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?

Costa far too mainstream to be trendy, surely? To be trendy, one must be an independent cafe meets art space meets fixie bike repair shop, no?

I've been in East London too long...

LucySnoweShouldRelax I know exactly which cafe/art space/fixie bike repair shops you mean. I can think of at least 4 in hackney!

Lucy, are you one of these curiously hip people I bump into when I venture into East London?

LucySnowe - you'd feel right at home in Bristol too. There's even a new pub with space to hang your bike on the wall while you drink, but it's in competition with the place opposite which has its own original Banksy on the terrace.

But maybe Costa is 'trendy', rather than hipster...

I couldn't possibly admit to being a hipster. Doing so would, like, nullify my hipster credentials.

Now, please excuse me while I roll a cigarette, adjust my fringe, and select my ironic 90s-throwback outfit for this evening. Scrunchie, anyone?

I find coffee from Costa so disgusting. Also Starbucks (which is constantly filthy inside!). At the risk if sounding like a hipster douche bag, I'd much rather visit an independent only because the coffee is so good. Maybe I'm spoilt as I live in Leeds city centre and have lots of nice coffee choices..

On my day off I always go to Costa to read my book and watch the world go by. Nothing to do with the standard of coffee tbh, more that I know whichever branch I'm in the system will be the same, no poncing around with waitress service, nobody's going to ask me whether I want it in a mug, and if I say yes charge me an extra 50p.

I'd love to support independent cafés but when I've tried, I've found myself harassed by over zealous staff 'helpfully' offering to clear away my cup (still containing coffee) when they think I've stayed there long enough. It's basically code for 'buy something else or clear off' and a bit odd when there are plenty of seats available. I never ever get that at costa.

Not a chance I would ever post a fb status about it though.

I was in the east end recently and saw a really beautiful girl in mom jeans and reeboks. I nearly died. This is a painfully literal interpretation of how MY MOTHER dressed in 1985.

Standard, crowler, standard. Didn't know how to respond when colleague excitedly told me about her all-white demon outfit for a night out in Dalston.

Sorry, off-topic. Costa coffee is rank.

I like Costa etc but i prefer independent coffee shops; there's a local arty antique shop / coffee shop that sells homemade cakes; a Hungarian coffee shop with homemade ice cream; and a Polish place with a huge selection of cakes.
Turkish coffee is the best though IMO.

Now i'm having a - Percol coffee and it's very nice.

This thread is making me wish i'd gone to Starbucks after work now (it's directly opposite work so very handy!).

I second Costa being child friendly. They set up a high chair and bring my order over to me and generally treat my daughter as a customer. Unlike my local Starbucks who shout at you if you don't have enough hands to pick up your coffee before it's set down on the side.

Best coffee IMO is the Italian cafe on Clapham common by the bandstand. If I have to get a chain I get neros. Haven't been in Starbucks for 5 years.

It's not a bad cafe, not cheap mind. But nothing in Clapham is!

I like their toasties with cheesy bread and frangipani thing with raspberries. Yum. The one in Crewe is quite slow.

Lucy you made me chuckle..

I knwo kind of place you mean.
Im bristol exexpat do you mean the mud dock by the waterfront or is there some new hip place.

Find the watershed bit too try hard by at bristol.

like most of shops up park street.
Not been to retro american one that was on skins yet but looks cool do they do coffee.
Used to like the roof terrace at the top of the guild, the only coffee shop I miss is borders before it shut love borders. baffled how they managed to shoe horn coffee sop into tiny water stones in the galleries.

reading service station costa overkill one outside and 1 inside.

Nothing wrong with drinking coffee.

but posting every time on fb with photos and comments like

looks nice
ooo i love costa my fave place.
could my kids look any cuter at costa?
taking well earned break fro shopping as thats all i appear to do at costa in x.

my fave cafes in small town in 90s were owned by italian families were could smoke like chimneys, sit with my grungy freinds even did coke floats and sparklers in ice cream.

Im not sure if costa good wit kids have taken mine on ocasion.
Just think since having kids rest uk is genrally crap with kids.

If im down town with mate minus the kids we be drinking something stronger and heading nearest pub/'weather spoons for cheap and cheerful bar snack and wine probably similar price to costa.

Ok concluded maybe i shouldent delete because of fb posting abuse maybe should delete them as they clearly not hip enough to seek a decent cafe.

Our local is a Costa and its clean, friendly (especially towards children) and has decent newspapers, comfy couches and nice cake. And the coffee's good enough. What's not to like . I don't buy into romanticising independents. Some of them are great and some of them are shite.

I wouldn't say it's that trendy

A lot are full of mums and bratty toddlers! Bleuuurgh!

Fucking Costa are as bad as Tesco... you can't go 200 yards without walking past a Costa. I assume they do nice coffee (never tried myself) but it is depressing that every town centre up and down the country is all tesco express/costa/bookies and pawnbrokers. All the local independent retailers have gone.

3asABird - hello fellow Bristolian. There's the original Mud Dock, but also a new one the other side of the water the Mud Dock Deli which is more of a coffee place. Most of the real hipster places are round Stokes Croft - the pub I mentioned where you can hang your bike on the wall is the Crofter's Rights, and the place almost opposite with the Banksy is the Canteen.

There are a couple of good small, independent chains of coffee shops in Bristol - have you tried any of the Boston Tea Party places? Park St (really nice terrace at the back), Cheltenham Rd, Clifton, new one on Gloucester Rd etc. Also the Lounge chain is nice - North St, Cotham Hill, Totterdown, Fishponds and so on. But there are still quite a few real family run coffee places around too.

I love Costa. But I'm cheap and buy the coffee and syrups so I can make them at home.

Am a tea drinker and happy enough with Costa. I like it because they list the calorie content of all the buns and pastries. Stops me buying them.

ex ex pat. Wen you say canteen you mean river cottage top whiteladies?

Used to work whiteladies and regularly frequented the the boston tea party there and the one i bath when worked there.

Stokes croft worked gloucester rd too that an be real yummy mummy territory.

Agree the lounges porto lounge fishponds does wicked cooked breckfast and thats my nearest as funnily enough fishponds morries cafe not the same. I think costa were due to open next to iceland dow channons hill fishpond as saw signs but they still not opened.

nero used to do loyalty cards and was very loyal when worked in bath and think theres one next to st niks market on corn street.

Cabot circus, mall and galleries all chains.

Theres ok little one near hippodrome next to catholic church and public looks stopped in downpour rain once. Noticed new costa just off millenuim square near planitaruim when grommit hunting over the summer.

Im with you long time lurking I know they create jobs but home town high unemployment how an they afford coffee shops its aint central perk!

When worked used to frequent coffee shops more.
now they just a luxury or rarity as ids unpredictaqble and time without kids few and far between.

No, not the River Cottage Canteen - The Canteen on Stokes Croft - hipster central (but good coffee, cakes, sandwiches etc).

Costa coffee is shit.

Its a coffee shop for people who don't like coffee.