The evolving social and digital media platforms and highly innovative and relevant payment capabilities are causing seismic changes in consumer behavior and creating equally disruptive opportunities for business.

My son is trying to be a sports writer, and my daughter is a college student. She wants to be a comedy writer, and she's at film school. I discouraged both of them early on from getting involved in Starbucks. I didn't think it would be fair; plus, they didn't have any interest anyway.

Our mission statement about treating people with respect and dignity is not just words but a creed we live by every day. You can't expect your employees to exceed the expectations of your customers if you don't exceed the employees' expectations of management.

California, in a sense, is almost Starbucks' largest country, with almost 3,000 stores.

Europe has always represented a major strategic opportunity to achieve our goal of creating and building an enduring global brand.

Starbucks is in my blood. It is such a part of me that letting it unravel simply was not an option.

My parents really wanted me to get out of New York, be exposed to other people, other ways of life.