Um, your waiter lied.

If Jake's machines were there before Starbucks then they wouldn't be able to negotiate that.
I'ts totally believable Starbucks would do that were they can.I know a Mexican place that negotiated no other Mexican places in the building.

Starbucks on 28th and E Burnside prevents all restaurants on block from serving espresso.

@8 Have you told Navarre this? Because they totally serve espresso. I think Tapalaya only serves chicory coffee and Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk, but both La Buca and Navarre serve/have served espresso.

They were too cheap to buy an espresso machine.

4 and #10 nailed it.