Decades-Long Store Quest Odyssey
Log, simulate, and map visits to worldwide chain stores. Explore flight legs, cluster sweeps, and calculate expansion velocity vs. the Red Queen's Race.
Since starting in 1997 with 1,400 stores, the chain opened ~37,000 new stores. Even visiting 1 store every 24 hours leaves you further behind every single year.
Itinerary Checkpoints (22 stores)
The Mathematics of "Starbucking"
In 1997, when computer programmer Winter began his famous quest to visit every single company-owned Starbucks store worldwide, there were approximately 1,400 stores in operation. By 2026, the chain expanded past 38,000 stores in more than 80 countries.
This quest forms a classic Red Queen’s Paradox: the chain builds 500 to 1,200 net new stores annually. An extreme traveler visiting 350 stores per year falls hundreds of stores further behind every 365 days. To achieve mathematical convergence, a traveler would have to visit at least 4 new stores every single day of the year without taking a break.
How to Use This Quest Tracker
- Interactive Map: Drag to pan across hemispheres, use your scroll wheel or the zoom buttons to inspect tight urban clusters in Tokyo, London, or Manhattan.
- Click Pins to Check In: Click any glowing pin on the canvas or click the checkbox in the roster to record a store visit.
- Velocity Slider: Adjust your monthly visit capacity to calculate how many decades your campaign will take against real global net store openings.
- Offline Manifest: Download your itinerary report and GeoJSON export to feed directly into GPS navigators or flight planners.