Edinburgh explores the difference between English Coffee and American Coffee A brief introduction to the efficacy of British Coffee in chain Coffee shops

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This is an album commissioned by our good friend Lulu. In fact, we are also very interested in this topic. As early as when we were traveling with the group, we found that the brands of British coffee shops are actually more diverse than we imagined. Perhaps it is the economic situation here, and the British way of consumption, that can support such a diverse mode of coffee shop competition.

English coffee shops are divided into chain coffee shops and individual private businesses, similar to those in China. The most famous is, of course, Starbucks Starbucks, but Costa and Caf é Nero are also in the competition, with more than five similar coffee chains. After a tour of the UK, we found that Starbucks and Costa should be the two big leaders here. There are more Starbucks in tourist attractions where land prices are more expensive. After all, they are multinational enterprises and can afford higher rents, while there are more Costa in places where the price level is relatively low. In Southampton, the ratio of Starbucks to Costa is 2 to 3, which tells us the status of the city we live in.

We see at least three Starbucks in Edinburgh and none in Costa; but in Stratford and Portsmouth they have a ratio of 1 to 1; in Bath the ratio of Starbucks to Costa is 2 to 0. Interestingly, they seem to be fighting each other like a throat-cutting war, without making a difference at the guest level. In the case of a large latte, Venti sells for 2.75 pounds a cup, and the environmentally friendly price for deducting its own cup (self-own cup) is 2.55 pounds, equivalent to 30 yuan. It costs the same price as a large latte from Costa.

Then compete for quality! To tell you the truth, the Starbucks coffee here is not as good as China, and the service attitude is not better. Since their business machines have been changed from semi-automatic to fully automatic, it seems that pig heads can also operate that machine; it may save money on the cost of cultivating Barista, but the early Starbucks intention to cultivate coffee bartenders and the spirit and enthusiasm to promote coffee culture also seem to have disappeared in full commercial considerations. To make matters worse, the coffee shop could not smell the mellow aroma of the coffee. On several occasions, I have even reminded the clerk at the checkout to deduct the discount fee for my own cup (NT $15, according to personal observation, another reason is that the British never bring their own cups). So there was a time when we preferred Costa's English coffee. Our Canadian neighbor recommended Caf é Nero, which is cheaper, but actually less delicious. The most unique thing is that the eat-in price of Caf é Nero is even cheaper than that of take-out (take-away), usually the opposite. At Starbucks, internal use may be about 50p more expensive than take-out.

However, in the end, we are loyal customers of Starbucks for many reasons. The coffee beans here are relatively cheap compared with those in China. The Household Blend we usually use costs 3.90 pounds for half a pound; the beans from Starbucks in China cost about 80 yuan. The accompanying card here does not need the cost, we can use it as we like, and we will keep it as a souvenir after using it, but there is no bonus point. Most importantly, Starbucks here is actually cheaper: just take sugar bags and napkins, we can always ask them for lukewarm water, and you can take it away after drinking it on the spot, because the price of bottled water here is one pound for 500c.c. We fill up with our two accompanying cups, which translates to 2 pounds. The result: we drank a large latte (- 2.55), both of us used the clean toilet they provided (+ 0.4 charge for going to the toilet) and drank four cups of 500c.c. Reverse osmosis purifies water (+ 4) and rests in the comfortable environment they provide, but seems to earn a little. What kind of Ah Q mentality is this?

Starbucks here has another advantage: they still value their relationship with the community, so their storefront design will try to combine with the characteristics of the community, especially in the branches near tourist attractions. Sometimes they even sacrifice their big mermaid signboards for the sake of the overall coordination of the landscape. Therefore, sometimes it is not easy to find near scenic spots, but the design is still beautiful Starbucks coffee shop.

Under the trap of several major coffee chains, it is of course difficult for a self-run English coffee shop to operate, but it should also have a sense of achievement and profit. We didn't see many self-run English coffee shops on the road, but we found that business was booming. After all, the income of the British is really high. The average annual salary of a firefighter is 27000 pounds (about 500000 yuan). Do I care about the poor discount on my cup? In addition, the British don't care about food at all, and they flock to food prepared casually by the side of the road. At that time, we were in a self-run Italian coffee restaurant near Westminster Abbey in London. After waiting for a while, we ordered a bad plate of spaghetti (£7) and a small cup of latte (£2.70), which added up to almost 150 yuan! In fact, our own cooking is more delicious. After paying the bill, there is suddenly a feeling of being robbed by the mafia. I want to cry but I can't cry. I want to replenish my water and ask for money later.