When Boston Market opened in what had been a Red Robin on Capitol Hill’s Olive Way, they hung a plaque by the door, dedicating the restaurant to the survivors of breast cancer. The dedication struck me as odd, since much of what Boston Market served (pork, beef, and chicken) was carcinogenic. Anyway, when Boston Market went tits up and closed their Olive Way location, the plaque remained, the empty building standing as a monument to the survivors of breast cancer everywhere. Recently, a Starbucks opened in the old Boston Market/Red Robin building, and when I walked by the other day I noticed that the plaque was gone.
Who made the decision to remove the plaque? What happened to it? I called Starbucks’ corporate offices and left messages for Sonia Gould, Starbucks’ media relations maven, but she never called me back. So I called the Olive Way Starbucks and spoke with Lea, a barista, who’s been with Starbucks for three years.
There used to be a plaque on the building you work in, Lea, dedicating Boston Market to the survivors of breast cancer.
Really? That’s weird. Why would they dedicate a restaurant to breast cancer?
I don’t know. The plaque is gone now, Lea. What happened to the plaque?
You know, I don’t know, I really don’t.
Did it get thrown in the trash?
I hope not! That would be horrible! Now I’m curious to know what happened. You should call corporate headquarters, I think.
I tried that and no one called me back. Are any Starbucks locations dedicated to the sufferers of specific diseases?
I can say probably not.
Any chance the new Olive Way Starbucks could be dedicated to, say, the survivors of lupus or flesh-eating bacteria?
You know, I don’t have any control over that. I can certainly think about it, but I don’t have authority to officially dedicate this place to anyone.
Are you personally opposed to breast cancer, Lea?
I am. It’s personal in my life as well as other people’s. It’s been in my family, and it’s something I’m concerned about.
Is Starbucks opposed to breast cancer?
I don’t know that Starbucks as a corporation can be “opposed” to any disease. But it’s a horrible thing, and I’m sure no one at Starbucks would wish it on anyone.