Brand of the Week. Starbucks
Great brands polarise opinion and this is certainly the case with Starbucks. Do you think they've been the saviour of the High Street or are you sick of the sight of them?
Great brands polarise opinion and this is certainly the case with Starbucks. Do you think they've been the saviour of the High Street or are you sick of the sight of them?
I have to admit that I love coffee and I do like Starbucks. Before they came along, we used to think that great coffee was Nescafe Gold Blend. Also remember how difficult it used to be to find a decent cafe in London?
Starbucks is a great place to meet up, do some work or simply relax. They're very democratic. All kinds of people go there and everyone feels at ease. Being self employed I treat them as my mobile office.
Are they the very best at what they do? Probably not. The coffee is better at Caffe Nero, the food is better at Eat or Pret and of course there are much cooler cafes to hang out in such as Bar Italia. Of course, with familarity they are a bit samey and they've lost a bit of their charm.Having said all that, they are consistently good and deliver what they promise. if you're not happy what they serve, you can customise the coffee to suit your taste. Whenever I'm in a place I don't know or arrive at an airport and I'm desperate for a coffee, they're always a reassuring sight. They're much better than the dreadful cafes and the fast food restaurants they've replaced.
5 comments:
If there was only one of my vices I could keep (and there are many!) it would be my morning coffee at Starbucks.
If you have your coffee black the bean they use is as good as it gets.
They also have a nice loyalty card but I dont seem to get any perks for using it!
By the way, last post was Michael
Cheers Michael. Yes - went to Starbucks myself and had a nice cappuccino. Someone asked what do you get for a loyalty card and the barista didn't know!
Well I don't like all these American coffee bar chains. Bland, bland, bland. And expensive. We've got a giant Caffe Nero on the corner of Lordship Lane now and it's horrible - I wish it was an independent coffee shop with a bit of character but of course an independant couldn't afford the rent now the real money has moved into the street. And you know, everyone complained about it, there were petitions and debates on the local forum but it's always packed.....
Starbucks isn't democratic, it's not for everyone, just those who can afford a fiver for some frothy milk and a mass-produced cantuccini biscuit.
When a big business destroys the character of a local neighbourhood then I agree it can be negative and the planning authorities need to step in. The same argument can be levelled against supermarkets. In Thailand the government have stopped the expansion of Tesco because of this.
Because an area like East Dulwich is on the up its bound to attract big business. I guess the best thing for residents to do is to boycott it. Although it sounds liek they're not.
I noticed that on Streatham High Road the bowling alley - a huge building - has closed. I bet the neighbours would love a big business to take it over.
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