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

Opening hours and card payments. The one in my suburb has breathed life into a flagging g precinct that didn't have a cafe. The staff know everyone now and they host community charity events and community stuff. I really can't fault that branch

I don't like coffee. So a Costa decaf latte is just about perfect, as it doesn't taste remotely like coffee.

I think that sums up Costa's quality quite nicely

I like my points

They really seem to add up quick

A gratis toastie and Frappacino yesterday

Marvellous

One opened in our town about 18 months ago, I am amazed it's still there. We have at least half a dozen lovely sandwich shops/cafes within 300 yards of it, and more again along the next street. There was a big campaign to stop them getting planning permission too. I only know one person who goes there, and that's only because of the access.
I'll use one if I'm travelling, but it would never be first choice.

Nero isn't so bad but there are fewer of them and the last time I went in, their loyalty scheme was still a bit of cardboard and a stamp.

What's wrong with that?! Some of my favourite indie cafes have exactly that loyalty scheme model

I very rarely went to our local Costa, would always choose the independent across the road, but while i was overseas I loved it. It was familiar, and it was the best tea (I don’t drink coffee). So now I’m back in the UK I have an affection for it, but not sure I’ll be going out of my way to go in any time soon.

I would choose an independent every time as here in Edinburgh there are loads of good ones and I drink flat white or similar (cortado etc) and none of the chains have a clue how to make a decent one of those.

But almost all the independent ones are tiny, so if it's busy you might feel guilty spending too long there whereas Starbucks and Costa are huge so if you want to linger or are in a big group or have kids or whatever, then it's probably an 'easier' choice. And plenty of people seem to think the coffee in Starbucks or Costa is fine/good - I disagree but clearly for plenty of people it is and some people like the milkier/less strong large coffee type drinks rather than espresso or espresso with a bit of milk type drinks. Or they might not be there primarily for the coffee...

In Edinburgh there is a Starbucks directly opposite a very good independent, so why would you not cross the road and go to the good independent (which is also actually slightly cheaper than Starbucks). I can only guess that the reasons above are why, but then plenty of people will accuse you of being a "coffee snob" for not liking Costa/Starbucks etc coffee.

It's in my local Tesco. It could be Starbucks or Nero or any number of smaller chains or independent coffee houses, it's all the same to me, but it's Costa who have the spot in the back of the supermarket so that's who gets my business.

I like Costa's coffee over Starbucks and I love the cheese and tomato toastie. I also like the fact it will always taste the same and is pretty clean - I drive for my work so it's good to know I can always get decent coffee when needed. I think there are now 8 Costas in the large town I live in so they're doing something right.

I will happily drink Starbucks (though it's always on the bitter side), Cafe Nero and Pret coffee but there is only 1 each of those to choose from locally.

Their coffee is much better than starbuck's coffee. also, they don't fuck up tea like starbucks do. God knows how but starbucks cannot just do normal barry's or lyon's or pg tips tea. They have some weird tasteless tea in a cloth triangle and no flavour floods out.

I find it very frustrating that Costa have an absolute monopoly where I live

Very small town and can think of 5 separate Costas in a small radius.

No Starbucks or Nero

I think Nero has the nicest hot drinks

I just wish I had options rather than wall to wall Costa

Local/independents are fine for the locals who know which are the best, but for non-locals, it's a pain trying to find a coffee shop and then risking whether they accept cards or not, whether the coffee is any good or not, and whether there are any comfortable seats/tables available. At least with Costa or Starbucks, you know what you're going to find and they're easy to locate via the online store locator.

Same as with McD's - we usually seek out a McDs or Subway for lunch when we're in a different town. That's not because we're fans of them, it's because they're easy to find, and the product/service is consistent. Time and time again, we've tried to find local/independent cafes and have been disappointed due to cost and/or poor quality/choice. The last we tried was what looked like a good place on the Christchurch High Street - it was hideous with glacial/slow service and ridiculously over-priced bacon bun!

They are easily the worst coffee chain going. Whenever you go in one they take your order whilst there's still about six people standing in front of you. Then there's always a row of trays and saucers with receipt will on them, even when you only ordered one thing they give you a fucking tray! I manage fine in Starbucks without a fucking tray and a saucer, even when Ive ordered a cake.

It also seems to take ages to be served in there, yet Starbucks wins through orders and there's rarely a crowd of people waiting for their coffee. Why is that? I don't know why Costa seems to have the monopoly in the U.K. When it so shit?

I quite like a Costa, if I am out in an unfamiliar city/town and want a quick coffee. I like the coffee and the standard is pretty consistent. The problem with an indie place is that they can be a bit hit and miss,

We have a Costa in our town that I have only been in once, when I wanted a take out to take on an early bus. I don't often go for coffee in my own town but if I do I either go to an independent coffee shop, or Wetherspoons because it is cheap...and also sells wine!

It’s the opening hours....I lived in a lovely seaside town with quite a few indies that had great staff, nice food but crap opening hours. One place closed from October to April. There was a midday swim every New Years Day, approximately 50 or so swimmers and about 200 spectators. Only place to open afterwards for food & drink? Then all the indies would be complaining that local businesses lose out to chains. Well, when you’ve got a captive audience of that many, open your bloody doors to them! The other thing was space, neither of the indies I used to go in could seat more than 20 and sometimes you’d end up sharing tables.

In Edinburgh there is a Starbucks directly opposite a very good independent, so why would you not cross the road and go to the good independent

How does the visitor/traveller know it is very good?

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

I think this is it. I once saw a programme that tried to explain why Starbucks would open two branches on the same street, it was so they were always the nearest and therefore always got the business.

Plus their (Costa, Starbucks etc etc) huge buying power gets them the economies of scale.

A lot of the products may seem expensive for what they are £3 for a coffee, but when you think about it, they have to sell an awful lot to make up for the cost of rent, rate, wages, banking charges, fitting premises out, ingredients etc etc.

As for quality, there's an awful lot of style over substance, but they have the image/branding and for the product to be just good enough to appeal to the masses. After all, there's loads of huge brands making a fortune out of selling mediocre products, Subway, McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Costa, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Bella Italia, etc etc.

People say they like the consistency, you know what you're getting, so most people must prefer to get something a bit crap, rather than go to an independent, where there is a chance that you'll get something far better than a major chain, but there is a risk of getting something really crap, like the Nescafe coffee and cheap bacon butty, but you can usually spot these by the lack of an espresso machine, decor of the place, and the pricing.

I only drink decaf coffee with skimmed milk. Neither of our indie coffee shops have either of those so I use Costa instead.

I quite like Costa. I'm not really a coffee drinker so only ever have a single shot of coffee or a tea. Tea in Starbucks or Nero is vile.
I like the Costa consistency and the fact not all their cakes and pastries arrive in long life shrinkwrapped plastic which seems to be my experience of Starbucks. The Cafe Nero in our town allows dogs so we avoid (for noise, smell and allergy reasons )

If I am in an unfamiliar town I just open Google Maps and type in coffee and pick one nearby with good reviews - hardly ever lets me down and for some reason seems much more reliable than tripadvisor.

Have found lots of great indie coffee shops in London by doing this and also in other cities across Europe like Barcelona.

there is a risk of getting something really crap... but you can usually spot these by the lack of an espresso machine, decor of the place, and the pricing.

Yes, exactly. It's not particularly hard to distinguish a good indie cafe from a greasy spoon.

Also, how depressing that 'at least they're consistent' is as much as we hope for

Re: sharing tables, I've had to do that sometimes in chains as well as indies; and it's really not a problem anyway, is it?

I'm with you OP - I use them on journeys as they are in service stations and preferable, in my opinion, to Starbucks which tastes rank to me.

I find Costa's sandwiches OK for occasional treats, I LOVE the way they put the calorie count on everything so I never buy their cakes or other goodies .

My preference for coffee from a chain is Cafe Nerro but they are not as plentiful as Costa.

I liked Costa for a while. I rarely bother any more because you actually don't know what you will get, the staff seem to serve random strengths of coffee with whatever milk comes to hand regardless of what you ask for and some of it is revolting.

Had one last week that appeared to have been made with the stuff left in the machine from the cleaning process.

If they trained the staff to be consistent and showed them what half a shot looks like, and the difference between full fat and semi skimmed milk it would be useful. And when I used their disposable, environmentally unfriendly cups I wondered why they always had perfume on them, cleaning stuff, staff with unwashed hands? Have my own cup now, and it has been used once in 3 weeks, and the coffee was nothing like I ordered. For 5 weeks in a row, my weekend treat of a Costa has been a BIG letdown, and I have decided not to bother any more.

I have had one too many stale lemon tarts from them, that kind of stale when you can taste the grease that has begun to turn rancid in the curd. I have also had croissant from there that have been old, and some that have tasted of perfume. Muffins, very overpriced.

Yes, I wonder why they are successful. They are shit all round. I have a nice porcelain lidded mug with a handle now, and am taking my own tea or coffee when I go out, no more wasted money on crappy Costa.

There are only 2 coffee shops in my town.

Until very recently Costa was the only one to serve non-dairy alternatives that don't have soya in them. So costa was always my go to.

The other serves much nicer coffee and cake so since they started stocking coconut milk I now go there

Coffee Starbucks for me
Atmosphere Caffè Nero.
Not a fan of costa coffee