Managing minutiae, or how to know your coffee chain has grown too big, too fast
It's a pretty good sign that the franchise is spinning well ahead of the franchisor when the necessary micromanagement, just to keep the place running consistently, means that too many people have to be retrained too many times about too many petty details that should have either been worked out in advance, or delegated to the best instincts of local management.

Starbucks has really show its weaknesses lately. That massive expansion did seem a bit suspect, particularly given the then-recent failings of Krispy Kreme and Abercrombie in their respective over-expansion binges.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008665670_starbucks24.html

One-step-forward-two-steps-back excerpts from the above article:

• Initially, Schultz said he was eliminating heated breakfast sandwiches because their smell overwhelmed the aroma of coffee. Then, Starbucks decided to keep the sandwiches because it found a way to minimize the smell (by subtracting a piece of cheese).

• Early on, Starbucks held a three-hour retraining session for store workers nationwide, showing them how to properly pour espresso and foam milk. Then, it decided that a key feature of the training — pouring espresso into a clear shot glass to check quality — was not crucial after all.

• At first, stores were allotted extra hours for a new initiative to brew freshly ground coffee each day. Then, the hours were reclaimed and stores told that the extra time was always meant to be temporary.
[ ... ]
Still, confusion and disappointment have grown among store workers who comment about their jobs at StarbucksGossip.com.

"If we don't catch a break this company is going to lose every great partner that it has," wrote one 10-year employee. "I am sick and tired of being blamed for not meeting my budget when the economy is in a recession. I used to be proud of my company ... now i [sic] am embarrassed and feel physically ill everytime [sic] I have to go to work."