In the latest Dueling Fools on Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), fellow Fools Alyce Lomax and Chuck Saletta debated whether the shares are too pricey, or whether investors can reasonably expect double-digit growth for years to come.

Fools can read the Duel for further insight into the type of growth already priced into the shares; meanwhile, Starbucks will likely do its best to keep rapid growth chugging along for as long as possible. As Alyce pointed out, that includes selling more than just coffee, as Starbucks has begun to move into the entertainment world with its Hear Music division, among other initiatives.

Starbucks is also branching into books. What started with the children's book The Little Engine That Could will shift to the adult world, with an Oct. 3 offering of Mitch Albom's For One More Day.

So what do these non-beverage initiatives mean for Starbucks going forward? Beside the coffee and food offerings, not much. According to the company's latest 10-K, its fiscal 2005 sales mix was as follows: 77% beverages, 15% food, 4% coffee beans, 4% coffee-making products and other merchandise. In other words, beside coffee and food, the multimedia offerings don't make much of a dent on the top line, or bottom-line profitability for that matter. Sure, they could go gangbusters, but that would still do little to boost overall results until they grow to a higher proportion of sales.

Rather than tracking which CD or book Starbucks uses to grab headlines, investors would be better advised to track overall coffee and food growth, same-store sale trends, new store openings, and free cash flow generation, all of which are currently impressive. Keeping tabs on the competition is another key consideration. Caribou Coffee (NASDAQ:CBOU) and Peet'sCoffee (NASDAQ:PEET) are the closest peers, but McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) may also work, since it sells a lot of food and is looking to enhance coffee sales.

Multimedia may add a couple of points to same-store sales growth. But for the time being, the company's overall health will have little to do with how well "Starbooks" turns out. Barnes & Noble (NYSE:BKS) and Borders (NYSE:BGP) can rest easy.

For related Foolishness:

Starbucks is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick. For more superstar picks from Tom and David Gardner, try a subscription on for size,free for 30 days.

Fool contributor Ryan Fuhrmann is long shares of Starbucks and Mickey D's but has no financial interest in any other company mentioned. Feel free to email him with feedback or to discuss any companies mentioned further. The Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy.