So, 'Dumb Starbucks' Is Actually a Thing

Ever wanted a Dumb Chai Tea Latte? What about Dumb Double Venti Macchiato? Some Dumb Norah Jones Duets, perhaps? You're in luck: Los Angeles now has a new coffee shop, and its name is Dumb Starbucks. It's like a normal Starbucks in almost every way — your pastries, your grandes, your queues — but everything in there has the word 'Dumb' in front of it. What's decidedly not dumb? Serving free coffees all weekend. Which it's been doing.

Lest you get too excited, the place probably won't be around for long. It's not affiliated with the coffee conglomerate, it's a parody of it — one that just happens to make actual coffee. "Although we are a fully functioning coffee shop, for legal reasons Dumb Starbucks needs to be categorized as a work of parody art," Dumb Starbucks says in its FAQ page. "So, in the eyes of the law, our 'coffee shop' is actually an art gallery and the 'coffee' you’re buying is considered the art. But that’s for our lawyers to worry about. All you need to do is enjoy our delicious coffee!"

"Its obviously not a Starbucks," said (actual) Starbucks spokesperson Megan Adams. "We are aware of it and looking into it right now."

Dumb Starbucks isn't the first coffee shop to parody the coffee giant. In China and the Middle East, it's not uncommon to stumble across a "Stars and Bucks" cafe or a "Sun Bucks Cafe" with the same green-and-white lettering in the circular logo.

But the new L.A. parody-cum-caffeine-provider has taken faux Starbucks to a whole new level. Everything, from the menu to the cups, has been copied to a tee, just with the addition of the word 'dumb'. Options include “Dumb Vanilla Blonde Roast” and “Dumb Caramel Macchiato;" and if you're looking for some music, they offer “Dumb Jazz Standards” and “A Dumb Taste of Cuba.” The place has already got a devoted following, especially over social media, proving that, sometimes, dumb ideas just work:

Image: Getty Images