London Fog Tea Latte & Pickleball🧋
This Week in Review: The Kardashians are obsessed with fitness | Starbucks speeds up in-store service due to demand | Worst 100 days for the stock market since 1970 | Global Dress code attire has
Quick Bites:
Culture 🥘: Diners don’t want to tip and are getting pretty creative when it comes to paying the bill.
With tip screens popping up for even the tiniest services, diners are finding ways to minimize spending without seeming cheap, The Wall Street Journal.
Tbh, tipping culture has definitely gone a little out of control guys! The standard tip at a restaurant starts at 18% and goes upto 40 PERCENT depending on the service! 🫢
We have zero problem paying for good service but why tf should we tip you for bringing our food from the kitchen to the table? Like that is LITERALLY your job???? 🖕🏻🖕🏻
These greedy business owners need to pay their employees a living wage bc we all struggling right now and we are NOT tipping 20% for every damn time we order a basic whole milk cappuccino and a butter croissant.
NO. Just NO.
Key Highlights on Tipping Culture. reported by WSJ:
Tip fatigue: Constant digital prompts asking for tips, even for small services.
Service quality: Diners tip less when the service doesn’t meet expectations
Hidden fees: People are spotting credit card surcharges and extra charges on receipts
Cost pressures: Overall dining costs are rising, making tipping feel like an extra burden
Opting out: Some diners prefer eating at home to avoid the stress altogether.. ahem ahem
Our Thoughts💡:
FYI guys: The service charge is actually not a gratuity- it's income that an employer can choose to share with employees or not.
i.e Your server is expecting you to leave a fat tip even when a service fee has been added to the bill
Umm, YAH WE KNOW. We recently experienced it at Subway. Like seriously dude... you sold me a friggin salami sandwich? 🥪
Plus, we're standing right here telling you how to make the damn sub??
Sport 🏉 : What do The Kardashians, Bill Gates, Tom Brady, Leonardo DiCaprio and George & Amal Clooney have in common? PICKLEBALL.
Umm we’re not a pickle expert but we’re pretty sure that shot was in the brine
Pickleball has experienced a massive surge in popularity in 2025, solidifying its status as a global phenomenon.
Here are the key highlights:
📈 Explosive Growth
U.S. Participation: Approximately 20 million Americans played pickleball in 2024, marking a 45.8% increase from 2023 and a staggering 311% growth over the past three years
🏓 Demographic Shifts
Engagement: The sport is attracting a younger demographic, with 70% of avid players between 18 and 44 years old.
The 25–34 age group represents the largest segment, with 2.3 million players .
Senior Participation: Pickleball continues to be popular among older adults, offering a low-impact, social form of exercise that appeals to the 50+ age group
🏢 Investment
Court Development: The number of dedicated pickleball courts has grown by 55% in 2024, yet demand still outpaces supply .
Economic Impact: The global pickleball market is projected to reach USD 2.6 billion by 2025
Celebrities and investors are all hoping to cash in on the pickleball boom. Big names like LeBron James, Mark Cuban and Tom Brady have gotten involved by investing in teams who will debut this year.
“Just like millions of other Americans, I’ve been following pickleball over the past few years, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to invest in the fastest growing game in the country,”
-Mark Cuban
Our Thoughts💡: We just wanna say: This "sport" has been around since 1965 and was first played in Washington 6 decades ago.... Yet not a single person has ever mentioned it until 6 months back. And now, noone can stfu about it???
PS. Our neighbourhood just put up a bunch of pickleball courts next to the local park. Now, all these baby boomers take up all the free parking and we barely get to get in our 10k steps.
Safe to say- we are NOT fans
Business☕️: Starbucks speeds up in-store service.
Yep, your coffee order just got a little quicker; Starbucks says it’s trimmed two minutes off the average prep time for in-store orders, thanks to a new tech program behind the counter, The Wall Street Journal.
Big story:
In a world where speed wins loyalty, even shaving a few minutes off your new Iced Cream Oatmilk Latte could mean MILLIONS for their bottom line
Key Highlights, reported by WSJ:
Starbucks is trying to bounce back after four straight quarters of declining same-store sales.
Remind customers why they fell in love with $7 lattes in the first place
Expansion plans: If the new pilot is successful, they will roll it out to hundreds more stores soon (PS. Imagine a store where your name is spelled wrong... faster than ever lmao)
What’s next: Starbucks will reveal its latest quarterly earnings this week. All eyes on whether faster frappes = fatter profits. 💸
Our Thoughts💡:
Speaking of Starbucks.. who are you?
🎻 Newbie- Matcha Latte
⭐ Fearless- Iced Blonde Latte
💜 Chatty- Dragon Drink
🔴 Hot GURL- Caramel Nonfat Latte (IYKYK)
💎 1980s baby– Iced Caramel Macchiato
🐍 Reputation– Nitro Cold Brew
💗 Lover– Pink Drink
🎹 Folk music– Chai Tea Latte
🍂 Evermore– London Fog Tea Latte
🕰️ Midnight girl– Chocolate Cream Cold Brew
📝 The Tortured Poets Department– Espresso (and make it a double 😉)
Finance📉: Trump’s first 100 days are the worst for the stock market since Nixon.
Yes, Nixon. The guy who literally resigned
In his first 100 days back in office, the S&P 500 has dropped 7.9%- making it the worst stock market kickoff to a presidential term since the 1970s, CNBC reports.
Random tariffs at 3AM and a 900-point Dow drop. Good times
Come on guys, just because Donald Trump filed for bankruptcy 6 times and all of his casinos failed doesn't mean you shouldn't trust him on tariffs. His university was very successful, nvm. His airline.. wait. you get the point!!
PS. He TOLD us what he was going to do. 77 millions Americans voted for him.
Key Highlights, reported by CNBC:
📈 After Trump won the 2024 election, the S&P 500 rose 3.7% between Election Day and Inauguration Day, by hopes of tax cuts
📉 That optimism faded fast- once in office, Trump shifted focus to aggressive trade policies that shocked investors
💥 In April, the S&P 500 dropped 10% in just two days, briefly entering bear market territory after Trump announced new tariffs
⏳ He later gave countries a 90-day window to renegotiate, easing some market fears- but uncertainty remains.
🐻 Analysts still see this as a bear market rally, warning that ongoing policy confusion in DC could mean more volatility ahead
Our Thoughts💡: Seems like only thing dropping faster than the stock market.. is our will to check prices at the frozen meats aisle at Whole Foods 🤯
Us eating frozen cereal with a fork for breakfast today to save milk 🥛
Quicker Bites:
Pakistan's Heat Wave as temperatures soared to 118°F, with concerns over global warming.
Prince William's choice of a navy blue suit at Pope Francis' funeral sparked social media debate, though the Vatican confirms no strict dress code was enforced.
India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate: Following a deadly attack in Kashmir, regional tensions escalated.
A massive power outage affected Spain, Portugal, and parts of France yesterday.
Global Trade Disruptions: The U.S.-China trade war intensifies.
Amazon's Tariff Controversy: Amazon denies plans to display tariff costs on its main site, as the White House criticizes the move as 'hostile and political.'