As you may have heard, Bikini Coffee is coming to Portland. The Salem-based coffee company is hoping its combination of hot coffee and hotter baristas will be able to make money downtown, and is currently moving into the former location of Caplan Sports World at 520 SW 5th Ave.

Like many other espresso outlets across the country, Bikini Coffee found out that they could significantly increase coffee sales by staffing their kiosks with scantily clad women.

At Bikini Coffee you will be able to order coffee by the cup — all the way up to a DD-cup! Okay, I made that up.

Critics say that these “sexpresso” shops are degrading to women, and that using sex to sell coffee is inappropriate.

Oh, puh-LEEZE. Sex is used to sell EVERYTHING in our culture, from new cars to breath mints. Putting women in bikini tops to sell coffee is no different than staffing your restaurant with cute waitresses, it’s just a little more heavy-handed.

Will I go to Bikini Coffee? Well, it depends on how good their coffee is. I only tried the food at Hooter’s twice before I had confirmed for myself that it wasn’t the chicken breasts that kept the customers flocking in: The food was awful. Maybe I’m in the minority, but it will take more than a pair of firm ta-tas to make me buy lousy coffee.

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