Bikini barista
Encyclopedia
A bikini barista
is a person who prepares and serves coffee drinks while dressed in scanty attire such as a bikini or lingerie. This marketing trend (sometimes referred to as sexpresso) developed in the Seattle, Washington area of the northwestern United States
in the early 2000s, and gained international attention by early 2007.
. A few months after opening, as summer heat invaded the small 70 square feet (6.5 m²) shop, owner Lori Bowden adopted employee suggestions that they start a "Bikini Wednesday" promotion. Sales took off, and other scantily-clad theme days soon followed. The concept of "bikini baristas" spread quickly, featuring attractive young women dressed in attire such as bikinis, lingerie, stockings, and heels. The first round of international press attention to the trend occurred in early 2007. Competitors that have not followed suit have complained about the trend, and have also seen a drop in business.
The retail establishments which employ bikini baristas often adopt titillating names, including "Peek A-Brew", "Grab n' Go", "Cowgirls Espresso", "Smokin' Hot Espresso", "Knotty Bodies Espresso", "Java Jigglers", "Chicka Latte", "Espresso Gone Wild", "Java Girls", "Sweet Spot", and "Natte Latte".
Not surprisingly, the phenomenon of bikini baristas has caused controversy and complaints from local residents. Undercover police officers in Snohomish County, Washington
witnessed some baristas performing additional services for extra money, including letting customers touch them, photograph them or watch them lick whipped cream off each other. In September 2009, five baristas at a Grab 'n Go in Everett, Washington were charged with prostitution
after police surveillance caught them stripping and performing sexual acts for cash. Other complaints included the stand's very close proximity to preschools and daycare centers. In another incident, "Espresso Gone Wild" in Belfair
, Washington was temporarily shut down by Mason County in August 2008. It drew the ire of Belfair residents. Mason County officials responded to complaints on the July 30th, 2008 meeting, by ruling the espresso stand is "erotic entertainment" and off limits in the Belfair area. The owners of "Espresso Gone Wild" in Belfair were being told that their baristas are violating an erotic entertainment ordinance. They were also told that their baristas need to cover up and clean up their act or the stand will be shut down permanently. Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon
says the owners of "Espresso Gone Wild" are welcome to open a coffee shop and compete with all the other coffee shops in town. Sheldon also says the owners won't be able to sell sex and coffee on the side. "Espresso Gone Wild" in Belfair, WA was prohibited from allowing employees to wear pasties
and their baristas now wear bikinis. Residents in another community have surveilled a local stand and called for boycott
s of companies whose employees patronize the establishments. In July 2011, the owner and three employees of Java Juggs in Snohomish County, Washington
were charged with prostitution, with the police later releasing some footage obtained.
As a result of these complaints and incidents, some local jurisdictions have been considering and adopting local ordinances to regulate and control the activities of the stores.
area store called "Bikini Espresso" only lasted four months in the Los Angeles area in 2009, and closed with complaints of over-regulation. Other stores have reported that will open in places outside Seattle, Washington; including Aurora, Colorado
,, Portland, Oregon
, Tampa, Florida
, Chatsworth, Georgia
, Las Vegas
, Texas
, and Missouri
.
Barista
A barista is a person, usually a coffee-house employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.- Application of the title :...
is a person who prepares and serves coffee drinks while dressed in scanty attire such as a bikini or lingerie. This marketing trend (sometimes referred to as sexpresso) developed in the Seattle, Washington area of the northwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the early 2000s, and gained international attention by early 2007.
Concept and Controversy
Espresso drive-through stands and coffee outlets are numerous in the greater Seattle area, and the exact inventor of the "bikini barista" concept is debated. The "Natte Latte" chain's first location was opened in November 1999 by Mary Keller, and its employees began sporting pink leather hotpants in 2001. Next, in 2003, "Cowgirls Espresso" opened its first location in Tukwila, WashingtonTukwila, Washington
Tukwila is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The northern edge of Tukwila borders the city of Seattle. The population was 19,107 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. A few months after opening, as summer heat invaded the small 70 square feet (6.5 m²) shop, owner Lori Bowden adopted employee suggestions that they start a "Bikini Wednesday" promotion. Sales took off, and other scantily-clad theme days soon followed. The concept of "bikini baristas" spread quickly, featuring attractive young women dressed in attire such as bikinis, lingerie, stockings, and heels. The first round of international press attention to the trend occurred in early 2007. Competitors that have not followed suit have complained about the trend, and have also seen a drop in business.
The retail establishments which employ bikini baristas often adopt titillating names, including "Peek A-Brew", "Grab n' Go", "Cowgirls Espresso", "Smokin' Hot Espresso", "Knotty Bodies Espresso", "Java Jigglers", "Chicka Latte", "Espresso Gone Wild", "Java Girls", "Sweet Spot", and "Natte Latte".
Not surprisingly, the phenomenon of bikini baristas has caused controversy and complaints from local residents. Undercover police officers in Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents , making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King and...
witnessed some baristas performing additional services for extra money, including letting customers touch them, photograph them or watch them lick whipped cream off each other. In September 2009, five baristas at a Grab 'n Go in Everett, Washington were charged with prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
after police surveillance caught them stripping and performing sexual acts for cash. Other complaints included the stand's very close proximity to preschools and daycare centers. In another incident, "Espresso Gone Wild" in Belfair
Belfair, Washington
Belfair is an unincorporated community in Mason County, Washington, United States. Located on the Union River, headwaters of the Hood Canal, a branch of Puget Sound, it serves as the commercial center of North Mason County. The population of the surrounding area swells in the summertime as...
, Washington was temporarily shut down by Mason County in August 2008. It drew the ire of Belfair residents. Mason County officials responded to complaints on the July 30th, 2008 meeting, by ruling the espresso stand is "erotic entertainment" and off limits in the Belfair area. The owners of "Espresso Gone Wild" in Belfair were being told that their baristas are violating an erotic entertainment ordinance. They were also told that their baristas need to cover up and clean up their act or the stand will be shut down permanently. Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon
Tim Sheldon
Tim Sheldon has served 18 years in the Washington State Legislature as a Democrat representing the sprawling 35th District, which includes all of Mason County and parts of Thurston, Kitsap and Grays Harbor Counties. Since 2004 he has also represented Mason County as a Mason County Commissioner...
says the owners of "Espresso Gone Wild" are welcome to open a coffee shop and compete with all the other coffee shops in town. Sheldon also says the owners won't be able to sell sex and coffee on the side. "Espresso Gone Wild" in Belfair, WA was prohibited from allowing employees to wear pasties
Pasties
Pasties are adhesive coverings applied to cover a woman's nipples and areolae. Though pasties are commonly associated with burlesque and erotic entertainment, they are also at times worn as an undergarment and occasionally as beachwear.Some women wear pasties when wearing a strapless or backless...
and their baristas now wear bikinis. Residents in another community have surveilled a local stand and called for boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
s of companies whose employees patronize the establishments. In July 2011, the owner and three employees of Java Juggs in Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents , making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King and...
were charged with prostitution, with the police later releasing some footage obtained.
As a result of these complaints and incidents, some local jurisdictions have been considering and adopting local ordinances to regulate and control the activities of the stores.
Growth outside Seattle
Some entrepreneurs have opened bikini barista stores with success outside the Seattle area. A Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area store called "Bikini Espresso" only lasted four months in the Los Angeles area in 2009, and closed with complaints of over-regulation. Other stores have reported that will open in places outside Seattle, Washington; including Aurora, Colorado
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
,, Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Chatsworth, Georgia
Chatsworth, Georgia
Chatsworth is a city in Murray County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,531 at the 2000 census, but was estimated around 3,890 as of the 2005 census. The city is the county seat of Murray County...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Outside the United States
- A phenomenon similar to bikini baristas is very popular in ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, known as "café con piernasCafé con piernasCafé con piernas is a coffee shop style popular in Chile where normal bartenders or waiters are replaced with females dressed in scanty clothing. Coffee shops with waitresses serving in miniskirts and heels to businessmen had long been popular, but bikinis and similar attire accelerated the trend...
" (literally, coffee with legs) and existed long before their Seattle counterpart. - In Taiwan, young women who sell betel nuts and cigarettes from brightly lit glass enclosures while wearing revealing clothing are called Betel nut beautiesBetel nut beautyThe term Betel nut beauty refers to a common sight along roadsides in Taiwan: a young woman selling betel nuts and cigarettes from a brightly lit glass enclosure while wearing revealing clothing . The Mandarin term names the women after Xi Shi, the legendary beauty of imperial China's Spring and...
. They first debuted in the 1960s.
External links
- Bikini Barista Controversy Photos, CBS News Gallery