Not to understand the appeal of Starbucks, Costa, etc.?

[Nataleejah]

What is the thing with them?
Drinks are nothing special, food is not the freshest, yet you pay for a coffee and a sandwich just as much as for a decent restaurant meal.
Or it its an adult version of a "happy meal" ?

import beans from the Amazon rain forest Brazilian beans are from the Brazilian Highlands in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio De Janeiro, Paraná and Esprito Santo, not the Amazon.

I was being flippant about our locals charging the moon and the stars for their exclusive brands. But thanks for the patronising lesson there Saciperere

Please note: Not actual moon and or stars charged for the coffee.

There are no independant coffee shops in the town I live in. There a Starbucks, two Costa, a Nero. There are cafes that do coffee but it's either crappy coffee, or they won't just serve drinks at lunchtime, or the coffee is good but the food is crap.
I do try and use local independents as much as possible. When I go to the nearest city I use an independant, the coffee is great but it's so achingly trendy it takes ages to make and serve. I asked for toast once and there was a great rigmarole about jam which was served in a giant spoon. And it was £3. For toast.

Notso, sorry but the jam in a giant spoon has just cracked me up.

I have to say I am a little bit of a hypocrite since I tried my very first PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) today, even though it's my day off and I had a absolutely no need to buy a drink.

And indeed my last ever PSL.

I've jut been watching 'The Victorian Slum' on BBC and they have just said 'watercress was a popular street food'.

Bunch of watercress - 9p

I like the size of the drinks, the different flavours and the yummy cakes in Costa. It feels like a treat!

I don't like Costa. I always burn my mouth on the drinks and the hot chocolate has skin on it.

little psl is far better if you ask for half syrup. Actually most of their syrup drinks are better with half syrup. It's the one area I swear they used to be less generous in

I only like iced coffee. Independent cafes rarely serve iced coffee. If they did I'd be happy to go there instead.

Starwarsbaby - can I ask you something that has been bothering me for ages.......iced coffee, is just a cold cup of coffee isn't it?

I wish costa et al would turn their music down. It's often so loud you can hardly think straight.

All the indies near me can't WAIT to break out the iced coffee (and tea) as soon as the sun comes out! Move to my bit of London, Star.

"I don't understand the appeal of Greggs but I don't go slagging off people who queue up there. YABU"

The appeal of Greggs is obvious. It's cheap and there's one on every street corner. I go to Greggs for those reasons even though I don't really like it.

"I don't really get the wandering about holding a takeaway coffee thing."

I only do it in the winter. If I'm walking for and hour and it's really cold having a hot drink to hold for part of the journey makes it easier.

Hazeyjane, essentially, yes. They blend the shots with cold milk then shake up with ice. Yummy

The town I live in has many independent coffee shops but they tend to be really tiny and hard to get a seat in. I am not keen on the Starbucks but the Costa is friendly with plenty seating but equally cosy. I like going there. The ambience is lovely and i like the coffee and the cakes.

Thankyou star wars - I thought it was. My sister and I were really excited trying an iced coffee when we were in New York years ago....Sat down outside a hip little diner, pissing ourselves laughing at the foul cold cup of coffee we had paid mucho dollars for. I thought i must be missing something!

Zucker it would be patronising if it was common knowledge but very few people in the UK have a fat clue where BrazilIan coffee comes from, there's probably Brazilians that don't even know. No need to be offended. I only know because we grow coffee. I just thought I'd point out that coffee drinking is not a threat to the Amazon, other rainforests possibly, but not the Amazon. Also sun-grown coffee is bad and avoid, that's not patronising, a lot of people on this thread care about the environment, it's good knowledge to have if you're a coffee drinker and want to do your bit.