Starbucks finally launched a beta version of its metaverse, Starbucks Odyssey, on December 8 after initially announcing the Web3 experience in September. Although restaurants have been dipping their toes and marketing budgets into the metaverse all year, it feels like the party is just getting started now that one of the world’s largest foodservice companies has joined.

Here’s why our senior editor Joanna Fantozzi thinks Starbucks was smart to wait more than half a year after some of his industry peers joined the fray. Rather than limit the size of its potential audience by requiring additional equipment or an understanding of Bitcoin and NFT, Starbucks has broadened its potential user base. NFTs have been renamed…