I'm finally convinced by the hiring sign out front and a couple of weeks of straight work happening inside that the second biggest eyesore in downtown is going to be cleaned up and occupied again.
The arrival of philzcoffee should keep our downtown techies and realtors happy since java will move in next to David's Tea for their caffeine fixes. Heretofore one could only get philz by the bag at Mollie's. With Prestige liquors moving off the Avenew and into a space a couple doors down, that section of Primrose is finally looking up.
I have spoken with Philz's executives and they have confirmed their arrival. They are excited by the Burlingame location and have reported back that they are hearing rom the Burlingame community that they look forward to Philz arrival too. I have met Phil Jabbar and his son Jacob and they are down to earth, real people and I believe Philz will be a great addition to downtown and they will be a great community partner.
Posted by: Russ | October 31, 2015 at 04:13 PM
I will still be a regular at Three Bees in San Mateo. Don't understand the fuss around Philz.
Posted by: Nancy M. | October 31, 2015 at 06:01 PM
Three Bees has GREAT coffee! I wish we had one of those here, too. Having never tried Philz, I have no idea what all the fuss is about, either--BUT whatever it is, they seem to be very successful and I think they'll be a great addition to an otherwise pretty quiet street, PLUS the revamp of that art deco building will be fabulous. I wish them well in our community.
Posted by: Jennifer | October 31, 2015 at 07:46 PM
Philz is good. Friendly, too.
Posted by: Peter Garrison | October 31, 2015 at 08:34 PM
It sounds like it may be time for a blind taste-off between Starbux, Peet's and Philz. We can slip in some dearly departed Blue Bottle just for fun. Personally, the Il Fornaio machine turns out a pretty good cuppa java.
Posted by: hillsider | October 31, 2015 at 10:26 PM
The observation I'd like to make is that Philz is simply another CORPORATION opening up in downtown Burlingame, who per this article lists a variety of heavy hitters of investors in Philz to include venture capitalists, tech industry magnates, actors and Merry Jane rapper Snoop Dogg. I guess most independent business owners can't come up with the cash to afford the monthly rent in Burlingame? I just read residential rental rates are up 12.1% YOY in northern San Mateo County and 16.5% in southern San Mateo County, but the article didn't mention commercial rental rates, however my observation has been that land owners continue to hold out for premium rates (they'd rather be vacant than give some independent store operator a good deal). I also see where Vancouver based Kit and Ace has opened up on the Avenue where I can spend $88 to $98 for a t-shirt, such a deal. http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/18/philz-coffee-funding/#.iak1cui:E489
Posted by: Thomas Hornblower | November 02, 2015 at 04:22 AM
Agree with Hillsider - Il Forniao has great coffee and the staff so friendly.
Posted by: Samiselfie | November 02, 2015 at 06:58 AM
Guys, nice to know Il Forniao is good for more than a decent wine list and terrible Italian food. Any of the local Italian joints are way better than that place (which is also a chain).
Philz. Bruce Dickinson has sampled this in one of the roving Philz trucks in Palo Alto and San Francisco prior to the San Mateo location and while I get the whole flavored coffee novelty bit, call me old-fashioned, but I like my coffee tasting like coffee, plain and simple. Notice how Starbucks is getting the joke and diversifying away from Coffee into food (La Boulange) and wine. Sounds to me like Krispy Kreme 2.0 and the flavor fad will die off as well.
Bruce Dickinson has numerous investments in emerging ventures, and I gotta tell ya, I get a lot of looks, but every time I see something "Food Fad" related, I take a pass and move onto something I know with a little more staying power and not subject to fickle consumer tastes. Saw it at Columbia all the time. You wanted to produce for the band for not just the current album, but albums for 5-7+ years down the road. I'd always work with those where I saw future potential, even foregoing a big first album or top 40 hits if I could sniff the band's talent growing over time and future potential, not to mention the crucial people aspect on whether they get along and can see past inevitable differences as their careers progress.
With Philz, of course, location growth is gonna be key for the model and it will probably go public at some crazy value. $4-$5 for regular coffee with flavor (non espresso mind you) is good for the Bay area in a boom, but not sure it works elsewhere and not sure it works in a bubble pop. Look at 5 Guys when it first opened, I remember seeing lines outside the door. Now you can walk in and be the first or 2nd guy in line. Come to think of it 5 guys may actually be named for the number of guys waiting in line on average (yes, I crack myself up sometimes). Compare this to In-N-Out, which has existed for 6 decades, sticking to the same formula, only to be copied by a far less healthy alternative. In-N-Out has car lines to Rollins road all the time in addition to lines out the door.
Philz may be a different flavor, but lookz like a lot of other Zilicon Valley Bubblez waiting to pop, ya know what I mean?
Posted by: Bruce Dickinson | November 02, 2015 at 07:53 PM