To wonder when did costa become so trendy?

[3asAbird]

I like coffee as much as next person in fact live on it.

if was to say fave would be nero followed by costa some reason not keen star bucks.

But normally its at service station.

occasionally when shopping but like m&s cafe/john lewis or support independents.

Log onto fb always gives me the rage.

least 10statuses and photos of people im at costa in x look at my christmas coffee. Yes its a coffee in an xmas themed paper cup get over yourself people.

Feeling christmasy at costa its bloody november.
Oh look brought costa for my tassimo!

So what have i missed ? why are so many people costa addicts and advertising the fact?

Do I have wanky mates which should be deleted or anyone else noticed this?

ahh i didn't know mcd's and costa were the same! how come mcd's coffee is nicer then??

They taste totally different

Costa are doing a competition on their Facebook page - to enter you need to send in a photo of you with one of their Christmas cups. Think this is why so many people are posting those pictures on Facebook at the moment.

maybe im being coffee griinch.

just seems bit overkill.

aww look at my boys enjoying their drinks-they age 6 and 7!

well their comps worked just annoyed me.

Their xmas drinks are no better than mc flurry or cadburys messing about with dairy milk and orios.

Tacky novelty give me just plan coffee anyday.

I'm willing to consider the possibility that people who are obsessed with coffee can have a wild preference for one chain over another.

I guess I should say "legitimate" preference.

I like my local Costa because they are child friendly.

I don't mean mum friendly, I mean child.

They treat my children like people. They have a range on non crap food that can be enjoyed by all ages. Rather than market specifically for childen. And the babichinos are bloody cheap.

I honestly think that the reason my Costa is filled with such well behaved children (it's like Stepford kids in there) of all ages (including teens) is because they are afforded the same respect and courtesy as the adults.

Costas are the only place that do cortado. That's enough for me

Costa is the only coffee franchise where I live, all the other coffee shops are locally owned. I prefer it because it is comfortable and feels private because the other customers are not sitting on top of me, the lighting is slightly dimmed and colours calming which is relaxing and keeps dd calm, the staff are very helpful and friendly, they have enough initiative to offer help if they see someone may need it, they seem to genuinely like kids, remember dds name and fuss over her, I like their coffee and their foods fine.

is it? I view them all as pretty interchangeable - costa/nero/starbucks in term sof trendiness, or not. I think they are just ubiquitous, and in convenient locations.

My own hierachy is:
Nero/Starbucks/Costa for sitting in and ambience (don't like Maroon)
Starbucks/Nero/Costa for tea (Costa tea is always lukewarm!)
Costa/Starbucks/Nero for Hot Chocolate (Neros tastes weird, Starbucks not great)

And yes Pret for Coffee!

McDonalds isn't the same as Costa is it? - it's owned by Whitbread. Are you thinking of Pret which was part owned by McDonalds (not any more)?

I live in the north and the village I live in has about 5 places you can buy Costa coffee, including one actual Costa. Noticed Primark had one a couple of weeks ago too so think they are certainly out for UK domination.

It's ok but think it's pretty expensive for what it is and I think all their flavored coffee is a bit sweet for me, it's convenient though as there's always space for babies which isn't always true of independents.

Have noticed a few fb friends commenting about Gingerbread lattes etc but assumed that was more a way of saying that it's almost Christmas (in their mind, I haven't really thought about it yet). No photo's yet or any particular mention of brands though.

I like Starbucks because of their sugar-free vanilla syrup - if I drink coffee, it's with this.

My kids love Starbucks because of the cinnamon swirl buns. My son has just started leaving the house in his own, reluctantly - it was the siren call of Starbucks that finally lured him.

I live in the south east in a suburb, we have a small shopping precinct and now have far too many coffee shops. Mainly independent, but we do have a costa, which has just extended its opening hours and the size of the seating area.

We have a loungers bar here (a small to medium sized chain which serves everything from coffee and cake to full on dinner) they make a lovely coffee, strong without being bitter, and the bonus of a glorious red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting! yum yum

I am so glad I rid myself of fb, its literally changed my life. Instead of wasting hours reading pointless updates and looking at carefully posed pics of perfect families, or the polar opposite, reading how despite having an affair and posting all the details on fb, now back with h and how perfect life is how rich they are etc etc or hours wasted on candy crush, i'm ctually getting out and about on an evening, or doing all the jobs that I was 'too busy' to do before like sorting the desk/cupboard etc. Which in turn means guilt free mumsnetting time

I have lived in Vietnam for 7 years and no coffee (except Indonesian and Italian) comes close. "Street coffee" sells for 25p and is thex perfect way to wake up. There are all sorts of coffee shops, for students, karaoke, romantic, and so many ways of making it.

Costa is a big disappointment. :(

I love Costa hot chocolate.

Starbucks hot choc is foul, sweet, watery milk.

Costa's coffee is awful.

I can be convinced to order a frappuccino type job on a really hot day, but their actual coffee (i.e espresso/americano) without two tons of milk & sugar in it is crap.

And what is with the cup sizing? The 'large' is like a bucket and comes with two handles to lift it

Hellokittymania Vietnamese coffee is the business especially with the condensed milk. Amazing!

It was a trip to vietnam and lots of early mornings catching boats on the mekong delta that first got me into coffee.

I like costs, but my favourite is a local Italian coffee shop. Nothing is better than that.

Preciousbane, he is great. A little ray of sunshine. Annoyingly, the council are developing the station and looks like he may be evicted as there will be a permanent coffee shop in the new station design. I bet you a flat white with 1 sugar that we end up with a bloody costa instead.

I don't go to Costa because I don't want every street in my city full of identikit coffee shops. They have a bad reputation round here because the parent company turns a blind eye to the franchisees setting up in shops which do not have planning permission to be converted to cafes, and then trying to get permission retrospectively. They usually open in areas which already have plenty of independent coffee shops, so I stick to them.

I used to go to Starbucks a lot in Japan, because it was the only smoke-free place to go, but I only use it when there's no alternative here, because frankly the coffee is not very good, and it's overpriced compared to smaller places.

My local Starbucks is always really dirty tables piled with cups, stains that I don't even want to think about on the sofa and chairs.

That's a main reason I go to Costa. Never been to a Nero's, am I missing out?!

Noticed there is also a Costa in my gym.

I like costa and cafe nero. Not so keen on starbucks though. Dd and i go to costa much too often [embarrassed]

recently we've been sampling their christmas range of drinks. Their hot chocs are far superior to starbucks imo. Agree about mc donalds coffee. Dh is really fussy about coffee, and really rates it.

We also have an nespresso machine at home with a frother attached. We make very good use of it!
I had a very nice hot choc, and delicious gluten free brownie in morrisons cafe this morning. Cost less than £3 for both. Very impressed.