Do you remember
this post about the future installation of Starbucks near the
Place du Tertre at
Montmartre ? Well, I went back recently and... that's it, they're open. Despite what some people said, the area has not been defaced and obviously accordion players can still perform! I'm not a big Starbucks fan because I think they're expensive and that most of their drinks have far too many calories, but I see no reasons why they should be banned from Montmartre.
Vintage Starbucks. :)
ReplyDeleteExpensive, yes. Especially in France, but even in the US. It's usually less expensive and more personal to go to the local "mom and pop" café. However, my well-traveled sister has been known to remark that sometimes, in countries where there is an inconsistent coffee making ethos, the mermaid sign can be a boon for those who choose never to live without coffee if at all possible. (You may conclude she is a bit of a coffee addict.)
ReplyDeleteActually, today I had coffee at Le zinc (the bar) in a café at Porte de Saint Cloud while I was waiting for someone. And well... It cost me 1,30 € for a small cup. Not that cheap...
DeleteGreat photo of Montmartre. Starbucks acquired San Francisco-based bakery La Boulange. La Boulange owner Pascal Rigo, who I met in the 90's, still oversees Starbucks' research-and-development kitchen in San Francisco. Starbucks acquired his company for $100 million.
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing Lois. 100 million dollars...
DeleteLooks nice! I like the style of the building and the area.
ReplyDeleteWe will have one in Stavanger soon.
My husband will like it more than me:)
The last I heard, Starbucks had yet to turn a profit in France. It appears they are determined.
ReplyDeleteYes, and like all "these American concepts that will never work in France" they are quite successful I hear!
DeleteI wish I could be so generous about Starbucks Eric but I can't, they have really let me down. Starbucks just aint what it used to be.
ReplyDeleteReally? What's changed?
DeleteI do remember your previous post. The only opinion I have is that they succeeded in creating an harmony between this new coffee shop and the other older parts of the street. This is what I see from your good photo ! It has been such a long time I haven't been to Montmartre. What I like in Starbucks (without understanding really why) is that everyone seems to feel at ease in their shops. I'd feel at ease anywhere provided it was an extra time and I were with a friend.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a good place to hang out. I think that is why people like to meet there. And there also were the first no-smoking places in Paris!
DeleteI don't drink coffee myself... so I don't go into Starbucks or other coffee shops. It does seem out of place there...
ReplyDeleteI was happy to find a Starbucks on my last visit because I was dragging after lunch and wanted a nice, plain old BIG, American-coffee-addict-sized cup of coffee! French coffee is good, but the servings are too small [sometimes].
ReplyDeleteAnd very strong! I like American coffee too except after lunch and dinner!
DeleteNot exactly an in-your-face storefront, so could definitely be worse. At any rate, I avoid caffeine, so I don't really have a dog in this fight.
ReplyDeleteI'd probably find a French cafe instead.
ReplyDeleteEric… You and I have had this discussion a couple of times but this just tears it.. Back when I was working a lot in Europe and then had the chance to live on the river side downtown in the latin quarter and commute on the train to Massey every day, I loved how that city embraced all of it’s centuries of tradition and pride… Then one morning, my phone jangled me out of a deep sleep. It was my boss from America who has just landed and want to ge to gather for some coffee. She was staying at the Renaissance Hotel at Montmartre. I told her 30 minutes and rang off.. As me and my office assistants scurried to get all the info we needed to cover with her arranged, we set of at high speed to Montmartre from the River. We made it with a couple of minutes to spare and she met us on the street, looking spry asking ‘Where’s the closet Starbuck’s”..
ReplyDeleteIt was all I could do to restrain some of my staff from pushing her out into the whizzing traffic but we finally got the point across that this was Paris and there WERE NO Starbuck’s in Paris… flash forward a few years, and let this scene play out again, and it would have not been 20 meters from the front of your picture above….. Whoa be the day I ever have to do that scene again…
So, EVERY Starbuck’s you see in Paris, give it a good swift kick for me and maybe they’ll turn back into the pathetic examples of another thing yank, NOT WANTED in Paris…..
Maybe not a ban, but this definitely calls for a social boycott. If I were to visit Paris and see a Starbucks, I would at least let loose a stream of profanities as I passed by. It is bad enough that every street corner in the U.S. has been overtaken by this chain. For me, its the need for conformity and the fear of trying anything new that chains such as Starbucks inspire, so to speak, that drives me crazy. I hate people who say;" I just can't live without my Starbucks!" It's a cup of coffee, people. And if you have ever had/made any drink with foamed milk, you will know that they do not even do it correctly!
ReplyDeleteOk, that's enough of my rant. Nice picture, though!