This post is part of the On the Margin blog. Twenty-five years ago today, a little known coffee shop chain out of Seattle, Starbucks Corp., filed for an initial-public offering. At the time, Starbucks ...

Starbucks’ ongoing expansion has vaulted it to the second-largest restaurant chain in the world—and a run at first place doesn’t seem implausible. The company that’s best known for its coffee, but ...