To think £2 for a babycino is extortionate

[Prrambulate]

The lovely independent coffee shop near me has raised the price of its babycino from £1 (already steep imo) to £2. Babycino in this case = an espresso cup of frothed milk with a dusting of cocoa powder on top.

This place has a selection of toys in a dedicated corner so lots of parents tend to go there to unwind and have somewhere their kids can play for a short while. I sense the business opportunity here but it also seems exploitative to me! Especially since their usual coffees are all at the £3 - £3,50 range.

Working up the courage to complain…

That's a lot when places like Costa give them for free. I'd probably stop buying them tbh

Wow, so why are they so successful, then? Is that the pure power of marketing and branding in action?

Not sure I'd trust a drink called a puppocino - sounds a bit too close to poopocino for my liking

I thought most dogs preferred tea to coffee, though?!

It's a lot quicker to order than "a small warm milk with froth and some chocolate powder on top". Same reason the name cappuccino was invented.

Most places around me don’t charge anything, at Starbucks you don’t even need to order anything for yourself at the same time. Under £1 would be fair enough, £2 is taking the piss.

Starbucks and Costa offer free babycinos as a way to incentivise people with young DCs to come in. They also have economies of scale so the cost of the drink to them is probably pretty negligible.

This cafe already has an incentive for people with young DCs to come in that possibility acts as a disincentive to those with no children. It is a different business model.

Plus it's entirely optional if you buy your young child a hot drink or not, I suspect their increased pricing may result in lower, not higher profits.

What's taking the piss is walking into Starbucks or whatever, ordering a free babycino and then using the café space and then fucking off spending nothing!

I think £2 for a hot drink and a warm, comfortable play area for your child is a bargain. Those quoting Starbucks, do they pay tax in the UK yet? You can bet the owner of this independent business does.

I agree, it would take some brass neck to do that.

I'm guessing there are quite a few mums going and perhaps only buying a babycchino and staying for ages. Or there are bigish groups of mums going and staying for ages meaning prices have to go up. Nowadays every penny has to be accounted for, soft play and play cafes can be expensive and some are really enforcing their time limits. Coffee and an hour or so in a cafe with a play area is a cheaper day out.

Do you get as bothered by the cost of a cup of tea? I'm not goading, I can never bring myself to buy tea because it's such a markup on a teabag and hot water that cost pennies, but as with the babyccino and as pps have said, you're paying for more than just the ingredients in a cafe

I do, but not so much because of the ingredients - it’s because the water is rarely hot enough! I might order tea if it’s a fancy herbal kind or a green tea variety that I just wouldn’t buy at home. Some specialist tearooms are fantastic.

A really well made coffee is worth paying for, for me. I guess everyone has their own criteria on what they think is worth spending money on (and it’s not always logical).

Ok, clearly I have to give a blow by blow rundown of my trip so that @00100001 doesnt have a coronary.

it’s a Starbucks as cafe to my local big supermarket, I’d taken the toddler in there on our way out once we’d finished shopping. We often go in after shopping as a way to break up the trip.

it was about 1/5 full as it’s big and was a weekday mid morning.

I have spent a lot of money in there in the past. They’re particularly good for mugs/cups and I’ve been going there regularly for about 13 years.

I don’t drink tea or coffee so usually get a hot chocolate, but if I’m watching my intake, I don’t like to have too much sugar. That was one of those days.

I asked if it was possible to get a babychino on its own and did I need to buy something, it was a very open ended question and I fully expected them to charge/say no. But they didn’t, I even double checked.

if you’re not happy about it, perhaps speak to their customer services, because they had absolutely no issue with me being in there and doing just that.

It's still a marketing gimmick.

They were free or negligible -20- 50p? - 18 or so years ago when my DCs were young. £2 is a lot even with inflation as it’s a small cup where £3.00 for a coffee, you get the coffee in a mug (usually!). I wouldn’t complain though as £2 to keep kids quiet for a bit is priceless!!

So same as a flat white is a marketing gimmick?

So exactly the same for the babychino then?

Well, a flat white probably describes what the item is - white = with milk, flat = non-foamed milk.
A babycino could mean multiple things - for babies? Baby sized (aka small)? With coffee in it or not (as it's derived from something traditionally with coffee in it but this aimed at children)?
The name is a marketing gimmick.

All coffee names are marketing gimmicks though. Cappuccino is something to do with the colour of monks' hoods. Flat white might describe it but it's still a catchy name invented so you don't have to order a "coffee with steamed milk but no foam" or whatever it actually is. Which is different from a white Americano. And what's the origin of Americano?

They're all marketing gimmicks. Don't see what's so different about a babyccino. Pizza Express call it a bambinoccino to sound even more Italian. Is that a double gimmick?!

Cheaper then soft play

I’ve explained that it’s not a soft play (see photo). Suitable for a certain type of toddler content to play in a corner for 30 mins and not start sprinting around into people’s hot drinks.

@newwings sorry forgot to quote

A descriptive name is much less of a gimmick than a made up one to attract custom.
Again, flat what describe exactly what sort od drink it is. Babycino doesnt.

It looks like a lovely place. I am surprised their coffee isn't more expensive 😁

No it doesn’t. A ‘flat white’ is neither flat nor is it white. It’s cup shaped and brown.

It doesn’t tell you whether it’s tea, coffee, lemonade or anything else!

If I didn’t know what a flat white was, I’d expect something much more akin to a shallow dish of milk.

It’s as daft a description as any of the names given to coffees.