Starbucks to donate all of its unused food to those in need

Starbucks agrees that it's painful to imagine all those perfectly-fine muffins, bagels and breakfast sandwiches going into the trash at the end of the day.On Tuesday, Starbucks pledged to donate 100 percent of its leftover food in a partnership with two groups, Feeding America, a non-profit dedicated to ending hunger and Food Donation Connection, a group that connects those who need to dispose edible food with the hungry.http://imgur.com/I6ettDFThe iconic coffee purveyor says its own employees inspired the bold step.

Starbucks adds three new chocolate drinks for Valentine’s Day

SEATTLE, Wash. – Starbucks is going to make chocolate lovers happy this Valentine's Day.Starting Monday, the coffee chain will begin making three new chocolate beverages – Molten Chocolate Latte, Molten Chocolate Frappuccino Blended Beverage and Molten Hot Chocolate .Starbucks describes its triad of beverages as follows:Molten Chocolate Latte: Chocolaty chips are melted into espresso, then topped with steamed milk combined with bittersweet mocha sauce.

Mother shocked after 5-year-old son discovers hidden camera in Starbucks bathroom

LANCASTER, CA -- Deputies are investigating the discovery of a hidden cell phone camera hiding inside the women's restroom at a Starbucks in Lancaster, California.A woman, who asked not to be identified, told KTLA that her 5-year-old son found the cell phone around 10:30 a.m. at the Starbucks near Avenue K and 10th Street on Thursday, July 9th."My son used the restroom first and I used the restroom after him.

Angry Starbucks employee goes off on customer, gets fired over viral Facebook post

ELMHURST, NEW YORK (WITI) -- An employee at Starbucks was fired after a video of her berating and yelling at customers in a New York store went viral.According to PIX11, the video posted to Facebook begins with the employee screaming at a customer over a "straw." When the customer asks to speak with a manager, the employee continues to yell, claiming she is the manager.Afterwards, the customer, Ruby Chen, took to her Facebook page to write about the incident on Friday, May 15th.

Need that hot cup of coffee in the morning? Here's a chance to win Starbucks for life!

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- If you can't get through your morning without a hot cup of coffee, this might be the contest for you.Starbucks launched a promotion on Tuesday, December 2nd that gives its customers the opportunity to win "Starbucks for Life." All you have to do is come in and use your Starbucks gift card or mobile app between now and January 5th.You could be eligible to win thousands of instant prizes!

Starbucks to roll out smartphone 'pay ahead' option in 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks says it will start letting customers across the country place orders ahead of time on their smartphones by next year.The Seattle-based chain says it will introduce the option in Portland later this year before the national rollout in 2015.Starbucks has been making a big push to convince people to sign up for its mobile payment app, which helps the company build customer loyalty.

Yum? Starbucks said to be testing beer-flavored latte

NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks is testing a latte that it says has the "savory toasty malt" flavor of a foamy mug of stout.The "Dark Barrel Latte" is being tested in a handful of stores in Ohio and Florida, said Linda Mills, a Starbucks spokeswoman.

Starbucks to roll out beer, wine to more cafes

NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks plans to turn more of its cafes into a destination for beer and wine in the evenings.The coffee company says it is looking to expand alcohol sales to "thousands of select stores" over the next several years.The chain first offered beer and wine at one of its Seattle cafes in 2010.

Starbucks to customers: Please don't bring your guns!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has a message for gun owners: Please don't bring your weapons into our stores.Schultz told CNN that the company is not instituting a ban, and is simply making a request "through the lens of civility and respect."The company was roped into the gun debate last month when a group of gun owners announced plans online for a "Starbucks Appreciation Day" in recognition of the chain's policy of allowing gun owners to bring in their weapons where permitted by state law.In response, the Newtown Coalition For Corporate Responsibility -- a group including family members of victims from last year's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- published an open letter calling on Schultz to ban guns in all Starbucks stores.

Google to make Starbucks Wi-Fi 10 times faster

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Google is teaming up with Starbucks to make Wi-Fi at its coffee shops 10 times faster.Over the next 18 months, Google will be upgrading all 7,000 company-operated Starbucks locations in the United States.

Starbucks testing fountain soda at two of its stores

ATLANTA/AUSTIN (WITI) -- Starbucks is expanding into the world of fountain soda!According to the Wall Street Journal, the coffee giant began testing handcrafted sodas in Atlanta and Austin, Texas stores last week.Root beer, ginger ale and lemon ale are some of the new drink flavors, made by baristas with a carbonation machine.Prices range from $2.45 to $3.45.A Starbucks spokeswoman says it's too soon to tell whether the drinks will be offered beyond the Austin and Atlanda test stores.

Starbucks may change the way your tips are distributed

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Who should get the tips you leave in that plexiglass box at Starbucks?That's the question at the center of a dispute in front of New York state's highest court.Lawyers for baristas, assistant store managers and Starbucks argued in front of the New York Court of Appeals this week to hash out what types of employees are eligible to participate in a tip-pooling arrangement.As it stands, Starbucks distributes the pooled tips among baristas and shift managers, while store managers and assistant managers don't get a share of the pot.