Switch to Decaf, Minister

Howard Schultz, the Starbucks founder and CEO, is known as a plain-spoken guy whose enthusiasm -- and emotion -- sometimes get the better of him. He's more than met his match in Lord Mandelson, Britain's business secretary.

After Schultz expressed doubts about the immediate future of Britain's economy -- doubts shared by many, many others, it should be noted -- Mandelson teed off on him while in New York to give a speech.

"Why should I have this guy running down the country?" Mandelson was overheard saying about Schultz at a party after giving his speech. "Who the fuck is he? How the hell are they [Starbucks] doing?"

Mandelson's public comments weren't much more measured. He said that while Britain is in a slump, "I've noticed Starbucks is in a great deal of trouble, but that might be because of their over-expansion, given the state of the market."

After the remarks began to circulate, the Guardian reported that Mandelson regretted his language, but not the sentiment.

Starbucks, for its part, was politely forgiving.

"It is a difficult economic situation in the U.S. and around the world," it said in a statement. "Please be assured that Starbucks has no intention of criticizing the economic situation in the U.K. We are all in this together and as a global business we are committed to each and every market we serve."

by Mark Stein