Xela Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Seat68 said: Mentioned the number of McDonalds my relatively small town (Stafford) has, 4, plus 2 more at the services. Legalised crack! People can't get enough of it. The queues at the ones around here can be insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted March 12, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 12, 2021 I’m not really into coffee to know one way or the other, but how do gastro pubs and the like generally compare to the chain coffee shops and the independents in terms of quality? Is it way off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted March 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2021 2 hours ago, Seat68 said: Mentioned the number of McDonalds my relatively small town (Stafford) has, 4, plus 2 more at the services. Starbucks, we have 3. Plus 3 Costa. By the generally accepted and historically accurate international standard, that makes Stafford immune to invasion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted March 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Mark Albrighton said: I’m not really into coffee to know one way or the other, but how do gastro pubs and the like generally compare to the chain coffee shops and the independents in terms of quality? Is it way off? I'm no expert, but generally an independent coffee shop will make a coffee preferable to what I'd get on the rare occasions I end up in one of the chains. Brand recognition is huge with people. I know people who will only go into Starbucks. I doubt they could blind taste test one from the other but the pull of that logo is crazy. There's probably the opposite going on with me. I'm naturally inclined to dislike the mainstream stuff. Probably why I'm a Villa fan. Over here on one of the main streets in Dublin city centre (Dame Street), a Starbucks opened up literally across the road from, and directly facing, another Starbucks. This was obviously a perfectly acceptable business model for the company, such is the volume of coffee they sell, and you can be sure there was a Costa or an Insomnia or a Nero, or a Butlers or a Bewleys within spitting distance of both. As someone who likes coffee but could easily live without it, I don't get the genuinely insane clamour for it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted March 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2021 24 minutes ago, BOF said: Over here on one of the main streets in Dublin city centre (Dame Street), a Starbucks opened up literally across the road from, and directly facing, another Starbucks. Historically their business model was to go into a town or region and open two or three times the amount of coffee shops that the area could support - one on every corner. The convenience of that would put the local independents out of business and after a couple of years, once they'd got the town to themselves, they'd close a couple of the stores. Not sure if they still do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted March 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2021 Just now, OutByEaster? said: Historically their business model was to go into a town or region and open two or three times the amount of coffee shops that the area could support - one on every corner. The convenience of that would put the local independents out of business and after a couple of years, once they'd got the town to themselves, they'd close a couple of the stores. Not sure if they still do that. Yeah I was aware of that sinister practice. They'd be doing well to take over a main capital city centre. But just to update, the second of those Starbuckseses has since closed, but they were open in parallel for a good long time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 hour ago, BOF said: I know people who will only go into Starbucks. I doubt they could blind taste test one from the other but the pull of that logo is crazy. Not convinced by that Starbucks - Intense cloying taste but doesn't really taste like coffee should, there is something incredibly wrong in the taste of Starbucks coffee Costa - Tastes pretty much of NOTHING. Costa Bean Buyer: Can we buy your absolutely cheapest beans please, not arsed if they've got no flavour Caffé Nero - Actually tastes like coffee, not THE best but coffee nonetheless. And for Coffee on the go, my tip is Wild Bean Cafe in BP Service Stations. The best you'll buy as a motorist, better than both Costa and Starbucks by a distance. Nero don't do drive-thru that I'm aware of. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 minute ago, bickster said: Not convinced by that Starbucks - Intense cloying taste but doesn't really taste like coffee should, there is something incredibly wrong in the taste of Starbucks coffee Costa - Tastes pretty much of NOTHING. Costa Bean Buyer: Can we buy your absolutely cheapest beans please, not arsed if they've got no flavour Caffé Nero - Actually tastes like coffee, not THE best but coffee nonetheless. Yeah I think that’s really close to my summing up too. I’ve not had hundreds of Starbucks, but when I have had one it’s been ‘off’ in some way, maybe like the coffee was burnt or the milk wasn’t quite right. Never quite nailed what’s wrong with it. Costa, great if you like warm brown milk. Nero, tastes like coffee. But blind taste tests are a really good idea, we did it years back with the kids as a science project on a few different things like chocolate, colas, peanut butter. turned out their favourites weren’t actually their favourites on some things which they found fascinating and infuriating. They would re do the test until they could recognise their faves and not accidentally choose ones they’d insisted they didn’t like! Which we tried to explain to them was a weird way of thinking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 As chain coffees go, McDonalds is ok. Cheaper than rivals and a better taste as well. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Xela said: As chain coffees go, McDonalds is ok. Cheaper than rivals and a better taste as well. Yea I've said this previously. Even in the coffee snobs world, it's classed as the best "major supplier of coffee", mainly due to the fact their working practices require them to change their filters more regularly, meaning fresher beans. Starbucks has the lowest filter change frequency, meaning their coffee, unless you get there straight after filter change, is generally tasteless. After "grabbing" a drive-thru coffee from starbucks; and I mean a medium black and a small cake thing (think it was Bakewell if I remember correctly) costing £8, I've never gone back to a Starbucks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2021 2 minutes ago, lapal_fan said: Yea I've said this previously. Even in the coffee snobs world, it's classed as the best "major supplier of coffee", mainly due to the fact their working practices require them to change their filters more regularly, meaning fresher beans. Starbucks has the lowest filter change frequency, meaning their coffee, unless you get there straight after filter change, is generally tasteless. After "grabbing" a drive-thru coffee from starbucks; and I mean a medium black and a small cake thing (think it was Bakewell if I remember correctly) costing £8, I've never gone back to a Starbucks. But Starbucks isn't tasteless and the taste is uncannily constant. This filter theory is not a very good one McDonalds Coffee is one step up from Costa in terms of taste but that is a seriously small step on a huge flight of stairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 4 minutes ago, bickster said: But Starbucks isn't tasteless and the taste is uncannily constant. This filter theory is not a very good one McDonalds Coffee is one step up from Costa in terms of taste but that is a seriously small step on a huge flight of stairs. I didn't come up with it. It was on a TV show.. something like The One Show - Can't remember - my sources are weak as hell, but it wasn't a guess, it was an industry testing standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2021 Wales colloquially 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 On 12/03/2021 at 20:36, bickster said: Wales Colloquially Wrexscum. Yep. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 minute ago, Seat68 said: Wrexscum. Yep. Baz Vegas! But my fave so far has to be Frosty Arsehole for (I had to look it up) Ffrostrasol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 12, 2021 The vexological map of how to offend everyone in Europe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il_serpente Posted March 13, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 13, 2021 13 hours ago, OutByEaster? said: Historically their business model was to go into a town or region and open two or three times the amount of coffee shops that the area could support - one on every corner. The convenience of that would put the local independents out of business and after a couple of years, once they'd got the town to themselves, they'd close a couple of the stores. Not sure if they still do that. from one of my favorite movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted March 13, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 13, 2021 17 hours ago, chrisp65 said: It’s located in between the indoor market one side, and a sort of posh department store the other side at a point where buskers and lefty choirs and soup kitchens compete for the best spot. All human life is present, and I observe it through glass, sipping a macchiato. So just altos and sopranos then?* *(apologies - that was terrible.) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted March 13, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 13, 2021 6 hours ago, TheAuthority said: So just altos and sopranos then?* *(apologies - that was terrible.) On the contrary, it was rather good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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