Matt is tired of the yuppies telling Pew that they'd prefer to live near a Starbucks than a McDonald's. if you want some coffee and there’s a McDonald’s nearby but no Starbucks, you can go to the McDonald’s and get some coffee. It’s not the same range of selection, and I do like Starbucks coffee more, but McDonald’s is a reasonably close substitute. By contrast, there’s no french fries at Starbucks. There’s no burger at Starbucks. No nuggets. No ice cream. And nothing that even vaguely resembles any of that stuff. It’s an assymetrical relationship where McDonald’s can imperfectly substitute for Starbucks but Starbucks can’t substitute for McDonald’s at all."The yuppies of America need to get real," he concludes.But Matt misses the neighborhood effects. It's a pretty sure bet that if you live near a Starbucks, you also live near a $8 sandwich shop. And probably another $8 sandwich shop. You're not far, I'd imagine, from frozen yogurt, or maybe an artisanal chocolate store. There'll be a sushi place that makes rolls with names like "volcano roll" and "ninja roll." There might be a Whole Foods around the corner. If not, then a Trader Joes. Certainly someone will sell you Balsamic vinegar. This isn't desert island development. Yuppies want to live near Starbucks because Starbucks denotes areas friendly to yuppies. There are, of course, exceptions. The McDonald's on 14th and U is actually closer to yuppie-Mecca Busboys and Poets than the Starbucks on 13th and U. But the Starbucks on 14th and Irving is in spitting distance from a New Haven-style pizzeria and a Five Guy's. Five Guy's: Now that's substitution yuppies can believe in.
