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Starbucks Gossip just scooped that Starbucks has begun serving blueberry waffles in select cafes, effectively going after the coveted IHOP/House of Waffles market. Here’s  SBUXGossip tipper/Starbucks Barista Rachael, via blog comment:

The waffles are put into the warmer, and served with a small container of syrup. They are a little bit thicker than an Eggo waffle and taste “ok” (definitely taste the blueberries!), but it’s not worth the $2.50 for one waffle. It’s not filling and could easily get a better value by buying my own and putting them in the toaster.

Starbucks Gossip – Paging Denver baristas!: Tell us more about the blueberry waffles you’re testing

Hoping to boost summer sales, Starbucks Corp. will begin allowing customers to design their own frappuccinos, the blended ice drink whose U.S. sales make up about 10% of the coffee giant’s revenue.

The 15-year-old frappuccino has a strong history of luring newcomers to the Starbucks brand—particularly 18- to 24-year-olds. Millennials, as these consumers are known, “are the iPod age group…accustomed to selecting exactly what they want,” she said. Now they can choose an extra shot of espresso, no whipped cream or a dab more caramel, for instance.

Starbucks will allow customers to order the drink with soy milk instead of dairy, decaffeinated instead of caffeinated coffee, and far fewer calories. The calorie count for a grande caramel light frappuccino, for instance, could drop 25% to 120 calories if ordered with nonfat milk, light syrup and no whipped cream.

Wall Street Journal: At Long Last, Customized Frappuccino

Would you like a pie chart with your reduced fat coffee cake? Perhaps some Michael Medved with your Macchiato? In a stunning example of the bland leading the bland, Starbucks Corp has started carrying USA Today, America’s foremost source of print journalism, in 6,500 US stores.

“Starbucks customers have a high level of interest in staying current in national and global affairs and often look to newspapers as their way to stay connected,” said David Hunke, president and publisher of USA Today, in a statement.”

Puget Sound Business Journal: Lame National News, Lame National Blends