Starbucks Coffee - new openings in Munich

DD ain't donuts.

These are donuts:

You're right, that isn't at all negative.

@captpopular:

Apologies, just don't like getting into this whole 'big companies are arseholes' convo - if they can succeed like this good on em. Just assumed you were implying something else - but yes, I do know what they say about assumptions.

Having said that, fair point to you.

@Tim: Yep. Timbits are da best!! MMmmmmm.

Oh...you had to go and mention Timmy's. Man...I would kill for one of their donuts right now...and a hot chocolate. Ohh or a bagel...nice toasted bagel. Their sandwiches...nice soup...and all from drive-through. Miss that place

I looked into Tim Horton's franchise rights for Europe but they 'have no plans to expand to Europe in the immediate future'. I guess they are rich enough.

Get those f-ing donuts here and we'd all be happy.

For me, it's about a place to sit down and not have the formality of service. Cushy chairs all the better.

Like that ads in England say; "it's your home from home". And judging by all the crappy Ikea furniture we all seem to be trading in these fora, SBUX provides a sorely needed living-room niche, if nothing else.

If you are traveling and need to rest a bit, where can you go? Are you going to chill at McDs? Pull up a nice step at the Hauptbahnhof? And don't tell me you can read a book as comfortably in a stiff, metal cafe chair on Marienplatz.

SFCC and Coffee Fellows provide third places rather nicely too. They won't go out of business due to SBUX. The cafe across from the Pinakothek at the end of Tuerkenstrasse is really cool too. They are unaffected by SBUX.

In Seattle, where I'm from, the independent coffee-shop business seems to be booming. Every time I go back, there're more new cafes and more SBUX. Many of the 'indies' have become small chains themselves. People patronize them for better coffee, funkier atmosphere, and free wifi. SBUX seems to have invigorated the business of coffee-living rooms.

SBUX is just a victim of it's ridiculous success. It was so cool when it was new...

What Munich needs is it's own brand of 'third place'...where you can relax in a thick, cushy sessel and tip back a Mass...

Now, I just don't understand the motivations of people who leap to the defence of multinational corporations (or powerful political figures). Why defend powerful entities when they're already on top? It's just bizarre. Starbucks does not need defending. You're not in danger of losing access to its range of expensive coffee grotesqueries and el-blando range of muzak.
I do, however, understand the motivations of millions people who are against Starbucks (and other similar powerful entities). Here's some reasons:

They are anti-union, eg: retailworker.com

They exploit labour and use genetically modified products (and, no, multinationals do not bring wealth to third world countries. Stop kidding yourself):bizjournals.com

Globalisation is intrinsically not a bad thing. Look at the benefits of vaccines, for example. But the current crop of exploiters, flat-earthers and neo-liberals doing most of the globalising, are basically causing carnage, eg:zmag.org

How about we try democratising globalisation?

Before we let these ruthless, exploitative organisations 'touch our lives' (what in Orwellian hell does that mean?), we should at least be aware of the real costs beyond the menu board.

Sorry we're too busy drinking coffee.

How do flat-earthers globalise ?

I am pretty sure that what Orwell had in mind was a little bit more sinister than coffee houses.

I'm not much for using words longer than three syllables, but aren't successful companies democratically globalized? I mean, people vote with their cash, nein?

You can argue about MS forcing vendors to install Windows and enslaving the computer users of the world, but NOBODY needs to go into a SBUX and pay too much for a drink and a lounge chair.

It seems to me that folks aren't defending big, rich companies, they're simply saying that they like something, or at least, don't hate something. It takes a lot of energy to fight and hate.

I agree. Good points. However, the point I tried to argue was that Starbucks exploits those with less power, such as third world workers, for whom such choices do not exist.
I also agree it takes a lot of energy, not so much to 'hate', but to take a little time to be aware of who does what to whom in the process of consumption. It took a little practice, but eventually I managed to learn to drink coffee and think simultaneously.

A good, respectable company will travel to all four corners of the globe for its people...

...to find they will work for a tenth of what Americans will.

@Ginmunich

With your requirements, you're going to have to go on a starvation diet pretty soon. Starbucks is hardly the only offender.