Missouri City coffee shop owner says he was bullied by Starbucks
MISSOURI CITY, Texas - A viral video posted by a Missouri City coffee shop owner says he was bullied by a Starbucks shop, right next door, over a sign advertising his products.
Bean Here Coffee opened its doors at Highway 6 and Oyster Creek about two years ago. The Starbucks is a recent addition, and the strip of land between them became a sort of battleground.
Mike Ouano opened his first of three local Bean Here Coffee shops eight years ago, after learning how to roast the beans and brew the different types of coffee people might want.
"I know there is a market for people who appreciate locally roasted, artisan coffee," he says, "I figured, you know, why not take the leap?"
The Philippine-native opened his newest location because he says customers wanted a drive-thru. By all appearances, there's steady traffic even with his new neighbor. Ouano didn't think there was any trouble, until recently.
He posted a video on social media that, he says, shows a manager from Starbucks walking into his shop with a yard-sign that Bean Here had posted facing the coffee competitor. The shocked Ouano says the manager's message was direct.
"He was instructed by his district manager to remove the sign, bring it back and talk to us about it," he says, "That was the point I was like, 'Well, that wasn't on your side,' and he said, 'We're just trying to protect our property. You're free to put it back down, but we'll always pick it back up."
The sign now hangs on the coffee shop wall, advertising seasonal beverages. It was posted on a thin, grassy median between the two, along with signs that direct customers to tenants in Ouano's building.
Since then, he's got an inflatable gingerbread man facing his neighbor, instead, hopeful for a bit of detente and confidence that there's room for both of them.
"I honestly feel that people who come here, there's a reason they skip that line and come here," he says, "I think I'll be ok."
Ouano says his landlord assures him the median between the two properties is safe to post on.
In a telephone conversation, a Starbucks spokesman did not offer any type of explanation or apology for what happened, but did tell Fox 26 they will not take any further action on any signs that are posted on that property.