Not just to confuse us, guys
Words – Erika Owen
If there's one thing to know about Starbucks, it's the menu board lingo.
Forget small, medium, and large—it's tall, grande, and venti when you're ordering your drink at Starbucks. There is a reason for this naming convention, and Thrillist recently uncovered the history.
In 1986, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz was working on another coffee chain called Il Giornale. It was at this first venture that the sizing names were introduced, starting with short, tall, and grande.
Schultz had taken a trip to Italy in 1983, and he was trying to make his chain more like the places he visited while abroad.
And one extra bit of trivia: Once venti was added to the menu board, there wasn't enough room to include short. So short was cut and tall become the new small.
You can still order a 'small' eight-ounce drink, but you won't find it on the menu.
Who knew Starbucks had so much history?
From the editors of Travel and Leisure
