I should know this?

Personally, I’d like the entirety of the United States to buy local from all types of restaurants instead of letting corporations pave over our regional food cultures.

Well, of course. Putting geopolitics aside, Starbucks coffee is overpriced and not good. I wonder what the CEO who commutes via private jet to work will take away from this. Likely nothing.

Billionaire Howard Schultz, Starbucks’s former CEO, insisted that Starbucks would not enter a price war in China. He claimed “as chinese customers become more knowledgeable about coffee, they will want to upgrade from lower-end or discounted products”

They got more knowledgeable about coffee which is precisely why they're choosing places other than starbucks.

Coffee culture in China is on another level. They have fast coffee like Luckin, Cotti, and dozens more brands, all of which are better and have more variety than Starbucks, and they have high end coffees with artisan beans, and all of them are cheaper than Starbucks. They’re not going to win there, for sure.

lol, Starbucks laments that people actually know about coffee there now.

Nowadays people in China have access to amazingly cheap coffee grinders, because many great ones are made there (DF series, Timemore). Their colonial projects in Africa have resulted in relationships with lots of African coffee farmers. The Chinese province of Yunnan has coffee farming in the mountains and I really want to try some, one of these days. I think burman coffee has some green from there. They also have access to lots of coffee grown in Vietnam where the historical patron client relationship of tribute and suzerainty between the two countries has resulted in lasting coffee relationships. I find that Chinese roasteries I have seen online tend to have a lot of information about their beans published, as well as extensive cupping notes.

Specialty coffee in China is probably a more innovative scene than the West Coast USA one but I don't have access to everything they've got in terms of beans and equipment and vice versa.

So I used to think that people hated on starbucks because "hurr durr real men only drink black coffee" and starbucks had extremely sugary and milky drinks that had barely any actual coffee in it. "No problem" I thought, "I like sugary drinks!". So I went to a starbucks at the shopping mall close to where I live and ordered something and it was literally just a glass of ice cubes with like three sips' worth of milk and syrup squirted into it. It genuinely felt like the barista forgot one of the ingredients or something. I thought it was a fluke but when I was at that mall at a different time I got a different iced coffee and it was the same stuff: glass full of ice cubes with a squirtling of syrup and milk. What even is the point!?

Oh hey, glad the Chinese figured out Starbucks is bad.

I too prefer locally owned coffed stores!

... Too bad I'm from Seattle, and Starbucks pretty much killed them all.

Fuck Starbucks.

They appropriated the 'chill local coffee shop you can hang out at all day', ran most of those out of business, first in Seattle, then nationwide, then all over the world, and now they just run a coffee themed fast food empire.

Fuck. Starbucks.

Pork Lattes for the Chinese, coffee flavored milkshakes for Americans.

What a fucking joke.

Cuz it's truly legitimately just bad coffee?

Big corporate just siphon money to another country and rich executives. Supporting local business, means the money stay local and they spend it back in the same community that spent it on them.

Plus the Star Bucks coffee is shit.

Local companies are out-competing the multinational on price, quality and local knowledge. Isn't this the free market working as intended?

pork flavor latte

disaster

That tracks.

That last line from the ex CEO is so stupid, Starbucks is the lower end coffee shop, it's the McDonald's of coffee. Anyone who cares about quality coffee would prefer local roasters with fresh coffee anyways

To be fair “luckin” and “coti” coffee is genuinely leagues ahead in taste, and not more expensive than Starbucks, so I guess it was coming sooner or later

Starbucks coffee is shit anyway. Support your local roasters and shops, or roast your own if you have the means. It’s a great and delicious hobby.

“as chinese customers become more knowledgeable about coffee, they will want to upgrade from lower-end or discounted products”

Sick burn.

I couldn't give a single shit what any Starbucks executive thinks about any decisions anyone else makes.

Here in Copenhagen Starbucks has had trouble opening up shop as well. We have quite a few street corner or park trolly baristas, as well as a local chain called Joe and the Juice.

Starbucks now finally has one or two places locked down over here, but it was pretty funny to see a Starbucks popping up, only for it to be replaced with a Joe and the Juice 6 months later.

Starbucks coffee tastes like my shit smells.

Your neighbors pay your salary. The more money in your community the more there will be for your salary.

Sometimes you're likely to want to get groceries.

Sometimes you're likely to want to go to restaurants.

Sometimes you're likely to need to get housewares.

Sometimes you're likely to need services from plumbers or mechanics or electricians.

If you choose your local community, that money stays in your community, and it's likely to make it back to you.

If you buy from a company headquartered in a different city, the money you spend goes to that other city.

So next time you're buying a burger and fries, check out your local restaurants.

Beyond supporting local businesses, Starbucks' coffee is just objectively poor quality in comparison to that of any local roster.

Customers want a reasonably priced and not shitty coffe.

A pork flavoured latte?

Good.

Smart folks

Centering execs is very on brand for NYT.