joint. Early in the morning it always sports a line of pick-up trucks and large SUV's. Later in the day the conventional place seems to have more of the Mom business. Who cares? A bunch of guys get an expensive cup of joe with some cleavage and bare midriff, indulging themselves with the ludicrous notion that the friendly, smiling girls can't wait for a chance to bed them. And some young students make good tip money in a bad economy, while getting a great education into male vanity and stupidity. Sounds like a win-win to me. BTW, what in the world is a "brutal" arson? Brutal is fast joining the list of nearly always misused English words, including unique, celibate and fetish.

[bg222]

04:40 PM on 02/07/2012

Coffins are about the only consumer product that hasn't used girls in bikinis to advertise.

[ydrittmann]

05:38 PM on 02/07/2012

I'm seeing Margaret Hamilton in a thong.

[BuckyJamesDio]

09:22 PM on 02/07/2012

Now I am too. Thanks for that.

[cuoi]

09:23 AM on 02/08/2012

Elvira came close

[giono]

04:36 PM on 02/07/2012

"Helps you personality grow" she said. .....pathetic as is the entire concept

[firecicles]

04:00 PM on 02/07/2012

So our society is so broken and opportunities in our economy are so bleak that we are basically prostituting our woman to sale coffee.....

[JeffDeVore]

03:57 PM on 02/07/2012

"If your caffeine-induced arousal lasts for more than 4 hours, see a physician."

[Elroy Jetson]

05:11 PM on 02/07/2012

I'd rather see the nurse ..LOL!

[onionboy]

03:28 PM on 02/07/2012

I would have named it "Ts for 2".

[imonlyhereforthelaughs]

03:17 PM on 02/07/2012

Gawd I hope they don't open a location in DC. The baristas in this city look ghastly enough fully clothed.