San Francisco: Starbucks to Shutter All La Boulange Locations

Seems like coffee and pastries are becoming a battle-ground for start-ups:

http://www.eater.com/2015/4/20/8456861/tartine-bakery-merger...

"San Francisco's beloved Tartine Bakery, which was founded in 2002 by baker Chad Robertson and pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt, has merged with Blue Bottle Coffee, the Bay Area-based roaster and retailer. ... The news comes just over one year after Blue Bottle Coffee — which was also founded in 2002 — raised more than $25 million in investment funding. In 2012, the coffee company raised $20 million to focus on expansion."

http://recode.net/2014/01/29/blue-bottle-coffee-gets-caffein...

"Blue Bottle Coffee, the specialty roaster that has become a favorite of hipster techies in the San Francisco area, has raised $25.75 million from a range of high-profile Internet players and also Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

Blue Bottle said it will use the funding to “expand retail operations, improve internal training programs and further develop its quality control department.”

This is Blue Bottle’s second round of funding, having previously raised just under $20 million in late 2012 from a range of high-profile entrepreneurs and VCs. Those include Google Ventures, Index Ventures and True Ventures, as well as Instagram’s Kevin Systrom, Twitter and Medium co-founder Evan Williams, investor Chris Sacca and skateboarding star Tony Hawk."