Why is the ‘coffee culture’ argument used when arguing against Starbucks expanding into the Balkans?

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yalnzaylak@reddit

Starbucks can die in a corner i hate them

Lame ass coffee with all the snobs filling the tablets, acting like they're ruling the country

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Drevstarn@reddit

Dude only broke teenagers act like you describe. Rest of the people are just having coffee and chatting with friends. Seething much?

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yalnzaylak@reddit

I don't have a say to the rest

From my seeing, from my city, the people who goes there are all snobs.

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levenspiel_s@reddit

In Turkey maybe? I don't like Starbucks but no one in there is acting any differently (where I go).

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sajkoterrapefft@reddit

I'd be curious to see how Starbucks expansion in Turkey has affected small traditional café. Those are a huge part of balkan culture.

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Drevstarn@reddit

Traditional places still hold up. 3rd wave hipster coffeshops cry and keep overcharging

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I think it impacted coffee culture. Especially in larger cities, there are so many third wave cafès. Yet, ppl still drink traditional turkish coffee in each of them including Starbucks. So it did not wither the Turkish coffee but it changed the setting.

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Sea_Gap_6569@reddit

zero effect. traditional kahve culture is way different from what Starbucks offers. Starbucks is for westernized people who never visits traditional kahves

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LegioXI89@reddit

If it ain't effected coffee culture in Belgrade I'm sure in won't effect Istanbul which is bigger x10

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Imaginary_String_814@reddit

starbucks is just gross if you like good coffee.

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ThingCandid9553@reddit

Don’t most Balkan countries already have Starbucks?

We’ve had Starbucks in Romania since 2007, and there are locations all over the country. I assumed it was pretty much the same across the rest of the Balkans.

I don’t think Starbucks being here has really affected local cafés. Most adults who actually want good coffee still prefer local spots, while Starbucks is seen more as a place for teenagers to hang out.

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crivycouriac@reddit (OP)

Western Balkans doesn’t have it yet

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casual_philosopher02@reddit

because I want a freddo espresso metrio, not some frappuccino with 10 syrups

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Substratas@reddit

Absolutely not! Starbucks is a trend, not a real coffee culture:

The fact that you’d have to order your coffee at the counter & wait there to pick it up is something I’d never wish upon any Balkan country. I want to be served, not to serve myself.
The quality of the Starbucks coffee is deplorable, no matter how many shots of ”this & that” u add.
Why give more money to American corporations when I can give it to Balkan-owned businesses?

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ThickArt6492@reddit

At least in the Balkans we have coffee culture, I don't mind the rest of Europe getting plowed by American corporations, because let's be honest, these folks drink burned coffee. At least Starbucks makes something drinkable.

But if Starbucks comes to the Balkans, that's a good thing, at least we have a place to go and work from. Maybe attract some remote workers who bring money with them...

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ThingCandid9553@reddit

Don’t most Balkan countries already have Starbucks?

We’ve had Starbucks in Romania since 2007, and there are locations all over the country. I assumed it was pretty much the same across the rest of the Balkans.

I don’t think Starbucks being here has really affected local cafés. Most adults who actually want good coffee still prefer local spots, while Starbucks is seen more as a place for teenagers to hang out.

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PenaltyZestyclose134@reddit

We have kahvehane, tea-coffee shops, in everywhere and mostly cook our own Turkish coffee at home, offices. So Starbucks serve another purpose here, not as coffee serving spot but as waiter-free relaxed meeting points. Especially for young people. So numbers of Starbucks are aligned with shopping malls, or dense city areas.

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No-Championship-4632@reddit

Years ago, it was a good place to do some work for like an hour with a cup of tasteless Americano. Nowadays it's noisy and full of teenagers and tourists, so it's not worth it.

As per the coffee, I don't mind the quality (which is not necessarily that bad, you can have worse at some small local places). When I was younger, I enjoyed having a coffee the "traditional" way, not the Starbucks' "to-go" way, I kind of don't really care about that anymore.

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HeyVeddy@reddit

Turkey doesn't drink coffee like the Balkans. They drink tea

Let's see Starbucks sell tea in Turkey and how many people order it there

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Few-Interview-1996@reddit

Convenient. And once a year, they sell these:

The best coffee I have tasted. (I prefer filter coffee anyway.)

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Life-King-9096@reddit

Starbucks tried to take over coffee in Australia. Google how well it worked out for them. They didn't disappear but closed stores and handed the remainder to a franchisee.

There isn't enough red ink to write the losses Starbucks would make in the Balkans.

Don't get me wrong, I will visit Starbucks again one day, when I give up on coffee.

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caesarj12@reddit

Because we are used to good cofees and they make shit cofees.

In Albania we got some chains, namely Mulliri i Vjeter, Sophie Cafe and Mon Cheri, which operate like starbucks, offer a good variety of products and their cofee is way superior, but the same can be said for other products. All of those are self service. Not even mentioning the good old cafe bars on which you can sit and a waiter will serve you.

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Turbulent-Lime-2466@reddit

Those chains suck as well, not good coffee.

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Turbulent-Lime-2466@reddit

Good ol espresso > starbucks sugary crap

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BogdanovOwO@reddit

To be honest, I don't like the smell and the taste. Some tea will be great.

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Wild_cmpt6406@reddit

Starbuvks is diarrhea product with aroma of coffee. Decaf slop and creams, sugars, sweetners, milk, almond slop, choclate, etc.

Statistically in Turkey they drink softer strains and more diluted with more sweets.

Here its mostly just strong Brazilian beans baked ground and with no sugar, nothing, just thick hot caffaine maxxed coffe.

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Observe_Report_@reddit

I suggest locally owned coffee shops copy some of the aspects that Starbucks gets right, for example, some of the cold drinks are really good and there are creative ways to add pizzazz to hot coffee, strong Wi-Fi, make some spaces conducive to WFH. You don’t have to copy them exactly, because you don’t want to become them, but I would rather see locally owned coffee shops getting the business. Starbucks drip coffee is horrendous and the quality of their espresso is embarrassing, I would be curious to see the dollar breakdown on their drinks, as their specialty drinks hide the quality of their main ingredient.

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Obvious-Desk4573@reddit

I'd assume it's because the type of coffee Starbucks is known for serving is very different from the types of coffee primarily enjoyed in the Balkans.

It's the same reason why McDonald's, at least in Serbia, doesn't really exist outside of the big cities, but you see homemade fast food places (known as roštilj) in every town. People prefer their local tastes over imported ones, I suppose, and thank God for that.

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deaddyfreddy@reddit

McDonald's, at least in Serbia, doesn't really exist outside of the big cities,

I don't understand why it exists in Serbia at all. Especially given their prices.

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jaunmilijej@reddit

In Turkey it’s less about the coffee and more about the location. Unfortunately, Starbucks is seen as a cool spot to be seen at and Turkish people LOVE showing off and being seen in cool places. I mean, people literally dress up for Starbucks.

Plus it’s a good spot to study so that also adds to its popularity.

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AcanthopterygiiOk752@reddit

Balkan mentality ❤️ ( I love us)

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rydolf_shabe@reddit

Starbuck would work in Albania, because everyone will want to go there cus its a foreign big brand, even if its overpriced

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Nikoschalkis1@reddit

I mean, in Athens at least Starbucks is more popular for students who go there and study in the shop rather than people actually drinking Starbucks coffee to go. There are countless small coffee shops for that.

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Prudent-Werewolf3712@reddit

Fuck Starbucks

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levenspiel_s@reddit

The coffee chains (not only Starbucks, there are like 15 of them) are attractive for several reasons and none of them are culture related.

I confess dropping by from time to time, but most them are exploiting the workforce to some degree, and some are eventually the tools of American imperialism. That's part that bothers me. Not the quality of their coffee.

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Cefalopodul@reddit

What OP did there is called a non sequitur, where the conclusion (Turkey has a lot of Starbucks) has no con ection to the premise (coffey culture originated in Turkey).

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mikelo77@reddit

Bro Starbucks value is only in the name
The coffee actually sucks ass.

In Greece where I live at least.

Here we drink real freedo espresso and we learned it from the Albanians before that we only had frappe or greek\turkish coffee

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Specific-Ad4666@reddit

fuck starbucks

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excistable@reddit

Starbucks and its analogues are way overpriced in my opinion and the actual coffee is not that great.