Why are there so many Starbucks in Dublin?

porsche959

Heroditas wrote: »

Didn't realise that!
Is it ever busy? I love the independent place on Mespil Road. Always queues out the door whenever I'm in that neck of the woods.

Frankly, doesn't seem to be significantly busier than the old one was but the space is larger!

HalloweenJack

Whatever happened to Dunkin' Donuts in Ireland? I know they some places in Dublin when I was a kid but that's going on twenty years now.

Teyla Emmagan

Went to the Starbucks in Dublin Airport recently. It was 6am and there's about a thousand people trying to get breakfast. This is the conversation between me and your woman with about 25 harrased people in the queue behind me.

Black coffee please
What size do you want that
Blah blah blah
What beans would you like?
What??
Arabica or something else, we are promoting the something else this week.
I don't care.
You need to choose one.
The first one.
Do you want the special deal where you get a croissant for an extra euro?
No, just the coffee.
Do you want to sign up for our club of the month.
No!?
What's your name please.
Jesus Christ.
What?
No, Teyla.
And then I had to go to another eejit to pay for my black coffee.

They really do themselves no favours at times. I'm sure the staff are told to upsell and make a point of the amazing coffee beans varieties they have, but surely looking at a wild eyed queue of caffeine deprived would-be holiday makers at 6am isn't the time.

YellowFeather

Faux Socialist wrote: »

Since when was there a major need for coffee? It's not like its a major component of the human diet

You take that back. :mad:

Heroditas

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Whatever happened to Dunkin' Donuts in Ireland? I know they some places in Dublin when I was a kid but that's going on twenty years now.

They used to have a place in UCD but then it became a 911 within a year or two.
I think the franchise closed down and was taken over by whoever owned 911.

smellmepower

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Whatever happened to Dunkin' Donuts in Ireland? I know they some places in Dublin when I was a kid but that's going on twenty years now.

Lyons tea owned the franchise rights I believe,but closed down just before the boom took off because they weren't making enough money.

Had a fair few outlets (Rathmines,O'Connell St,Grafton St,The Square,probably more that I don't remember) and was always surprised they didn't do well here,as most American chains seem to do okay.

SpaceTime

I find it kind of amusing when some stuffy middle aged (pushing into 60s maybe even older) Cork types are asked for their name in Starbucks down here.

What's your name?
"Murphy" (in very condescending snooty Cork accent).

What's your first name:

"Mrs Murphy!"

Baron Kurtz

nala_rinaldo wrote: »

ye whatever. i paid 5 euro for that coffe that made me sick, so it’s mine.

COFFEE

Aard

SpaceTime wrote: »

I find it kind of amusing when some stuffy middle aged (pushing into 60s maybe even older) Cork types are asked for their name in Starbucks down here.
"

This always amuses me. A middle aged woman was in front of me in the Dundrum Starbucks and is asked her name. She begins saying "Eh...em.." As though she couldn't remember her own name. Dressed up, sunglasses, hair-do. Eventually gives her name as Peggy (yes, Cork accent). Two minutes later, the foreign server shouts out "Cappucino for Piggy!" Muffled laughter and sharp intakes of breath all around. They'd even written Piggy on her cup.

Frank Lee Midere

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

You n me bud. It's cafes all the way. Kaffs that is not the poncy French way of speaking. Weak tea, instant coffee and a hang sandwich is living the dream.

Gimme a kaff anyday and a coffee made with milk.

Gummy Panda

krudler wrote: »

Hell yeah they are, its hard to not want one every day cos they're so cheap. Plus their special/limited donuts, a donut with Oreo biscuit on top and coated with Oreo cream filling?

http://d2x3wmakafwqf5.cloudfront.net/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/61/files/2014/06/tim-hortons-Oreo-Donut1.png

I hate you now. I'm so craving donuts

Frank Lee Midere

Mr_Spaceman wrote: »

Because it's sheep we're up against.

Blame the cast of Friends and their faux, lounge lifestyle in Central Perk.

I do hope Insomnia - with their vastly superior coffee - can repel the tentacles of the green mermaid.

Hipsters really hate faux hipsters. But hipsterism always keeps changing. Soon the people drinking coffee at Insomnia - which is also like Central Perk - will go out of fashion and the new hipsterism will hate the old hipsters, and call them sheep, as they move en masse to Costa. Best to follow the hipster herd before that happens. Lest you be a sheep.

Anyway since Starbucks is apparantly out of fashion I might pop in some day. I've never been to a Dublin starbucks. I remember from my time in the US they had pleasant staff and seating.

Reindeer

When I was homeless, I sat outside a Starbucks for their free internet. Then, one day, some homeless guy spit on me for being a hipster. He didn't believe I didn't have any spare change. Stupid homeless people.

nala_rinaldo

it’s too mainstream to be hip.

SpaceTime

Aard wrote: »

This always amuses me. A middle aged woman was in front of me in the Dundrum Starbucks and is asked her name. She begins saying "Eh...em.." As though she couldn't remember her own name. Dressed up, sunglasses, hair-do. Eventually gives her name as Peggy (yes, Cork accent). Two minutes later, the foreign server shouts out "Cappucino for Piggy!" Muffled laughter and sharp intakes of breath all around. They'd even written Piggy on her cup.

The Muppet's Miss Piggy actually was based on Miss Peggy Lee's diva persona so they're not far off.

Mr_Spaceman

Larry David says yes to Starbucks...

ErnieBert

Lapin wrote: »

I'm glad they're not in Galway and hope they never arrive.

One of the great attractions in the city is the number of locally owned cafés and little one off restaurants in every street.

It would be a shame to see places like Cross St, High St, Quay St etc being dominated by Starbucks, Costa and Insomnia.
.

Costa opened on Quay Street in Galway (next door to Jury's Inn)

BeerWolf

Never been to Starbucks... the OP's convinced me to try it by raising awareness!

Lapin

ErnieBert wrote: »

Costa opened on Quay Street in Galway (next door to Jury's Inn)

Ah shít.

Faux Socialist

Aard wrote: »

This always amuses me. A middle aged woman was in front of me in the Dundrum Starbucks and is asked her name. She begins saying "Eh...em.." As though she couldn't remember her own name. Dressed up, sunglasses, hair-do. Eventually gives her name as Peggy (yes, Cork accent). Two minutes later, the foreign server shouts out "Cappucino for Piggy!" Muffled laughter and sharp intakes of breath all around. They'd even written Piggy on her cup.

That's the kind of stupidity you'd expect from somebody working in Starbucks.

Aard

Faux Socialist wrote: »

That's the kind of stupidity you'd expect from somebody working in Starbucks.

Oh right, I'd forgotten that all people working in Starbucks must be thick as two planks.

c_man

Am I the only one here who's never had one? Not trying to be cool (I already am, eh? :cool: ) it's just there's none of them around here, and I'm not a big coffee man anyways. I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of potential faux outrage.

jimgoose

awec wrote: »

It's hip to not like starbucks now.

Gotta pretend like you're some sort of coffee connoisseur.

The hip cycle:

Niche -> Cool -> gains popularity -> loses niche -> hip to dislike.

Starbucks are at the point in the hip cycle where my mother likes them, so it's probably more of a Hip-Replacement cycle.

cournioni

There's nothing wrong with Starbucks. Most of the time it wouldn't be my preference to go there as I find that fresh food and nice coffee in some of the independent shops is nicer, but I don't see the issue that people has with it.

The food Starbucks serve isn't bad, its overpriced, but at the end of it all if a person decides they want a Starbucks I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to enjoy it without somebody with a chip on their shoulder saying how bad Starbucks is.

zcorpian88

More of a Costa man myself, quite like their carrot cake and mocha lattes. Was never into fancy coffees because they often looked like a strain and a hassle to make when there is massive queues, I often felt bad for staff in coffee shops spending 3 or 4 minutes making one cup of coffee so I just kept it simple and ordered tea or just a plain coffee.

Met my girlfriend then and she got me into mocha lattes, which I can't get enough of now, a new found guilty pleasure.

Only ever been in a Starbucks once a few years ago in John Lennon Airport in Liverpool, hadn't a clue what to order there was so much stuff on the menu. I ordered a special hot chocolate or supreme hot chocolate I think it was called, because I wasn't in the mood for coffee, was lovely in fact.

When I'm in Dublin I notice there is a good few Starbucks outlets, spoiled for choice up there. I often walk by it though, not that I'm anti Starbucks. I do see a lot of hipsters in there and general eejits with those earrings your could latch a padlock onto.

EyeSight

Say what you want about starbucks, but they're great if you are stuck for wifi or it's late and you want to go somewhere that isn't a bar or restaurant. Ireland lacks good late night coffee shops. I prefer Accents but it can be touch getting a seat there sometimes. KC Peaches can be good too.

I guess if you like those milkshake things, they're great at those. I adore coffee and although i don't like Starbucks coffee, it's not the poison people claim it is-but yes overpriced.

I would like to remind people that just because a coffee shop is independent, does not make their coffee great

sashafierce

This post has been deleted.

lertsnim

c_man wrote: »

Am I the only one here who's never had one? Not trying to be cool (I already am, eh? :cool: ) it's just there's none of them around here, and I'm not a big coffee man anyways. I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of potential faux outrage.

I've nver been in one. I don't drink tea or coffee though.

devildriver

Never understood either the love or the hate for Starbucks. It's just a coffee shop.

Can't remember the last time I had one. Probably at an Airport or something. Coffee was fine, muffin was fine.

The thing I found hilarious about a coffee shop called Insomnia was that it closed at 6 pm!:eek::)

My local independently owned coffee shop serves Java Republic coffee which is really nice and totally Irish-owned for those that care about such things.

I wonder if all of those people that despise Starbucks also have the same hatred (and refuse to set foot in) for Tescos, Dunnes Stores, Centra etc. They are all just chain stores or franchises at the end of the day. No need to get one's undergarments in a bunch!

Lapin

cournioni wrote: »

There's nothing wrong with Starbucks. Most of the time it wouldn't be my preference to go there as I find that fresh food and nice coffee in some of the independent shops is nicer, but I don't see the issue that people has with it.

The food Starbucks serve isn't bad, its overpriced, but at the end of it all if a person decides they want a Starbucks I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to enjoy it without somebody with a chip on their shoulder saying how bad Starbucks is.

Nothing wrong with Starbucks at all. I just think a branch of one large chain is enough on any street.

Otherwise the independent shops with their fresh food and nice coffee will ultimately be squeezed out.

Central London is a perfect example of this. Many parts of place are destroyed with too many branches of EAT, Pret a Manger, Nero, Costa etc. In some parts of the West End you'd have to look damn hard to find somewhere unique to the area.