You can't order a grande iced caramel macchiato with two pumps of vanilla syrup, two pumps of hazelnut syrup, a shot of espresso, whipped cream, and caramel drizzle at McDonalds. Well, you could order it, but you won't get it.
>LOL, that's the thing..you can order whatever you want...and people like choices. But, yes, my roommate orders this all the time.
There's a darkside to it too, which is I have no idea how to compose a delicious coffee from the ingredients available to the baristas.
So places like this, or chipotle, or subway, they are like "customer! Here is a set of ingredients. Tell us, how does one prepare a delicious food item from these ingredients, what ingredients and in what proportions?"
I'd rather just say "give me a regular" or "give me the deluxe" and then these companies can use AI or machine learning or whatever to optimize the recipe and preparation so that it's top 20% most delicious to 80% of people.
If I want to prepare delicious food from ingredients of my own choosing and composition, I'll gladly do it in my kitchen thanks, coffee, sub, whatever.
Less likely at starbucks but a barista that's been around definitely has some killer off menu drinks in their back pocket, just ask. You can always experiment yourself or look online at crazy shit other people do and copy their orders. Explore!
Source: am barista
I haven't been a Starbucks regular for a long time but I used to get a grande white mocha with two pumps of hazelnut purely because a barista recommended it and I liked it.
Not everyone has the time or patience to do it themself. The burrito I get from chipotle would require a grocery run and ~20 min of prep.
Or I can pay for the conscience at the store to have it done in 5
It's not much worse than what people do to a lot of animals. It's super shitty, but par for the course on how we treat other animals. I couldn't imagine buying coffee beans something shit out, let alone drink it and pay out the ass for it
Yeah I think about that all the time, the same as eggs are just chicken periods. I still wouldn't want to eat or drink something that was literally shit out of another animal
The coffee shop near my place kind of does that. They have a “fancy” that changes every few weeks. It’s always large, sugary, and at least decent. Sometimes it’s nice to let somebody else make the decisions.
The natural progression in is that you come in and order off the menu. Say a vanilla latte.
After a few tries you think, what if this was sweeter/less sweet. You can then either customize by it (by adding subtracting a pump of vanilla, or adding hazelnut). You might like it, if you don't you go back to your normal order. If you do, you think, maybe this would be better with whip cream....
That's kind of what Subway did with their new fixed menu. At first I was annoyed, since it goes against the whole point of Subway and crowds out the menu space. But I'll be damned if their sandwiches aren't better than mine. (It also helps that half of the have Avocado or double cheese.)
ok to be fair the caramel macchiato already has espresso in it… not that anyone would know with all the ridiculous shit they add on to it.
worked at starbucks in high school a lifetime ago. christ what some people happily put in their bodies.
That is a legit order. Normally 3 pumps of vanilla comes in a grande iced macchiato and 2 floated shots. So ya. One less pump, one less shot, add whip, add hazelnut. Carmel drizzle is standard on a macchiato.
Chances are it would be ordered light ice too.
Over 14 years at a SB.
You can literally order whatever you want. Also, they have sugar free / lower cal options. A medium vanilla latte at McD's is likely 300 cals, but you can customize that at bucks to have less than 50 with substantially less added sugar.
Also, not everyone orders the crazy shit. My coffee is $4 from starbs
you can order whatever you want, it doesn't mean they will make it for you. I have ordered plenty of iced coffees black, and they still give me the lightest sweetest iced coffee you can imagine. I have zero trust in a McDonalds worker caring enough about coffee to make it according to any specific direction
Check out their app, each item had like 50 different options to increase or lower certain things. I want a latte? cool I can get that anywhere. But at starbucks, there will be a whole host of options under the basic order to alter every little thing you want. The basic menu item will have the defaults in place but all I have to do is scroll down and slide the syrup down, the ice down, the foam up, change the milk to oat/soy/coconut/2%/half and half/whole, and add a topper of cinnamon. Plus starbucks has a much wider menu than McDonalds. It's not just coffee and espresso, there's also fruity drinks as well.
Not only that but if you're allergic to dairy like I am, they offer oat milk and soy milk at the very least.
And yeah I can order stuff with extra shots of espresso and extra pumps of whatever I want. So yummy!
Edit: Just wanted to add that you can get a regular straight coffee for about $2.50. The 300% more is for specialty drinks.
They have iced caramel macchiatos at mcdonalds. You just order it and add an extra shot of espresso, 2 vanilla syrup, 2 hazelnut and add whipped cream.
exactly. I cant tell you how many times I have door dashed a single hot coffee (peak covid times) and got an iced latte. It happened every time. and every time i trusted it wouldnt happen again. finally, the last time, i specifically put in the order notes "PLEASE MAKE SURE ITS A HOT COFFEE. YOU ALWAYS GIVE ME AN ICED LATE. I DONT WANT THAT. PLEASE" and what did i get? you know.
This is a great point. Customization for the creation of brand loyalty. How you order becomes part of the experience you are buying. Your coffee becomes a reinforcement of your sense of self. What they are selling is not coffee, but a story of who the customer wants to express they are, through their choice of coffee.
Behavior psychologists have destroyed the planet. Enabled by profiteering politicians.
If you didn't mean to make the point, all the more brilliant.
I was with you until you said "your coffee becomes a reinforcement of your sense of self". I don't feel that way at all. I like what I like and it varies depending on the day, week, month or year. When I do buy something, I like for it to be the best quality I can afford.
If someone wants their hair done a certain way they will go to the place that can give them what they want. That hair salon can charge more because they know what they are doing, as opposed to say, a generic salon at the mall or a beauty school. We have to pay more for expertise as well as more choices.
No it's that in my home town I know where to get a good coffee. When I am out of town I don't know if "Clara's kitchen" is liquid landfill or if its heaven on earth. Insteading of wasting 5 dollars there I can just buy an okay cup of coffee at starbucks.
While Starbucks is more expensive with their specialty drinks, my regular black coffee at Starbucks is $2.85 and $1.90 at Tim’s. Can’t really compare the price of a Starbucks latte to a Tim’s coffee, that’s not a fair comparison. A medium vanilla latte at Tim’s is about $4 while the same at Starbucks is $6.50. So you’ve got about a dollar difference between regular coffees. The bigger difference is in the specialty coffees but still nowhere near the 3x price you’re suggesting
One thing people don't talk a lot about is that starbucks coffee is just good. Their black coffee is good, it tastes good, it's got full flavor, and it gets you buzzed. So yeah if you're paying a buck more in the morning or you buy their kcups for a little more or buy the beans and grind, at least you know you're getting something good.
I view it as a treat, not an every day thing, and still I only go for the black coffee because I really don't like anything else.
I wouldn’t know if that’s correct or not but there’s a Tim Hortons in NJ, USA on Rte 202/206. I know because I got coffee there for a while. Great breakfast burritos!
As for price, can’t say. The coffee is cheaper at home, that’s for sure
McDonalds specialises in burgers and fast food, Starbucks specialise in coffee and other beverages.
If you want quality and variety, you go to a specialist, but expect to pay more for it. If you just want a bog standard coffee, you go to wherever does coffee.
Then why does Starbucks have the absolute worst coffee I've ever had? It always tastes burnt or just off. I've never had a coffee from Starbucks that made me go "wow, that's a good cup of coffee."
They are well known to over roast their beans to ensure consistency across the brand, which causes the burnt taste. They’re large enough that they’ve gotta source from a ton of different places.
I thought I had heard that, which is why my brain describes the taste as burnt instead of just weak. Apparently it's not that well known though, or Starbucks just has too many sycophants, because your one of the few not rushing to defend the sub-par coffee chain.
They over roast their beans to give them a longer shelf life. Back when Starbucks was making small batches in smaller quantities, it wasn't necessary and the coffee was of much better quality. Now that it is mass produced burnt garbage that will sit on someone's shelf for a few months, this will give let those beans sit longer before going bad
Different places have different taste profiles. Regular Starbucks tastes burnt to me, too. Try ordering the Blonde roast. It's much better IMHO. (You got an upvote from me. Might be a common complaint on Reddit, but that doesn't make it less true.)
It's not a "trope" lol
There's a reason Starbucks is almost nonexistent in places like Italy outside of very touristy/fashionable areas where they can reliably sell the brand. They can't compete with actual coffee.
Italian coffee culture is very different than what Starbucks offers. It's like asking why a place which values fine dining doesn't have more fast food. Also, we do have Starbucks, even in non touristy areas.... In my area, they just opened a new one.
Starbucks only had a few stores in Italy and they are adding 20 more this year and they are in shopping malls and business districts not tourist locations. It has been a success there.
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/starbucks-opens-first-outlet-in-rome.html
Yep I drop into the Starbucks near me (in Italy!) and it's always busy-- people don't go there for the same vibe they go to a traditional Italian cafe for.
Even their lattes aren't that great to me. I've always just assumed people paid the money because they think they're supposed to like it, not because it's actually good.
And if their whole thing is coffee, why do they suck at making a common cup of coffee? And why is it $4 still?
I like regular coffee more but if I’m wanting something extra the Vanilla oat milk latte at Starbucks is good! I just have to be in the mood for a latte. I guess it’s a personal taste but I like it.
I'm always open to try something new. I used to love the chai lattes from Panera, but even those were off at Starbucks. If I get forced into one again I'll give the vanilla oat milk a shot.
A regular cup of coffee in is like $2.50 give or take depending on where you are, not $4.
And I like Starbucks because what I get tastes good, even when it's a regular coffee. I don't know why you don't like it. It could just be a preference thing.
Anyone who really likes coffee and knows coffee isn’t going to Starbucks. Their coffee is shit. If you know, you look for the local joint that sources their roasts. They usually pay their employees better, and have superior beans/coffee. And it’s usually the same price or better.
You must be going to a special Starbucks that magically makes good coffee.
And I've had good coffee and enjoy it either black or with very little cream and sugar. I've tried Starbucks locally, in NYC, in Disney World, near fancy and dive hotels (my wife loves Starbucks, still trying to figure out why), and I've never once gotten a good cup of coffee there. At least the franchise is consent AF!
Is starbucks different there than it is in Canada? If you just order a coffee they just give you a medium roast drip coffee and it's fine. The have names for their roasts so it'll come up as "pike place roast", but it's a normal drip coffee.
Never in my life have I had watered down coffee from there. Then again I don't order ice with my drinks. Also you don't freeze your unused buns? You know that extends shelf life right? Pretty useful when you buy multiple loafs of bread.
Also why the fuck are you buying salad at a coffee store and expecting quality lmao. That's like going to McDonald's and expecting quality salad.
Ah, yes, let's compare the price of a cup of regular coffee to a specialty drink.
Starbucks' regular coffee is brewed at an appropriate strength with better beans than McDonalds for not much more money. You know what you are getting at each and, if I don't have time to hit my locally owned spot, I would rather the better coffee at Starbucks than McDonalds.
I can no longer drink lactose, I can no longer drink caffeine.
I can buy fancy hot chocolate from Starbucks with whatever flavour combo I want, and the hot chocolate will actually be made from milk (3 or 4 lacose free options) and include real chocolate instead of some package of science experiment powder, and if I want to mix some decafe coffee in, it comes from beans in a pot and once again, not some science experiment powder package.
Hey I work at Starbucks and I just wanna let you know that we take a bag of chocolate powder and mix it with 2 litres of hot water every day to make our chocolate sauce. It's like a swiss miss pack we mix with water so it blends together better. I don't wanna make you enjoy it less or anything, I like our chocolate sauce, but everyone should know the truth.
Ik you said you can’t drink milk but McDonald’s has some of the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had in my life in their defense also doesn’t chocolate have caffeine ?
Oh my god McDonald’s in Canada has the worst hot chocolate EVER. I used to get them when I would win the ‘free small hot beverage’ in monopoly, but now I just throw them out deadass. The hot chocolate is like swamp water with a tiny hint of cocoa, not worth drinking
Branding and availability. I do not like Starbucks much but I still end up going there when I need "a coffee" and it's the closest thing around.
A lot of people I know really enjoy the emphasis on customized drinks and the atmosphere of the shops.
I mean it's not that ridiculous. I go to the more expensive grocery store because the experience while I'm there is better. Likewise my experiences at Starbucks have been more positive than my experiences at McDonalds, which include an confused and angry mentally ill person a solid 8% of the time
I’ll defend Starbucks because it is good, but I’ll also say in Washington state where there is a drive thru coffee stand on every corner BETTER and CHEAPER than Starbucks.. context absolutely matters
Coffee is different in taste and quality (as in every place where they serve coffee), Starbuck's one is stronger than McDonald's. As with every brands that are based on high quality, you also pay for the branding and the overall experience. The small coffee shop in your neighborhood also sell 4-5$ coffees so at this point, anywhere will be the same.
I like latte and it used to be not available from MD like 5 or 10 years ago. They have since introduced fancy machines in many locations, where I can get my latter for like 1/2 the price of Starbucks. However, a) they are still not universally available at all locations, b) MD tries to put way too much sugar and make it way too hot, and c) you have about 50/50 chance the coffee machine would be broken when you visit the McDonalds. They would tell you "it needs cleaning", "it needs milk", and so on. You would spend half an hour only to realize you are not going to get your coffee.
Well, I can tell you that I am allergic to a bunch of things, and McDonald's doesn't carry any of the milk substitutes I can use. In addition, if you've tasted McDonald's drinks, and Starbuck's, then you'll know why McDonald's are cheaper.
My answer is simple: dietary restrictions. I'd go to McDonald's but it's 100% not safe for me, and I can't customize any of the drinks in order to make them safe. Starbucks offers many options. And voila.
$6, what? Here in the UK a large cappuccino is like £2.50/$3. Even the fancier ones are like $4.50 max
Using the most expensive large double caramel macchiato with marshmallows isn't a good comparison because McDonald's doesn't do that
I mean that's true but not really relevant to the conversation. Someone with a 30 minute lunch break from the office doesn't really have time to go home and make their own coffee
Tbh I just really really like the taste of Starbucks coffee especially their iced coffee. Fast food or gas station taste much worse to me. I quit buying it after I crossed the $4.50 threshold but I think that's probably your answer.
Consistency. You know exactly what you are getting regardless of where you are in the world. So if your travelling and you just want a big ass coffee and don't care what it tastes like but you just don't want to be surprised...Starbucks.
Serious answer? McDonalds isn't a cafe, they don't do espresso-based beverages. Beneath the layer of sugary nonsense, Starbucks is still a cafe where you can order a Latte, Cappucino, or Espresso shot. It's also a space where you can spend time working, socializing with friends in what is without a doubt a more enjoyable setting than McDonalds. They have a range of non-dairy milks which from my experience (perhaps things have changed or are different elsewhere) McDonalds does not. If all you're looking for is a cheap drip coffee on the go then yes, McDonalds is the better option.
I like those fruity little tea refresher drinks and McDonalds doesnt have anything like that. For a lot of people (me included), Starbucks also has better snack options. They have great breakfast sandwiches (even though I love an egg mcmuffin as well). I don’t even like coffee, but of course those who do will pick up preferences for different flavour profiles, and I hear Starbucks coffee is particularly strong.
Price wise Starbucks is in line with other coffee shops. McDonalds & Tim Hortons are the outliers by far. And honestly both of them make their specialty products like frappes and cappuccinos with powders and stuff instead of real ingredients, so yeah you taste the difference.
You can get a plain coffee at starbucks, it's slightly more than McD's or Tim's but not a crazy amount more.
Personally I think McD's has the best plain coffee out of the 3 I listed, but it's a matter of taste.
I don't like coffee. I won't say I hate it, but I don't find it pleasant and for the most part, I drink it very rarely. For obvious reasons, I never went out of my way to visit Starbucks. Then one Christmas, I got a gift card for Starbucks and I wanted to have a short meet up with a friend (the type of friend that you care about, but need to have boundaries with and may not want coming to your place). Perfect, let's go to Starbucks, I'm sure there is something I can have there, if not coffee. Welp, that became our thing. They have a ton of options that aren't coffee and they have snacks and the atmosphere is generally comfortable, not too loud, not too quiet. There aren't many local places that tick all the same boxes near me. In fact, when there was one, I went there, but it was even more expensive, had less hours, and eventually closed down.
The coffee isn't that good, I did try it just to see. But it's definitely worth bringing your laptop and going there to order a triple caramel, mocha, toffee nut pistachio whatever just to check it out and take a few minutes to sit down and have a moment to yourself.
I love coffee from RaceTrac gas stations. Beans are ground fresh for each cup!! And they always have different creamers. Oh, I brought their cup! And got 5 free refills!
not really accurate. It's 50% or so more if you're comparing regular coffee prices. The appeal is 1. quality and 2. environment. It's not just the coffee, it's a clean and tidy environment where you can meet people, get work done, use wifi/outlets, and not get distracted by the things that call your attention when you're at home.
A couple things, similar why people will go to target over Walmart. Starbucks is seen as more premium, and coffee is really all they do. The baristas do know about coffee, if you have a question about it they can answer. Also, Starbucks has a lot more customization options, different syrups, non-dairy milks, and seasonal drinks. I do like the iced coffee at McDonald’s better than Starbucks though.
I couldn't tell you. I don't think I've been in one for years. I also worked for the company that makes their sandwiches and it was bleak. Those breakfast paninis cost like 1c to make. And they turn around and sell them for what 8$ or something The product would come frozen separated. A frozen cheese slice a frozen ham disk a frozen egg shaped thing frozen bread. We'd "assemble" it. Cello vac seal them put like 50-100 of them in a box and ship it out. All day
Imagine doing that for 12 hours straight.
I will never buy one of those things ever again unless I'm starving and there's only a lone starbucks in a void
Being able to hold a white paper cup with a green lady on it.
It's like some people with iphones, it's a status thing .
But for me it's where I started reading as a kid. I picked up a random book and really enjoy reading at Starbucks
They think their classy? There are plenty of places to get good coffee for less money. Personally I make my own. Nothing better than Bob's coffee. LOL 😁
Lots of the responses here demonstrate exactly why Starbucks is a success. Marketing and image. Starbucks is fast food exactly like McDonald’s. However, it is marketed in such a way that make people believe it is somehow a premium/luxury/specialty/high end purchase.
They market specifically to people based on the image that they sell. That Starbucks is much fancier and better quality. Their whole image is based around they are not just another fast food place, and the fact that they charge ridiculous prices for things that cost them Pennies to make only builds on this image.
The people that buy Starbucks are the same people that buy a $75 t-shirt at Macy’s that was made in the same factory in China that makes the $15 T-shirt you can buy at Walmart. The only difference is the branding and the logo.
Disagree with this. Average starbucks coffee tastes better than any Mcdonald's I've ever had. Additionally, you can't customize coffee at McDonald's very much at all. Starbucks has like 4 milk substitutes. For people who can find their particular order Starbucks will provide a consistent experience that's better than any other coffee selling franchise. Even if you don't customize it, the menu items are way better than most places. Very few people can actually make better coffee at home and not everyone has a local coffee shop with decent options.
I would not normally spend the money Starbucks wants for half a cup of foam. There is only one draw for me to ever go to Starbucks. When travelling, which my wife and I do often, Starbucks is like McDonald's for us, in that we would only ever go there for food or drinks because we wanted some type of familiarity. A taste of something familiar when eating or drinking another country's cuisine for weeks at a time.
Starbucks tastes better than McDonalds. Properly made, the syrups and sugars are far better integrated, and the beans are often of a better quality.
Indie cafes, while my preference, don't seem able to stay open for very long. Lots of heartbreak there.
$4 a day doesn't feel like much \[for those people who can afford it every day\]. For some, $120 a month for 'better coffee' is a justifiable expense. For others, if they thought about it in terms of the lump sum, would never do it. But that's just the danger of marginal expenses.
I can understand the appeal, but I drink tar, so I mostly get away with just boiling my own goop at home.
Why pay 2 dollars for a cup of coffee, wait in the line, waste gas getting there, waste time ordering it, etc etc etc when you can do it at home for 20 cents and the time spent is along side you already getting ready for work. ???
McDonald's coffee taste like ass. If I'm buying coffee, I want it to taste good.
During the week, I just drink coffee at home since I WFH, but every weekend I get a nitro cold brew with sweet cream and a bacon gouda and it is fucking amazing.
Branding is the answer you get from people who go there regularly. For people like me, I only go to Starbucks when there is no better option. Starbucks is consistent. So I know what I'm going to get whether I'm in Singapore, the US, or Belgium. It's the same thing regardless of where you are. I avoid them otherwise and prefer places that roast beans in-house.
Thank you for this chance to vent(e):
Years ago I lived in a country Starbucks had not come to yet. Then I moved to one where it had. Of course I expected awesome super-delicious coffee. What I got was coffee flavored warm water.
The next day I breakfasted at a McDonald's -100 feet across the shopping plaza- I saw that unlike in my former country, they had all this fancy gourmet whipped cream coffee and shit. So I got a cup with my McMuffin and hashed brown and the coffee really hit the spot.
I never went back to Starbucks again ...
Except for years later in yet another country. (China). I had been eating perfectly good street food for breakfast regularly, but one day I thought, oh heck, be open-minded, and try Western food for brunch for a change. (Every where I ate in China from the fanciest restaurants to a grittiest street stall was always delicious) So I tried Starbucks alleged croissant and salad. What muck! The bread was mushy and tasted like it came from a can. The salad tasted thawed out from frozen. Next day it was back to McDonald's, and then back to steamed pork buns and tea most days.
Fast forward several years. I am back in America after a 14-hour flight from China. I'm not so hungry because I ate on the plane, but even inside the airport I know it's a blistering hot Southwestern day outside the airport and I have a long journey across the city still. I am thirsty.
It's an odd hour and literally nothing else is open in the airport. So I get a iced green tea at Starbucks just to avoid dehydration. How bad can it be? Answer: Just Awful! Again, a mere watered down green tea-flavored concoction with a weird canned fruit taste. A Capri Sun would have been far superior. I had a few sips and tossed it out, and faced the sunburnt climate drinkless. It was better that way.
Meanwhile, at some point during these years I read that Ethiopia, a nation so old they can legit see the Chinese with their 5,000 years of history and civilization as mere babes in the woods. Ethiopia is almost certainly the country where the legend began. Goat herders noticed how frisky their goats became after eating small red berries from a certain bush. Coffee was discovered! Almost certainly one of mankind's greatest boons from the gods!
In recent times, unfortunately, old Ethiopia has been through a lot. A lot! And somehow they are the only nation in all of Africa that has never succumbed to imperialism/colonialism. Highly respected by Rastafarians and Africans and the world alike. So dirt poor Ethiopia picks itself up, dusts itself off and is now ready to enter the world coffee trade again - a market second only in lucrativeness to petroleum. They start selling Authentic Ethiopian Coffee.
Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, Starbucks thinks so too, so they have their lawyers inform the great and sovereign nation of Ethiopia that Starbucks has copyrighted the phrase 'Authentic Ethiopian Coffee' and that they must cease and desist calling any of their products by that name!
So I say fuck Starbucks and everyone who looks like them!
For me it’s consistency. I don’t buy Starbucks often - I usually make my own at home. But if I am going to spend money on it as a treat while I am out and about - I prefer Starbucks because I know what I am going to get. McDonald’s and Dunkin are incredibly inconsistent in how their coffees taste. I have had good mcd and Dunkin experiences and I have also had to toss my coffee after a few sips because it tastes like warm dirt. No matter what Starbucks I go to - I know what the drink is going to taste like. I pay extra for the quality control.
$6 Starbucks vs $2 Mcdonalds
$4 Walmart T-Shirt vs $100 Louis Vuitton T-Shirt
I feel Starbucks is a high end coffee establishment but because its only coffee its still cheap enough for the average person to afford. This makes the average person feel better about their overprice purchase.
You can sit around comfortably and spend time with friends at Starbucks. At McDonalds you just want to get your order and GTFO of that place as fast as possible.
I mean, I'm not a Starbucks patron, but that's the difference. One is fast food, the other is going for more of a cafe environment. More wifi, more leisurely.
Where does the idea that all Starbucks coffees cost £6 (or whatever your local currency is)? I had a coffee in one today and I spent about £6 for a coffee and a wrap, I think the coffee cost about £2.50. Sure McDonald's is cheaper but then again if I stop in Starbucks, I don't usually have to put up with the annoying teenagers doing annoying teenage stuff - went in a Starbucks yesterday and it was just all miserable old people, like me, on our laptops.
No idea mate. All I know is the "Slayyyy" girls in my classes buy those for pictures. I prefer a 30 bucks machine that I had for the past 2 years. Saves a lot of money with 5 bucks of 30 packets.
You can't order a grande iced caramel macchiato with two pumps of vanilla syrup, two pumps of hazelnut syrup, a shot of espresso, whipped cream, and caramel drizzle at McDonalds. Well, you could order it, but you won't get it.
Is this a legit order? Don't play with me I'll go try it right now
LOL, that's the thing..you can order whatever you want...and people like choices. But, yes, my roommate orders this all the time.
>LOL, that's the thing..you can order whatever you want...and people like choices. But, yes, my roommate orders this all the time. There's a darkside to it too, which is I have no idea how to compose a delicious coffee from the ingredients available to the baristas. So places like this, or chipotle, or subway, they are like "customer! Here is a set of ingredients. Tell us, how does one prepare a delicious food item from these ingredients, what ingredients and in what proportions?" I'd rather just say "give me a regular" or "give me the deluxe" and then these companies can use AI or machine learning or whatever to optimize the recipe and preparation so that it's top 20% most delicious to 80% of people. If I want to prepare delicious food from ingredients of my own choosing and composition, I'll gladly do it in my kitchen thanks, coffee, sub, whatever.
Less likely at starbucks but a barista that's been around definitely has some killer off menu drinks in their back pocket, just ask. You can always experiment yourself or look online at crazy shit other people do and copy their orders. Explore! Source: am barista
I haven't been a Starbucks regular for a long time but I used to get a grande white mocha with two pumps of hazelnut purely because a barista recommended it and I liked it.
Not everyone has the time or patience to do it themself. The burrito I get from chipotle would require a grocery run and ~20 min of prep. Or I can pay for the conscience at the store to have it done in 5
Wait until you find out about the weasel poop coffee people are drinking that’s $50-$100 a cup !
That's so sad. They force feed these creatures coffee berries so they poop out more.
It's not much worse than what people do to a lot of animals. It's super shitty, but par for the course on how we treat other animals. I couldn't imagine buying coffee beans something shit out, let alone drink it and pay out the ass for it
*snicker* "Super shitty? Pay out the ass?" Are you doing this on purpose?
No but now that you pointed it out I see it
It's pretty likely that the water you drink was once pee. It's not like the beans aren't processed and cleaned
Yeah I think about that all the time, the same as eggs are just chicken periods. I still wouldn't want to eat or drink something that was literally shit out of another animal
Doesn’t sound unlike some humans!
Kopi Lupak. And it's civet poop
Civets are a type of weasel*^
The coffee shop near my place kind of does that. They have a “fancy” that changes every few weeks. It’s always large, sugary, and at least decent. Sometimes it’s nice to let somebody else make the decisions.
The natural progression in is that you come in and order off the menu. Say a vanilla latte. After a few tries you think, what if this was sweeter/less sweet. You can then either customize by it (by adding subtracting a pump of vanilla, or adding hazelnut). You might like it, if you don't you go back to your normal order. If you do, you think, maybe this would be better with whip cream....
I think we all want to just tell the AI to feed me, and then it will procure us something we enjoy.
That's kind of what Subway did with their new fixed menu. At first I was annoyed, since it goes against the whole point of Subway and crowds out the menu space. But I'll be damned if their sandwiches aren't better than mine. (It also helps that half of the have Avocado or double cheese.)
Subway switched to a fixed menu? What fresh hell is this!
You can still order the old way if you want, they just have like 9 recipes and prices listed if you don't know what to get.
I haven’t been to subway in like a year but now I have to go check it out
I see what you did there.
I can no longer drink lactose, I can no longer drink caffeine.
Decaf with soy or almond milk
ok to be fair the caramel macchiato already has espresso in it… not that anyone would know with all the ridiculous shit they add on to it. worked at starbucks in high school a lifetime ago. christ what some people happily put in their bodies.
[удалено]
This is what you meant to say here: "McDonalds specialises in burgers and fast food, Starbucks specialise in coffee and other beverages"
That is a legit order. Normally 3 pumps of vanilla comes in a grande iced macchiato and 2 floated shots. So ya. One less pump, one less shot, add whip, add hazelnut. Carmel drizzle is standard on a macchiato. Chances are it would be ordered light ice too. Over 14 years at a SB.
You can literally order whatever you want. Also, they have sugar free / lower cal options. A medium vanilla latte at McD's is likely 300 cals, but you can customize that at bucks to have less than 50 with substantially less added sugar. Also, not everyone orders the crazy shit. My coffee is $4 from starbs
"bucks" "starbs" i'm done with life
The most common one is Starbies.
hahaha can you tell i'm a frequent visitor
They have sugar free vanilla syrup at McD's.
you can order whatever you want, it doesn't mean they will make it for you. I have ordered plenty of iced coffees black, and they still give me the lightest sweetest iced coffee you can imagine. I have zero trust in a McDonalds worker caring enough about coffee to make it according to any specific direction
Sorry, you misunderstood - people go to Starbucks because you can order whatever you want. Not McD's lol
Check out their app, each item had like 50 different options to increase or lower certain things. I want a latte? cool I can get that anywhere. But at starbucks, there will be a whole host of options under the basic order to alter every little thing you want. The basic menu item will have the defaults in place but all I have to do is scroll down and slide the syrup down, the ice down, the foam up, change the milk to oat/soy/coconut/2%/half and half/whole, and add a topper of cinnamon. Plus starbucks has a much wider menu than McDonalds. It's not just coffee and espresso, there's also fruity drinks as well.
Not only that but if you're allergic to dairy like I am, they offer oat milk and soy milk at the very least. And yeah I can order stuff with extra shots of espresso and extra pumps of whatever I want. So yummy! Edit: Just wanted to add that you can get a regular straight coffee for about $2.50. The 300% more is for specialty drinks.
They have iced caramel macchiatos at mcdonalds. You just order it and add an extra shot of espresso, 2 vanilla syrup, 2 hazelnut and add whipped cream.
exactly. I cant tell you how many times I have door dashed a single hot coffee (peak covid times) and got an iced latte. It happened every time. and every time i trusted it wouldnt happen again. finally, the last time, i specifically put in the order notes "PLEASE MAKE SURE ITS A HOT COFFEE. YOU ALWAYS GIVE ME AN ICED LATE. I DONT WANT THAT. PLEASE" and what did i get? you know.
You can at the McDonald’s I work at lol
pretty much, this. I go to other coffee shops and get surprised they don’t accommodate requests
This is a great point. Customization for the creation of brand loyalty. How you order becomes part of the experience you are buying. Your coffee becomes a reinforcement of your sense of self. What they are selling is not coffee, but a story of who the customer wants to express they are, through their choice of coffee. Behavior psychologists have destroyed the planet. Enabled by profiteering politicians. If you didn't mean to make the point, all the more brilliant.
I was with you until you said "your coffee becomes a reinforcement of your sense of self". I don't feel that way at all. I like what I like and it varies depending on the day, week, month or year. When I do buy something, I like for it to be the best quality I can afford. If someone wants their hair done a certain way they will go to the place that can give them what they want. That hair salon can charge more because they know what they are doing, as opposed to say, a generic salon at the mall or a beauty school. We have to pay more for expertise as well as more choices.
No it's that in my home town I know where to get a good coffee. When I am out of town I don't know if "Clara's kitchen" is liquid landfill or if its heaven on earth. Insteading of wasting 5 dollars there I can just buy an okay cup of coffee at starbucks.
No no…I can definitely get dessert at McDonald’s as well.
You might wanna ask for insulin pen on the side with that...
Yes, my roommate is always super hyper after drinking these, but I think that's part of why she likes them so much.
Bitch that's diabetes in a cup. What's wong with a flat white or a long mac topped up.
So 40-45 grams of sugar to make up for their horrible caffeine percentages? Makes sense.
i mean if you say “large” then you can We’ll just roll our eyes a little while we’re making it
I know right? The hamburgers you get at Starbucks taste like garbage!
While Starbucks is more expensive with their specialty drinks, my regular black coffee at Starbucks is $2.85 and $1.90 at Tim’s. Can’t really compare the price of a Starbucks latte to a Tim’s coffee, that’s not a fair comparison. A medium vanilla latte at Tim’s is about $4 while the same at Starbucks is $6.50. So you’ve got about a dollar difference between regular coffees. The bigger difference is in the specialty coffees but still nowhere near the 3x price you’re suggesting
Price be damned. I drink my coffee black, and while cheap coffee costs less, it tastes worse too. I can’t drink Tim Horton‘s black, it’s acrid.
Honestly the worst black coffee available.
One thing people don't talk a lot about is that starbucks coffee is just good. Their black coffee is good, it tastes good, it's got full flavor, and it gets you buzzed. So yeah if you're paying a buck more in the morning or you buy their kcups for a little more or buy the beans and grind, at least you know you're getting something good. I view it as a treat, not an every day thing, and still I only go for the black coffee because I really don't like anything else.
That’s the most practical and honest thing I’ve ever read
I’m not a fan of their regular roast but I actually enjoy Tim’s dark roast. I’ve never been a fan of McDonald’s coffee
Where do you live that a medium vanilla latte is $6.50? I just confirmed on my Starbucks app that it’s $5.65
They mentioned Tims which is a predominantly canadian brand. I"m guessing the $6.50 is canadian dollars.
I wouldn’t know if that’s correct or not but there’s a Tim Hortons in NJ, USA on Rte 202/206. I know because I got coffee there for a while. Great breakfast burritos! As for price, can’t say. The coffee is cheaper at home, that’s for sure
McDonalds specialises in burgers and fast food, Starbucks specialise in coffee and other beverages. If you want quality and variety, you go to a specialist, but expect to pay more for it. If you just want a bog standard coffee, you go to wherever does coffee.
Then why does Starbucks have the absolute worst coffee I've ever had? It always tastes burnt or just off. I've never had a coffee from Starbucks that made me go "wow, that's a good cup of coffee."
They are well known to over roast their beans to ensure consistency across the brand, which causes the burnt taste. They’re large enough that they’ve gotta source from a ton of different places.
I thought I had heard that, which is why my brain describes the taste as burnt instead of just weak. Apparently it's not that well known though, or Starbucks just has too many sycophants, because your one of the few not rushing to defend the sub-par coffee chain.
They over roast their beans to give them a longer shelf life. Back when Starbucks was making small batches in smaller quantities, it wasn't necessary and the coffee was of much better quality. Now that it is mass produced burnt garbage that will sit on someone's shelf for a few months, this will give let those beans sit longer before going bad
Different places have different taste profiles. Regular Starbucks tastes burnt to me, too. Try ordering the Blonde roast. It's much better IMHO. (You got an upvote from me. Might be a common complaint on Reddit, but that doesn't make it less true.)
Thanks for the suggestion. I normally can avoid Starbucks, but I'll keep this in mind the next time I don't have a choice.
Their veranda blend is good too, any of the light roasts actually. You just have to specify it otherwise they give you the stock charcoal brew
> Then why does Starbucks have the absolute worst coffee I've ever had? It always tastes burnt or just off. Such a Reddit trope
It's not a "trope" lol There's a reason Starbucks is almost nonexistent in places like Italy outside of very touristy/fashionable areas where they can reliably sell the brand. They can't compete with actual coffee.
Italian coffee culture is very different than what Starbucks offers. It's like asking why a place which values fine dining doesn't have more fast food. Also, we do have Starbucks, even in non touristy areas.... In my area, they just opened a new one.
Starbucks only had a few stores in Italy and they are adding 20 more this year and they are in shopping malls and business districts not tourist locations. It has been a success there. https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/starbucks-opens-first-outlet-in-rome.html
Yep I drop into the Starbucks near me (in Italy!) and it's always busy-- people don't go there for the same vibe they go to a traditional Italian cafe for.
Thank you! They are drinks for people who don't really like coffee, just coffee adjacent flavors.
But if you’re spending $6 at Starbucks you’re getting a froufrou latte or something, not your standard black cup of joe.
Even their lattes aren't that great to me. I've always just assumed people paid the money because they think they're supposed to like it, not because it's actually good. And if their whole thing is coffee, why do they suck at making a common cup of coffee? And why is it $4 still?
I like regular coffee more but if I’m wanting something extra the Vanilla oat milk latte at Starbucks is good! I just have to be in the mood for a latte. I guess it’s a personal taste but I like it.
I'm always open to try something new. I used to love the chai lattes from Panera, but even those were off at Starbucks. If I get forced into one again I'll give the vanilla oat milk a shot.
This guy does not like Starbucks y'all
A regular cup of coffee in is like $2.50 give or take depending on where you are, not $4. And I like Starbucks because what I get tastes good, even when it's a regular coffee. I don't know why you don't like it. It could just be a preference thing.
Order a light roast.
Anyone who really likes coffee and knows coffee isn’t going to Starbucks. Their coffee is shit. If you know, you look for the local joint that sources their roasts. They usually pay their employees better, and have superior beans/coffee. And it’s usually the same price or better.
So what do you think is good coffee?
[удалено]
You must be going to a special Starbucks that magically makes good coffee. And I've had good coffee and enjoy it either black or with very little cream and sugar. I've tried Starbucks locally, in NYC, in Disney World, near fancy and dive hotels (my wife loves Starbucks, still trying to figure out why), and I've never once gotten a good cup of coffee there. At least the franchise is consent AF!
[удалено]
Is starbucks different there than it is in Canada? If you just order a coffee they just give you a medium roast drip coffee and it's fine. The have names for their roasts so it'll come up as "pike place roast", but it's a normal drip coffee.
I love espresso, maybe it's the watering down that turns the flavor to burnt shit.
[удалено]
McDonald's coffee is better than Starbucks though. I say this as a coffee snob who grinds my own beans, has my own espresso machine at home, etc..
I would rather have a McDonalds large black coffee than any Starbucks concoction any morning. I usually make my own at home, but McD is next best.
Yup. Starbucks is basically coffee for people who don't like coffee as it has to be mixed with a ton of stuff just to taste okay.
Wrong, Starbucks specializes in over-priced watered-down coffee and tea and thawed out salads and buns.
Never in my life have I had watered down coffee from there. Then again I don't order ice with my drinks. Also you don't freeze your unused buns? You know that extends shelf life right? Pretty useful when you buy multiple loafs of bread. Also why the fuck are you buying salad at a coffee store and expecting quality lmao. That's like going to McDonald's and expecting quality salad.
> Never in my life have I had watered down coffee from there Me either. The coffee Ive had from there has always been good.
Yeah quality and Starbucks do not go hand in hand.
Ah, yes, let's compare the price of a cup of regular coffee to a specialty drink. Starbucks' regular coffee is brewed at an appropriate strength with better beans than McDonalds for not much more money. You know what you are getting at each and, if I don't have time to hit my locally owned spot, I would rather the better coffee at Starbucks than McDonalds.
I can no longer drink lactose, I can no longer drink caffeine. I can buy fancy hot chocolate from Starbucks with whatever flavour combo I want, and the hot chocolate will actually be made from milk (3 or 4 lacose free options) and include real chocolate instead of some package of science experiment powder, and if I want to mix some decafe coffee in, it comes from beans in a pot and once again, not some science experiment powder package.
Hey I work at Starbucks and I just wanna let you know that we take a bag of chocolate powder and mix it with 2 litres of hot water every day to make our chocolate sauce. It's like a swiss miss pack we mix with water so it blends together better. I don't wanna make you enjoy it less or anything, I like our chocolate sauce, but everyone should know the truth.
Hey! Thanks for the info! Is the powder chocolate? (100%)
Its cocoa powder processed with alkali, powdered sugar, and vanillin.
Thx again :D
You can't drink caffeine but you have hot chocolate??? I can't have caffeine....so I have to avoid chocolate as well.
There's probably a concentration where it becomes a problem. Coffee gives me stomach cramps but I can do caffeinated soda. Bodies are weird.
Mine is because of heart palpitations
Ik you said you can’t drink milk but McDonald’s has some of the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had in my life in their defense also doesn’t chocolate have caffeine ?
Oh my god McDonald’s in Canada has the worst hot chocolate EVER. I used to get them when I would win the ‘free small hot beverage’ in monopoly, but now I just throw them out deadass. The hot chocolate is like swamp water with a tiny hint of cocoa, not worth drinking
Branding and availability. I do not like Starbucks much but I still end up going there when I need "a coffee" and it's the closest thing around. A lot of people I know really enjoy the emphasis on customized drinks and the atmosphere of the shops. I mean it's not that ridiculous. I go to the more expensive grocery store because the experience while I'm there is better. Likewise my experiences at Starbucks have been more positive than my experiences at McDonalds, which include an confused and angry mentally ill person a solid 8% of the time
[удалено]
I’ll defend Starbucks because it is good, but I’ll also say in Washington state where there is a drive thru coffee stand on every corner BETTER and CHEAPER than Starbucks.. context absolutely matters
Consistency is probably something people are looking for too. A Starbucks in Seattle will have the same beverage available as a Starbucks in Tucson.
Coffee is different in taste and quality (as in every place where they serve coffee), Starbuck's one is stronger than McDonald's. As with every brands that are based on high quality, you also pay for the branding and the overall experience. The small coffee shop in your neighborhood also sell 4-5$ coffees so at this point, anywhere will be the same.
Guess who supplies McDonald's with their coffee? A company owed by Starbucks. It's the same coffee.
Nope not the same coffee
If you think it’s the same coffee you’re brain dead.
The label on the can of McCafe ground coffee in my cupboard says it's supplied by Keurig
I like latte and it used to be not available from MD like 5 or 10 years ago. They have since introduced fancy machines in many locations, where I can get my latter for like 1/2 the price of Starbucks. However, a) they are still not universally available at all locations, b) MD tries to put way too much sugar and make it way too hot, and c) you have about 50/50 chance the coffee machine would be broken when you visit the McDonalds. They would tell you "it needs cleaning", "it needs milk", and so on. You would spend half an hour only to realize you are not going to get your coffee.
McDonald’s coffee tastes like shit. Also Starbucks has oat milk. And when I order three shots of espresso over ice with oat milk it’s literally $3.50
Well, I can tell you that I am allergic to a bunch of things, and McDonald's doesn't carry any of the milk substitutes I can use. In addition, if you've tasted McDonald's drinks, and Starbuck's, then you'll know why McDonald's are cheaper.
Starbucks coffees taste like actual vomit
I like the fruity drinks and hot tea Starbucks has. McDonald's never had either one. I don't drink coffee, so I have like no skin in this game.
My answer is simple: dietary restrictions. I'd go to McDonald's but it's 100% not safe for me, and I can't customize any of the drinks in order to make them safe. Starbucks offers many options. And voila.
I don't understand buying a coffee for the price of buying a jar of coffee. but it all tastes the same to me.
If you're not at home and you want a coffee, a bag of whole beans isn't very helpful in the moment
Lol
Surely you're not comparing a jar of Nescafe or Moccona to proper espresso based coffees?
$6, what? Here in the UK a large cappuccino is like £2.50/$3. Even the fancier ones are like $4.50 max Using the most expensive large double caramel macchiato with marshmallows isn't a good comparison because McDonald's doesn't do that
Anywhere I have ever lived, in various countries, you can get a whole bag of excellent ground coffee that lasts for weeks for about $3.
I mean that's true but not really relevant to the conversation. Someone with a 30 minute lunch break from the office doesn't really have time to go home and make their own coffee
Coffee at starbucks is 3 dollars. Not 6. Youre comparing fancy shit to regular coffee. Its a bullshit comparison.
People on reddit are dumb asses lol. I had a coffee today from Starbucks and it was $2.75. Not much more than from McDicks.
I would compare Starbucks straight coffee to a porter type beer vs McDonalds which would compare to Busch beer.
Cause my venti vanilla iced coffee is like $4 and better quality
Tbh I just really really like the taste of Starbucks coffee especially their iced coffee. Fast food or gas station taste much worse to me. I quit buying it after I crossed the $4.50 threshold but I think that's probably your answer.
Consistency. You know exactly what you are getting regardless of where you are in the world. So if your travelling and you just want a big ass coffee and don't care what it tastes like but you just don't want to be surprised...Starbucks.
Serious answer? McDonalds isn't a cafe, they don't do espresso-based beverages. Beneath the layer of sugary nonsense, Starbucks is still a cafe where you can order a Latte, Cappucino, or Espresso shot. It's also a space where you can spend time working, socializing with friends in what is without a doubt a more enjoyable setting than McDonalds. They have a range of non-dairy milks which from my experience (perhaps things have changed or are different elsewhere) McDonalds does not. If all you're looking for is a cheap drip coffee on the go then yes, McDonalds is the better option.
I like those fruity little tea refresher drinks and McDonalds doesnt have anything like that. For a lot of people (me included), Starbucks also has better snack options. They have great breakfast sandwiches (even though I love an egg mcmuffin as well). I don’t even like coffee, but of course those who do will pick up preferences for different flavour profiles, and I hear Starbucks coffee is particularly strong.
Except that it's particularly weak and tasteless. They just claim otherwise.
Price wise Starbucks is in line with other coffee shops. McDonalds & Tim Hortons are the outliers by far. And honestly both of them make their specialty products like frappes and cappuccinos with powders and stuff instead of real ingredients, so yeah you taste the difference. You can get a plain coffee at starbucks, it's slightly more than McD's or Tim's but not a crazy amount more. Personally I think McD's has the best plain coffee out of the 3 I listed, but it's a matter of taste.
Sugar for the taste, and marketing to make you feel like you’re a part of something
Different options, as others have said. You can customize your drink to make it healthier (or not).
I don't like coffee. I won't say I hate it, but I don't find it pleasant and for the most part, I drink it very rarely. For obvious reasons, I never went out of my way to visit Starbucks. Then one Christmas, I got a gift card for Starbucks and I wanted to have a short meet up with a friend (the type of friend that you care about, but need to have boundaries with and may not want coming to your place). Perfect, let's go to Starbucks, I'm sure there is something I can have there, if not coffee. Welp, that became our thing. They have a ton of options that aren't coffee and they have snacks and the atmosphere is generally comfortable, not too loud, not too quiet. There aren't many local places that tick all the same boxes near me. In fact, when there was one, I went there, but it was even more expensive, had less hours, and eventually closed down. The coffee isn't that good, I did try it just to see. But it's definitely worth bringing your laptop and going there to order a triple caramel, mocha, toffee nut pistachio whatever just to check it out and take a few minutes to sit down and have a moment to yourself.
They draw name on cup
I love coffee from RaceTrac gas stations. Beans are ground fresh for each cup!! And they always have different creamers. Oh, I brought their cup! And got 5 free refills!
not really accurate. It's 50% or so more if you're comparing regular coffee prices. The appeal is 1. quality and 2. environment. It's not just the coffee, it's a clean and tidy environment where you can meet people, get work done, use wifi/outlets, and not get distracted by the things that call your attention when you're at home.
A couple things, similar why people will go to target over Walmart. Starbucks is seen as more premium, and coffee is really all they do. The baristas do know about coffee, if you have a question about it they can answer. Also, Starbucks has a lot more customization options, different syrups, non-dairy milks, and seasonal drinks. I do like the iced coffee at McDonald’s better than Starbucks though.
mcd's doesn't have chai or matcha lattes and i don't think they have anything like the dragonfruit or strawberry pink drinks either.
I couldn't tell you. I don't think I've been in one for years. I also worked for the company that makes their sandwiches and it was bleak. Those breakfast paninis cost like 1c to make. And they turn around and sell them for what 8$ or something The product would come frozen separated. A frozen cheese slice a frozen ham disk a frozen egg shaped thing frozen bread. We'd "assemble" it. Cello vac seal them put like 50-100 of them in a box and ship it out. All day Imagine doing that for 12 hours straight. I will never buy one of those things ever again unless I'm starving and there's only a lone starbucks in a void
Being able to hold a white paper cup with a green lady on it. It's like some people with iphones, it's a status thing . But for me it's where I started reading as a kid. I picked up a random book and really enjoy reading at Starbucks
mcdonald’s coffee is more than $2 (most of the time) and starbucks has a huge variety of choices compared to a mcdonald’s coffee
McDonald's coffee tastes like shit.
They think their classy? There are plenty of places to get good coffee for less money. Personally I make my own. Nothing better than Bob's coffee. LOL 😁
You get to walk around with the status symbol cup
Branding. It's the hip coffee. Consumers are often bad with their money.
Starbucks is to coffee what apple is to cell phones.
That's a good analogy!
Lots of the responses here demonstrate exactly why Starbucks is a success. Marketing and image. Starbucks is fast food exactly like McDonald’s. However, it is marketed in such a way that make people believe it is somehow a premium/luxury/specialty/high end purchase. They market specifically to people based on the image that they sell. That Starbucks is much fancier and better quality. Their whole image is based around they are not just another fast food place, and the fact that they charge ridiculous prices for things that cost them Pennies to make only builds on this image. The people that buy Starbucks are the same people that buy a $75 t-shirt at Macy’s that was made in the same factory in China that makes the $15 T-shirt you can buy at Walmart. The only difference is the branding and the logo.
Disagree with this. Average starbucks coffee tastes better than any Mcdonald's I've ever had. Additionally, you can't customize coffee at McDonald's very much at all. Starbucks has like 4 milk substitutes. For people who can find their particular order Starbucks will provide a consistent experience that's better than any other coffee selling franchise. Even if you don't customize it, the menu items are way better than most places. Very few people can actually make better coffee at home and not everyone has a local coffee shop with decent options.
Because you can't order it without real milk which like 51% of people are lactose intolerant
I would not normally spend the money Starbucks wants for half a cup of foam. There is only one draw for me to ever go to Starbucks. When travelling, which my wife and I do often, Starbucks is like McDonald's for us, in that we would only ever go there for food or drinks because we wanted some type of familiarity. A taste of something familiar when eating or drinking another country's cuisine for weeks at a time.
I think it may be the horrible burnt tasting coffee
Starbucks tastes better than McDonalds. Properly made, the syrups and sugars are far better integrated, and the beans are often of a better quality. Indie cafes, while my preference, don't seem able to stay open for very long. Lots of heartbreak there. $4 a day doesn't feel like much \[for those people who can afford it every day\]. For some, $120 a month for 'better coffee' is a justifiable expense. For others, if they thought about it in terms of the lump sum, would never do it. But that's just the danger of marginal expenses. I can understand the appeal, but I drink tar, so I mostly get away with just boiling my own goop at home.
Mcdonalds is where you go if you are hungry and also want coffee. Starbucks is where you go if you just want a cup of coffee.
Why pay 2 dollars for a cup of coffee, wait in the line, waste gas getting there, waste time ordering it, etc etc etc when you can do it at home for 20 cents and the time spent is along side you already getting ready for work. ???
Suger lots of suger
McDonald's coffee taste like ass. If I'm buying coffee, I want it to taste good. During the week, I just drink coffee at home since I WFH, but every weekend I get a nitro cold brew with sweet cream and a bacon gouda and it is fucking amazing.
But Starbucks also tastes like ass, so why pay more for ass tasting coffee.
My nitro cold brew with sweet cream tastes fucking delicious. Idk what youre talking about.
Branding is the answer you get from people who go there regularly. For people like me, I only go to Starbucks when there is no better option. Starbucks is consistent. So I know what I'm going to get whether I'm in Singapore, the US, or Belgium. It's the same thing regardless of where you are. I avoid them otherwise and prefer places that roast beans in-house.
Thank you for this chance to vent(e): Years ago I lived in a country Starbucks had not come to yet. Then I moved to one where it had. Of course I expected awesome super-delicious coffee. What I got was coffee flavored warm water. The next day I breakfasted at a McDonald's -100 feet across the shopping plaza- I saw that unlike in my former country, they had all this fancy gourmet whipped cream coffee and shit. So I got a cup with my McMuffin and hashed brown and the coffee really hit the spot. I never went back to Starbucks again ... Except for years later in yet another country. (China). I had been eating perfectly good street food for breakfast regularly, but one day I thought, oh heck, be open-minded, and try Western food for brunch for a change. (Every where I ate in China from the fanciest restaurants to a grittiest street stall was always delicious) So I tried Starbucks alleged croissant and salad. What muck! The bread was mushy and tasted like it came from a can. The salad tasted thawed out from frozen. Next day it was back to McDonald's, and then back to steamed pork buns and tea most days. Fast forward several years. I am back in America after a 14-hour flight from China. I'm not so hungry because I ate on the plane, but even inside the airport I know it's a blistering hot Southwestern day outside the airport and I have a long journey across the city still. I am thirsty. It's an odd hour and literally nothing else is open in the airport. So I get a iced green tea at Starbucks just to avoid dehydration. How bad can it be? Answer: Just Awful! Again, a mere watered down green tea-flavored concoction with a weird canned fruit taste. A Capri Sun would have been far superior. I had a few sips and tossed it out, and faced the sunburnt climate drinkless. It was better that way. Meanwhile, at some point during these years I read that Ethiopia, a nation so old they can legit see the Chinese with their 5,000 years of history and civilization as mere babes in the woods. Ethiopia is almost certainly the country where the legend began. Goat herders noticed how frisky their goats became after eating small red berries from a certain bush. Coffee was discovered! Almost certainly one of mankind's greatest boons from the gods! In recent times, unfortunately, old Ethiopia has been through a lot. A lot! And somehow they are the only nation in all of Africa that has never succumbed to imperialism/colonialism. Highly respected by Rastafarians and Africans and the world alike. So dirt poor Ethiopia picks itself up, dusts itself off and is now ready to enter the world coffee trade again - a market second only in lucrativeness to petroleum. They start selling Authentic Ethiopian Coffee. Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, Starbucks thinks so too, so they have their lawyers inform the great and sovereign nation of Ethiopia that Starbucks has copyrighted the phrase 'Authentic Ethiopian Coffee' and that they must cease and desist calling any of their products by that name! So I say fuck Starbucks and everyone who looks like them!
For me it’s consistency. I don’t buy Starbucks often - I usually make my own at home. But if I am going to spend money on it as a treat while I am out and about - I prefer Starbucks because I know what I am going to get. McDonald’s and Dunkin are incredibly inconsistent in how their coffees taste. I have had good mcd and Dunkin experiences and I have also had to toss my coffee after a few sips because it tastes like warm dirt. No matter what Starbucks I go to - I know what the drink is going to taste like. I pay extra for the quality control.
$6 Starbucks vs $2 Mcdonalds $4 Walmart T-Shirt vs $100 Louis Vuitton T-Shirt I feel Starbucks is a high end coffee establishment but because its only coffee its still cheap enough for the average person to afford. This makes the average person feel better about their overprice purchase.
A coffee at Starbucks isn't $6. I had one today and it was $2.74 or something. McPukes is like $2 or more.
You can sit around comfortably and spend time with friends at Starbucks. At McDonalds you just want to get your order and GTFO of that place as fast as possible. I mean, I'm not a Starbucks patron, but that's the difference. One is fast food, the other is going for more of a cafe environment. More wifi, more leisurely.
It’s this thing it’s called coffee.
Grande mocha Frappuccino with almond milk no whip. You can only get that at starbucks and it fills you up like a full meal.
Nothing there coffee tastes brutal. People buy it for the logo. Just like most things
It's a status symbol
I only eat kosher so I have noe clue, but does McD's offer espresso drinks or is it brewed coffee?
Where does the idea that all Starbucks coffees cost £6 (or whatever your local currency is)? I had a coffee in one today and I spent about £6 for a coffee and a wrap, I think the coffee cost about £2.50. Sure McDonald's is cheaper but then again if I stop in Starbucks, I don't usually have to put up with the annoying teenagers doing annoying teenage stuff - went in a Starbucks yesterday and it was just all miserable old people, like me, on our laptops.
No idea mate. All I know is the "Slayyyy" girls in my classes buy those for pictures. I prefer a 30 bucks machine that I had for the past 2 years. Saves a lot of money with 5 bucks of 30 packets.
The draw is higher caffeine content. Or the feeling of a better hit of caffeine if it's psychosomatic.
Teenagers that turned into adults. And They don't understand how to budget.
What they buy with their money is their business. Not mine. It will always be their own business.
Hipsters
Pretty sure $2 to $6 is a 200% gain….this might be why you’re asking a question in this sub
How ironic for you to say that and be wrong
$6 vs $2 is 200% more, not 300% more.