The Starbucks coffeeshop inside the CIA- a top secret hangout for spies
STARBUCKS AT CIA HQ IN LANGLEY
The Starbucks at the CIA headquarters is not allowed to take names for orders. It’s not “business as usual” for the Starbucks franchise housed inside the CIA headquarters in Langley, VA. This particular chain, code-named “Store Number 1”, operates much differently than their other 12,000+ stores in the U.S.- not surprising when it must accommodate clandestine spymasters working for the most powerful spy organization in the world.
Servers do not ask for the customer’s name (which they normally write on the coffee cup to expedite things), for undercover agents grow uncomfortable when someone asks for it. They can’t give the Starbucks’ server their a.k.a. handles either, for that nom de plume, if discovered by the wrong people, could end up getting them, or an overseas asset they recruited, killed. Even the receipts the baristas hand back have “Store Number 1” cryptically printed on them.
Each maître d’ goes through a robust interview and background check before they are even told that they will be working at the CIA Starbucks. There are nine baristas working there and whenever they leave their work area, a CIA “minder” escorts them. All are regularly briefed about security risks and must report if someone seems overly interested in where they work or asks too many questions about their employment. They can’t even blow their own horns about working inside the CIA at nightclubs or parties and, if asked, can only tell friends, family members and acquaintances that they
“work in a federal building”.
And what about the wonderful Starbucks Awards program with those loyalty deals? It would be great to offer America’s spy force this great program where they can get free drink and food rewards, custom offers, early access to new Starbuck products and make easy payments with their mobile app. Well, the program is absent at Store Number 1, for CIA clandestine operatives could be potentially exposed if the data on their loyalty cards fell into the wrong hands.
Yes, Store Number 1 is a cloak-and-dagger Starbucks operation. It is also one of their busiest, for the customers remain captive, all day long. The intelligence analysts, undercover operatives and case officers, economists, engineers, geographers and cartographers who work on the CIA’s highly secured campus are not permitted to leave the “office” and go downtown for a coffee break in the middle of the day. The caffeine-addicted staff flocks to “stealthy Starbucks”, as they code named it, for a respite from gathering intelligence, planning covert operations, and preparing the Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) that provides the president of the United States with up-to-the-minute intelligence on sensitive international situations.
Those working at the CIA need and deserve a break from their windowless cubicles to sip an Espresso with bittersweet mocha sauce and steamed milk topped with whipped cream while munching on a buttery muffin stuffed with seasonal blueberries, yogurt, and honey. Hopefully, they can unwind at Store Number 1 and return refreshed to their duties. After all, if they don’t remain attentive and vigilant for hours on end as they pour through classified documents…people could end up in harm’s way.
In both the PENUMBRA DATABASE and MISSION OF VENGEANCE spy thrillers, this unique Starbucks is used for scene locations. Here’s a snippet from the PENUMBRA DATABASE:
“Store Number X” was a cloak-and-dagger Starbucks operation and one of their busiest, for the customers remain captive. The Engineer and math geniuses, computer science geeks, cryptanalysis masterminds, intelligence and language analysis whiz kids, and black, white, and grey-hat hacker brains couldn’t leave the premises during working hours. They sat around Stacie- some remained silent, others talked in hushed voices.
She looked around and sipped her coffee, beginning to feel a slight caffeine buzz. They look like groups of football teams in a huddle, making up the next game plan. No wonder the NSA brass doesn’t let this crowd go downtown for a coffee break or for lunch. A “stealthy Starbucks” is the only thing appropriate for them…and me too, I guess.
In five minutes, her cup of Caramel Macchato was empty. Stacey considered downing another one. The caffeine buzz rejuvenated her tired body and refreshed her mind, which was overwhelmed by innumerable bits of information-ties that her supercomputer’s ECHELON Dictionary program connected from the Nassau-Abaco sector.
She was about to have the barista refill her cup when her pager buzzed in consecutive two-second intervals. It meant that ECHELON got a hit on something…a very significant one. Stacey almost collided with a cryptologist who was sauntering into “Store No. X” as she hustled back upstairs to her workstation. End of Snippet
Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his CoreyPearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OF VENGEANCE