Despite my insatiable sweet tooth, I’m never tempted by the desserts at Starbucks. They simply don’t look appetizing and are poorly presented.

As a point of contrast, look at the pastries at Financier, an NYC coffee shop chain.

For the same price as the Starbucks offerings, which look stale and processed, one can buy delicious, freshly-made and appetizing desserts.

Starbucks’ offerings leave much to be desired, and in places like New York City, where so much competition exists, people will vote with their pocketbooks and buy desserts elsewhere. If Starbucks were to partner with local bakeries or even (gasp!) made baked goods in-house, it seems as if there is significant potential to improve both sales and customer satisfaction.