Despite all the problems and challenges faced by Starbucks the past year, it was a surprise that they are still number 1 in the hearts of the U.S. consumers. It has battled a lot of consumer complaints and coffee from different and emerging coffee chains like Peet's Coffee together with the smaller ones and some of the other fast food chains like Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's.

According to the Restaurants & Institutions' 2008 Consumer Choice Awards, Starbucks became the platinum winner in the "coffee/snacks" category. Krispy Kreme came in as the Gold winner while Cinnabon won the Silver.

This is great news for the giant coffee chain as it tries to regain the trust of the buyers and re-establish itself as the powerhouse of all coffee chains. With this news, it has made clear that American caffeine lovers still love Starbucks and it still has a great following despite the negative news about Starbucks and its downsizing. Howard Schultz just knows what it takes to makes this work. He revolutionized coffee and he is capable of winning the hearts of consumers again.

Just a thought, with all the news that surrounded Starbucks the past year and them still winning this. Maybe Starbucks wasn't really struggling..yep, it closed a lot of shops but maybe it was just the best move overall. As for the news, could it be just something to keep them in the news..to create buzz. A publicity stunt of some sort? Just a thought...

As for you, what's your number one coffee chain?