Yorkieabroad

Whats the best coffee shop (independent or franchise) near you ?

We've all been bemoaning the fact that there is nowhere to get a coffee round our way apart from Starbucks. And now my wife is about to be laid off (we think) so we're looking into opening a coffee shop. Anyone know any good franshises worth having a gander at?

Ta

Pulaski

Starbucks is tops - like McDonalds you can be pretty sure of what you are going to get no matter where you are.

Caribou Coffee is also pretty good, though a Starbucks clone. I hadn't heard of them until I moved to Charlotte.

There is also "Jackson's Java House" here in Charlotte, it seems to be a loal chain (no web site that I know about), but it too is a Starbucks clone. So I would suggest that if you are going to "go it alone" then Starbucks is the standard to aim for as that is what people will compare you to.

BTW Though I love Starbucks' coffee I would always prefer to patronize a local competitor, so long as their coffee measures up!

Dekka's Angel

If they are available where you are, go for Peets. You'll never look back, and especially not at a Starbucks

What most do not know is that originally, the owner of Starbucks was a partner and co-owner of Peets. The split came when the owner of Starbucks wanted to go hard-core mass market, at the cost of the quite extraordinary but somewhat expensive roasting process that makes Peets what it is, and the owner of Peets wanted to grow much more slowly and preserve the unbelievably-addictive quality of the coffee itself. As a result, I think there are currently just under 30 Peets throughout California and a few other cities in the US. (Albertson's now also carries vacuum packed Peets in some of its stores, and there are a few restaurants that Peets has partnered with as well). Versus about 23,000 Starbucks. But there is no absolutely comparison in terms of the quality of the coffee -- most folks simply know no better. Peets' addicts are hard core, to be sure, and most will not drink anything else. My ex-husband used to work for Peets, and folks would queue up at 5:30 in the morning for a 6:00 AM opening, cups in hand. (Once, someone actually smashed in a window at a store that was 5 minutes late opening - yes this is a true story!) I have personally felt twitches when my bag at home gets low.

(Silly trivia buffs might recall that Judge Lance Ito, Presiding Judge over the OJ Simpson circus, was a Peets addict who had his mug on his rostrum constantly throughout the trial).

If you cannot find a Peets to franchise or buy from, try also Torrefazione Italia, a small chain based out of Seattle, which I think makes quite excellent coffee. And definitely better than Starbucks.

Yorkieabroad

Thanks for the replies guys. A couple of names I've not come across which is exactly what I was after. Interesting comment about patronising an independent rather than a chain - thats exactly what I've been getting from our extensive market research here (friends, family, babygroup!) but I wasn't sure if that was a general genuine sentiment or just because it was someone askin that they knew.

scotch03

It has just got to be Starbucks - in fact im in one as I type - since most of them have Wi Fi internet connection I see no reason to go anyplace else.
Oh - and there is the matter of the pretty staff - must be company policy!

Yorkieabroad

They must do it differently in LA - Certainly not that pretty round our way... And the service in most of them is pretty slow. There are a few exceptions, but not many. Where we used to live we had at least 5 or 6 different options for coffee, and Starbucks was always last choice - now its our only option!

In any event, Starbucks don't franchise (apart from to very specific companies for use in their premises) so we couldn't go that route - and it woudl defeat the object anyway - we want to give people an alternative to Starbucks so they at least have a choice of where to go, even if we are the uglier alternative . Good point re wifi access - none of them here offer it, so maybe its something we could look into....

NC Penguin

I wouldn't describe myself as a coffee drinker as I consume coffee so irregularly so when I drink the stuff, I'm very fussy. However, the local independent
Bean Traders is a gem and the tops for coffee.

Unlike Starbucks and the other chains, the staff's enthusiasum for the product is undeniably genuine and they also great for giving recommendations about coffee to suit one's tastes. Thus, the service is excellent and the kind of place you'd return to to buy coffee.

I visit the Durham branch and they roast the beans on the premises. They grind to order too.

As I like to support local businesses, I have bought bags of ground coffee for my father and brother-in-law and they've enjoyed Bean Traders coffees.

The reviews from customers pretty much sums up my thoughts on Bean Traders.



NC Penguin

Yosser

I should have shares in Starbucks, as my wife seems to drink buckets of the stuff. Me, I can't stand the stuff give me a 79c, 7-11 any day instead. free re-fills as well.

mariawatanabe

If I had a choice, I'd go to an independent every time, but I've seen a few independent ones fold. The key (after coffee quality, of course) seems to be decor, music, and location. In contrast, how comfy the chairs are, how soothing the music is, and valued customer discount tickets seem not to count. Please do check out the independents that seem to be thriving, and mimic them. I really hope you succeed.

BTW, I don't like Starbucks and bookshop franchises because:
They don't allow bulletin boards and interesting music. They're too afraid of offending someone and end up being really bland sterile places. Bulletin boards in local cafes and bookshops are where I find out about garage sales, baby stuff for trade, interesting events like poetry readings, zen workshops, and about the services of local massage therapists, etc!

scotch03

Anyone who goes to garage sales doesn't deserve Starbucks coffe.
And that is that!

Honest!

Yosser

do what

mariawatanabe

Dear YorkieAbroad,
Have you considered opening a tea salon instead of a coffee shop? There seems to be one in every collegetown nowadays. There was one in Princeton on Nassau Street run by real Brits, Sally Lunn's. I don't know if it's still there or not, probably are, they were doing good business when I lived there. Their decor was old style Laura Ashley (flowery wall paper and tablecloths), and they served cream tea, along with light lunches and American desserts. Their tea was exellent, and their scones were pretty good. I was only disappointed that their clotted cream was some fake concoction. They had a shelf full of British candies, Cadbury's, Galaxy's, etc, that you could buy on your way out.
The other kind of tea salon out there is like a cafe', hip, modern, but serving tea instead of coffee. There's probably one where you live already. The only improvement I can think of on them is that they usually don't serve any coffee, which is a problem if some of your party prefer coffee.
Mari

Taffyles

I'd go to a tea shop (we don't have one here- except a bit of a cafe in one of the British shops), can't stand coffee. They're finding new health benefits in tea all the time, so it could become much more popular out here.
Here's the latest on tea:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3090190.stm

Stumpyguy

http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/

Their shipping isn't very expensive, and the beans make Starbucks taste like Co-op own-brand instant.

Trust me. We know about this sort of thing up here.

ladyofthelake

Can I assume this has something to do with your name then?
I often wonder what the inspiration is for some of the names here.