Costa Coffee at the Leisure Centre

[girlfriend44]

The cafe at the local leisure Centre and Pool is a Costa and its very expensive.
AiBU to think it dosent really fit in that venue anyway.

Didn't we just used to have vending machines etc and shouldn't there be free water at a place where they are doing gym and sport and swimming?

Do you really want to sit down for an expensive coffee and cake when you've been in the gym?
All added expense etc, the kids drinks are really expensive too.

What do you have at your local pool/gym etc?
The cafe is the only waiting area too?

In your car or the leisure centre reception?
You can’t expect to sit in a cafe and not buy anything!

How often do you take the kids swimming? Could you budget for a Costa coffee/tea instead of a vending machine hot drink?

They have a loyalty scheme too, so you could get a coffee free after a few visits.

My local has a Costa, but also has free chilled water dispenser by the gym / sports hall, which is accessible to anyone in the main part of the building, and has free cold water (not chilled) in the health suite (sauna/steam rooms) only accessible to health suite members.

Rock climbing, soft play, not sure if there is free water near there, as those are near the Costa.

Vending machine - yuck! they want to keep people spending not going to the local Costa after - so they keep a nice coffee place inside to encourage people! The leisure centre probably earns quite a bit from renting it out to them.

If you’re trying to keep fit - dodge the cake! Loads of people come to fitness centres and don’t use the facilities but instead spectate. They might fancy some cake!

bring your own water if you don’t want to buy

🤷‍♀️

But why would you need to sit down, if you don't want a coffee? Surely you just do your workout and go home?

Or you mean you want to wait in the cafe while your kids are having a swimming lesson or something? Isn't there usually somewhere at the pool where parents sit and watch the lesson? And where would you sit and wait if there was no cafe, and just some vending machines?

You can have tap water for free at Costa.

Next time you’re there… take a pic of the prices and post on this thread. Because seeing is believing this

Unfortunately only in standalone, not franchises

Ours does Costa coffee but not Costa food, although the coffee doesn't taste like coffee from a proper Costa. The food looks crap, naff sandwiches and huge soggy looking muffins.
There are vending machines, one full of protein shakes and bars and the other has hugely overpriced crisps and chocolate.
There used to be a great cafe there that did lovely food but the pool stopped being run by the council so it got refurbed and the cafe closed.
There is free water though.

We had something similar to this https://www.puredrinkssystems.co.uk/site/chipmachine.html

Nobody's forcing anyone to have a £3 piece of cake if they can't afford one. They can simply do their workout/swim and go home. It isn't compulsory to have refreshments. The presence of a Costa a leisure centre isn't ripping off swimmers because they are perfectly entitled to just walk past it.

Yes agree we do need to keep our leisure centres but ........

My teenagers would love one in our kitchen, then they wouldn't need me at all anymore!

Chip vending machines weren’t around in the eighties

invented 2015

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2930863/Is-best-invention-sliced-bread-Australian-company-roll-world-hot-chip-vending-machines-country-end-year.html

I can’t see how your point in any way relates to what @MrsBennetsPoorNerves is saying

As said the reception is the cafe.

I'm glad you said that. I was a bit nonplussed...

Again

still struggling to see your point

Oh I meant to refer to @MrsBennetsPoorNerves

please can you clarify what you meant?!

There’s no benches or seating anywhere else in the entire leisure centre other than costa coffee?

My local one has Starbucks.

Now I'm really confused! Are you talking to me? And if so, what is it that you're asking me to clarify?

Exactly this. Our local Sainsbury’s cafe was replaced by a Starbucks but it’s not essential to visit it.

Just take a hot drink with you in a travel mug. Sit in reception or in the stands watching DC swim.

I must have missed the bit where they put a gun to your head and force you to buy things.