A couple years ago, Dunkin Donuts switched to their... barista? adding the cream/sugar for you. You just said either yes or no, and they've figured out the apparently right amount for the general populace (which is a little sweet for me but not as sweet as you'd expect from a donut shop).

They figured that replacing the station with all the add-ins was a faster and better experience for customer and employee. Can't disagree, since I went to Dunkin for the convenience. I don't know how big the market is for coffee with personal attention (the taste snobs seem to just make their own), but perhaps Philz is laying down the tracks for all sorts of motherly-service-as-a-product to bank the SF zeitgeist.

Hey, whatever happened to that grilled cheese startup?