Can we talk about Costa?

[Twitteratti]

I just don't understand why it appears to be so successful. Is it because in too many places there just aren't enough decent alternatives?

Someone on Coco Cola's board obviously thinks it serves decent coffee

They make the best hot chocolates and their toasties are nice as well.

Is it because in too many places there just aren't enough decent alternatives?

We have 4/5 really good indie coffee shops in the little market town.

None are open before 10 and all close by 4. If you want coffee as a commuter you have the option of Costa or nothing.

There's one opposite my work. Sole reason I go into it - proximity plus takes card payments for all the days when I don't have cash on me. I drink tea though so can't comment on the standard of the coffee!

I like the cakes much better than Starbucks. Their chocolate brownies are lovely.

Our town has one. We also have nearly a dozen indie cafes. I have never seen anyone local use Costa - it picks up passing trade (it is by a petrol station near a main tourist route) and people who don’t realise how near and how nice the town cafes (2 of which open at 7am) are.

You know what you're getting in every single one. I like working from there as it has lots of space and I dont feel bad "stealing" from a big company by buying one coffee and staying for 4 hours, but I would feel bad at an independent place.

We have a good selection of indy coffee shops and a Costa in town.

One of the indy ones is very nice and very popular, but has very erratic opening times, and is always packed when it is open. Another has great coffee, but only two small tables, so really just good if you're looking to get coffee to go. A third one I also quite like, but it's a bit out of the way (although this is the one I personally prefer, many others complain the service is slow and it's too loud in there, too). The rest of the indy ones really aren't particularly nice - in terms of food and drinks on offer, or the place itself and the staff. The Costa is a Costa. You know exactly when they open and close and what they'll be selling, and it seldom so busy you couldn't get a table. I can see the attraction.

They are everywhere, high streets, in gyms, at motorway services, in Tesco branches, in hospitals, in petrol stations. Sometimes there is no other option even if you want something else and yes I agree they are open long hours. Some people like Costa and want the consistency of going to same chain rather than try an independent.

Because their salted caramel frestinos are the stuff of the gods

They're everywhere. There's two in my (smallish) town and we don't have 'naice' independent tea/coffee shops to go to.

Oh and the staff in the one I frequent are amazing and allowed me to bring in stuff today that would be banned somewhere else to do a mini birthday party. They rock

Their breakfast bloomer sandwich is lovely, I like their coffee and they’re cheaper and more comfortable than the local cafes.
Plus, as a pp said, they have less ridiculous opening hours than many independent shops, and in my local town at least, they’re cheaper.
I do love a nice local cafe / coffee shop but I like Costa and Starbucks too.

If there’s no pret in town then costa is the only chain coffee shop so far to do the macaroni cheese thing.

Way inferior to pret though.

They tend to be quite spacious so when the DCs were younger it was the easiest place to manoeuvre prams around if there was a few of us meeting. The coffee is shit though

Plus no one expects toddlers to be perfect angels in a Costa.

They do great gingerbread hot chocolate!

Easy, accessible and consistent.

Plus as a tea drinker, it's great to get decent tea, in a pot and with an actual spoon (trying to fish teabags out of a mug with a wooden stirrer is impossible!)

Downsides are that lately they all seem so messy! Tables not cleared, floors dirty, and toilets seem to be consistently awful.

We only have one independent coffee shop and the coffee in there is dire, the costa is much better, so I go there.

I used to use them because of their opening hours especially when Dd was younger & I needed somewhere to kill time when she was at dance classes and rehearsals early evenings & weekends.

Of the failings mentioned on this thread so far (and there are definitely some mentioned), not one would be worth putting up with for the so-called 'pluses'. In my view anyway. I accept the facts (that it seems to be popular), but I just don't understand, if you see what I mean.

I'm convinced that its success is simply because it's EVERYWHERE.

Take a look at something like McDonald's in comparison. Arguably the quality isn't great. But I can see the appeal. It does what it does rather well. And its quite tasty. But I don't see the Costa does what it does well. Admittedly I'm just talking about coffee here. I can't comment on the other stuff as I've never bought it.

@Sandstormbrewing Gosh, I'm sorry for you! A choice between dire and dire! that's bad luck

I like it because it’s fast, has Apple Pay, I know what I’m getting and the babycinos are free. My daughter loves it as a treat. If I was going alone as a treat I’d go to a ‘naice’ Coffee shop but quick fix it ticks all the boxes for me

I have an independent coffee shop almost next door to my house, and a Costa a couple of minutes down the road. They both have their place, the cakes in the indie are amazing but expensive, £4 to £5 each, the coffee is too strong for me in terms of caffeine and the seating area is tiny and cramped. Costa isn’t as nice, or even naice, but it’s cheaper, the coffee doesn’t make me feel jittery for hours after and the cakes while not as good don’t cost as much and I don’t feel guilty sitting in there taking up a table for ages while chatting with a friend.

Honestly coffee is coffee wherever you go.

Businesses don’t succeed on product alone. Location and service are a key factor and what everyone has said above is that their loca costas are either in a convenient location or provide the service (opening hours, card payment, tolerating long stays) that people require.

My local independent is still cash only so I rarely go in. I’m sure their coffee is lovely, they just don’t supply the service I need.

I agree as with McDonalds I know the Costa menu and I know exactly what to order and what I will get, so in terms of consistency of product Costa are a good match for Mcdonalds

They have the airport and train station market captured. That must be worth a fortune alone.