Costa

[GinisLife]

£2.95 for a cheese & ham toastie !!! Cheap thin white bread, one slice of cheap ham and a sliver of cheese. And it's not even toasted on one side. It's still white, not brown. The hot chocolate isn't bad though I guess.

[FredaFrogspawn]

Eating out is always going to have a huge mark up. Nevertheless, thousands of cafes and restaurants go bust every year. Overheads are huge.

[JKScot4]

I try to use independent cafes, sick of the
sight of bloody costas everywhere. Overpriced crap, cakes like cardboard.

[Lyricallie]

Oo I really like the mushroom Costa toasty! I live in the Highlands so don't have any chains so it's like a treat for me when I get one. The small things in life haha.

[Sirzy]

You realise it isn’t compulsory to buy them?

[BarbaraofSeville]

If you want a cheaper toastie than that, make your own, almost nowhere would do one for less.

[Fuckmesideways]

Take into account:-

Staff costs
Electricity
Insurance
Equipment
Rent
Rates

And so on...

[Franklymydearidontgiveadam]

Eww I can't eat the food at the coffee chains, it's so mass produced. My nearest Costa is always dirty and scruffy too.

[NotEverythingIsBlackandwhite]

That is the cheap one that Costa do. They do several nicer ones that are more expensive. I think they are just catering for a range of people's budgets. You can't expect the finest quality for that price. Think of cost of quality ingredients, cost of time taken to prepare it, time and energy to heat it, and cost of providing plate and the washing of said plate.

[mnthrowaway202020]

If it wasn’t toasted properly you should have told their staff

[AhoyMrBeaver]

I can't think of anywhere that would make a toastie for less than that. Not that that's a good reason to buy it, but the price isn't the issue, it's the value. The café up the road from me charges £6 for a toastie, made with decent bread and filings and a side salad, presented nicely in pleasant surroundings. It depends if you want cheap (which £3 is really) and cheerless or something extra at a higher price.

[catmumof1]

YABU the £3 basic toastie is only worthwhile on the £5 lunch deal which is a good deal.

[EerieSilence]

Their sandwiches are awful and Costa is generally overpriced. They make a great caramel bun though.

[JustBecauseItWorkedForYou]

I used to work in a department store cafe. Tea was 2.65.. The cost Inc heating the water and a tea bag was 1.4p.
But obviously the elec, staff and other things get factored but it was the biggest money maker. Coffee not so much as the beans were pricey even in bulk.

[FredaFrogspawn]

I never get why tea is often as expensive as coffee when the raw materials are hardly comparable.

[Spam88]

YABU - there's also a bechamel sauce in there which is DELICIOUS.

[Nowayorhighway]

Their cheese and mushroom toastie is pretty good, I have to admit but yes it’s expensive. I bought one of their egg and mushroom sandwiches one morning and was mightily disappointed- McDonald’s is much better and cheaper.

[carlyclock]

Everywhere is the same. It isn’t specific to Costa.

[BarbaraofSeville]

£2.50 or whatever does sound expensive for what you get, but a response by a cafe owner to a complaint by a customer to being charged £2 for a hot water with lemon makes the cost sound perfectly reasonable.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2016/jan/14/is-2-a-fair-price-for-a-cup-of-hot-water-and-lemon

They are a business trying to make a profit for the owner after all and in the case of a small cafe, will be their income and you'd at least hope that they will make the equivalent for NMW plus a bit on top to reflect the fact that they have no sick pay, holidays, employer pension contributions and are taking the risk of running the business.

Otherwise you'd think 'why bother, I might as well get any old job where I'm guaranteed NMW plus basic employment rights with no financial risk to me'.

[user1494050295]

Their cortado coffee is delicious. Their sandwiches etc are expensive and not great

[FredaFrogspawn]

Yes - there has to be a cost per arse on a seat or 2 minutes of staff/electricity/heating etc.

[Notso]

The cheese and tomato one isn't bad.

[PineappleDanish]

So don't go. It's not compulsory.

[chellochello]

You've got to pay an extra £ for the good cheese & ham toastie in Costa - it's delicious (only have it as a rare treat though)

[MatildaTheCat]

Costa food is shite. Coffee is fine but the food is inedible.

Pret all the way.

[GinisLife]

No I didn't have to go but I walk past on the way to work and the nice cafe is out of my way. I will be going there for my amazing ham salad sarnie with real butter and mayo, no peppers at lunchtime. There was no bechamel sauce in it - or if there was it was well hidden. I'm an accountant. I have cafe clients. I understand the overheads. I was having a moan that a big chain coffee shop makes such a poor toastie and charges so much for it.