Americans have discovered Amsterdam. After the opening of the "biggest" Apple store in Europe, we now have the "biggest" Starbucks cafe in Europe. I don't know if we really must be happy with it. One of the most awful things in the US is a coffee in a paper cup in which you can see the bottom. We call that "ditchwater". The only time we had a rather nice coffee there was in a Starbucks cafe I must admit. But to open such a big american cafe in the centre of Amsterdam is rather pretentious as we have so many very good cafes to serve a coffee.
This was the opening day and it was so crowded, there was a queque outside, everybody wanted to have a look. The cafe is situated below streetlevel in a former safe of a bankbuilding. I read an article in the newspaper that Starbucks had made an analysis about the dutch way of drinking coffee for a year! The conclusion is they decided to serve the coffee not only in paper cups but also in real cups, to make a long table in the middle where people can chat with each other. They made Delft Blue tiles at the pillars and a wall with inner tubes of bikes. Everybody happy?
looks interesting, I know there are many who dislike Starbucks. I enjoy going in and in my hometown, we do not have coffee houses like you do so it is enjoyed here. I would say there is room for all types of businesses and if the product isn't good, people will not return. Should be interesting how they compete with "real" coffeehouses indeed.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenFor years I avoided Starbucks and patronized the independents. In doing so though, my coffee was always a mystery and usually different than what you really wanted. The thing with Starbucks no matter which one you go to, you know what you are going to get for it never wavers from one Starbucks or the other. So if I want the known I now go to a Starbucks. If I want adventure, I go to the little place down the street from Starbucks.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWe Dutch people know we can get a good cup of coffee at any cafe. We don't have to go to a Starbucks for that. Americans just are deprived and never could get a decent cup of coffee before. I still think it isn't all that special and wouldn't waste my money on it.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIt's nice that they did their homework!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWithout getting too philosophical, maybe it's not really about the coffee but social networking. The fundamental need of people to connect with others, like blogging, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Just a thought....
Het was wel volle bak, was het gratis de eerste dag? Starbuck's koffie, het zegt me niks, geef mij maar lekkere Italiaanse capucino
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOh my gosh, totally agree with you. I despise that infiltration of businesses into all cities. One of the best things about travel is seeing how another place is unique. Not to see the same Starbucks or McDonalds on the corner that I see at home.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenhahahaha. i read your frustration!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenhow interesting that they studied the dutch and coffee for a year!
we were in the starbucks yesterday (i never go there but we won a 15 dollar giftcard, jeejj!), and i think the coffee is too expensive. in one go we spent half of the card already.
anyways, i like your pics. i guess many students will go there, they seem to like starbucks.. :)
I don't think it will stop the Europeans from drinking coffee the way they always have. I don't like drinking coffee from a cardboard cup its almost uncivilised. It is hard to say if they should infiltrate other cultures or not. I'm okay with that because if it wasn't for other cultures coming to Australia and sharing their ideas and especially their cuisine we would be stuck with colonial English cooking forever. Now we have a plethora of different foods from other cultures, Asian, European and American.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenugh. I never go to Starbucks.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI think tourists have the same mentality, though, everywhere. Sometimes they like going 'off the beaten path', but most of the time, they like what's familiar, which is not understandable to me.
I can't tell you how many times I'll see a tourist go to McDonald's (!!!) or some other terrible place rather than venture into any one of the good, inexpensive places we have here.
I didn't know the paper cup thing was American. We just like to drink on the run.