To celebrate Starbucks' 10 years in Korea, they offered free coffee at their stores here between 10 and 11 yesterday. Martin Coles, President of Starbucks Coffee International, was in Seoul for the occassion.
(1, 2, 3)
The Korea Herald has something this evening; an excerpt:
Coles said that Starbucks Corp. started offering food choices like oatmeal and yogurt made with natural ingredients to reflect health and wellness in the United States, noting that this strategy will be widened at its Korea operations. He noted that plans are under way to launch fruit-based smoothies in Korea.
When the coffee giant began its official operations in Asia's fourth-largest economy on July 27, 1999, it triggered a whole new concept of coffee consumption by introducing premium take-out coffee that it had commercialized and led as a trend in Western countries. Now, Starbucks Corp. is aggressively fighting to maintain its global position as a leader in the premium coffee market by creating innovative products and marketing strategies.
The latest attempt at leading another new global trend is the Starbucks Via Ready Brew. Dorothy Kim, senior vice president of global strategy for Starbucks Coffee Co., told reporters yesterday that the new product is aimed at providing the Starbucks experience in "an instant."
There are 299 Starbucks in Korea, but only 4 down here, all in Gwangju, so I almost never go there. Those of you who are regulars, what's your take on it? While I think people working in Western chains in Korea are generally friendlier than the ones we have to tolerate back home, the service is sometimes suspect, which makes me wonder how closely the home offices are observing what goes on over here. The last time I was in Starbucks---in Seoul---the barista exhibited the oft-seen Korean habit of filling the cup only two-thirds of the way. But I rarely get drip coffee at one of these coffee shops because I can make it at home. Besides, unless I have a real craving I can't justify paying 3,000 to 5,000 won for a cup of coffee that's too often stale because so few people order it. The Starbucks in downtown Gwangju is often prohibitively crowded, so I choose one of the fifty-six others in Chungjangno.
Starbucks was rated #1 in Korea by a group in Taiwan, with Dunkin Donuts and The Coffee Bean coming in second and third, for whatever that's worth. Dunkin Donuts has been in Korea since 1994, and as of February there are 635 locations. Naver currently says 690, but I'm not going to go through and look for errors or duplicates. The Coffee Bean has been around since 2000 and has 179 locations.
I posted more on this, but cut it out for the sake of brevity, and because I have a headache. I'll leave you with a 2006 Joongang Ilbo look at the history of Korean cafes.
* Update: Okay, one more link, this one about the trouble brewing *cough* in Myeong-dong back in 2005:
Starbucks Korea said that it closed its Myeong-dong outlet because the building’s owner asked for more than double in rent, an amount the company wouldn’t disclose. The patch of land that the Myeong-dong Starbucks sits on is the most expensive piece of real estate in Korea.
“We originally had a five-year contract and so we had to renew our lease with the owner of the building, but we weren’t about to pay more than double than what we were already paying. Although the store is in a prime location, we do business strictly on its profitability, so we decided to move to another place,” a Starbucks Korea official said.
* Update 2: Oh, what the heck, I'll repost this video. I don't have any problem with Starbucks the company---and enjoyed reading through Pour Your Heart Into It---and I like the good stories I've heard about how their employees are treated. As somebody who spent a while in the "food service industry" I can appreciate this man's perspective:
18 comments:
I'm often to be found in Starbucks, even though I disapprove of their business tactics in other countries. In Korea, however, I'm willing to let their aggressive expansion slide. If there was a locally-based competitor offering a superior product, then I would support them, but there isn't. Most of the other coffee chains are shitty, irritating and just too 'Korean' (in various ways that I shan't go into here).
As long as it's not too busy, Starbucks can provide an oasis of sanity and good service. In these close, sticky days of summer, you can hang out for hours there taking advantage of the air con, and if you have a laptop, you can make use of the free internet (a major plus) and free electricity. The staff are typically well-trained and friendly, and other customers seem to behave better than they might otherwise do in other public spaces - only very occasionally do I feel an urge to drag one of them out the door by their hair. The coffee is good too (and the food selection is improving), and providing you know what you want, you can get it just how you like it.
Also, one final benefit for the gentlemen - during the day, almost any branch of Starbucks has MILFs on tap.
I say good luck to 'em. If every new branch of Starbucks means one less Dunkin' Donuts, then long may they prosper.
After years of drinking watered down Korean-style 'American' coffee, I was overjoyed when Starbucks came to Korea. A couple years later, competitors like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf had opened up locations in Seoul. I was sorry to see the Myeongdong four-story building close; so many window-front tables by a busy street with pretty people made it an ideal place for people-watching while sipping coffee and chatting. I also enjoyed ogling salarymen in a downtown branch around Chongro-1-ga. I once asked a Korean why Korean coffee machines sold jinhan (strong) coffee and American (weak) coffee. He explained that American coffee was weaker than Italian or Turkish coffee, for example.
As minimum wage jobs go, Starbucks was pretty good to me. The thirty hours of training is sort of bizarrely intense for fast food - coffee pairings? really? The problems I did have with the store I worked at for a bit this winter were entirely because it wasn't a corporate location, but run by a Chapters book store, which meant I had to abide by Chapters rules, which were a bit much (no hair dye or piercings? at a STARBUCKS?).
They do have a tendency to fatally burn their coffee, though, both in roasting it too dark and keeping it on warming burners that are too hot. Clearly I didn't absorb enough of the Starbucks spirit while I was there, because I still like Timothy's roasts better. I don't suppose those are available anywhere in Gwangju? I'm arriving later this summer.
...unless it's for an opportunity to punch Brett Favre...
LOL!
Despite originally hailing from Washington State I can't stand coffee, but I will chime in to say that I am not a fan of the hot chocolate served at Starbucks. Best I've had in Korea so far has come from a local branch of Ediya Coffee.
Starbucks is silently converting some of their Seattle locations into "15th Avenue Coffee and Tea" stores to try to trick anti-starbucks people into giving them money. As a Seattle native I've never liked Starbucks' coffee, and I don't like it in Korea either.
But it looks like they won't have to resort to the old switcheroo tactic over there.
S,
All the coffeeshops in Gwangju are Korean chains. They're Western-ish, and try to recreate the mood, but none of them actually offer quality coffee. Quality coffee is a bit of a niche market---back home, too, now that I think about it---that hasn't made its way to Gwangju yet. I do like sitting in coffeeshops and reading and talking, so I'm glad to find so many of them around here, but they do all kind of feel the same.
david,
Seriously, how has nobody punched that guy yet? I'm listening to ESPN Radio and everybody's saying what a warrior this guy is, how brilliant he is. Doesn't anyone remember how much of a douchebag he's been the last ten years?
Leave Brett alone, Brian. If you punch him, you'll just make him cry again.
Personally, I think more than $3 for a cup of coffee is a joke. I wouldn't buy coffee outside unless I was on a date or on vacation. 100% Colombian beans picked by Juan Baldez himself, would only cost you pennies to brew up a cup of Joe identical to Starbucks. $3 for a cup of coffee is extortion. BTW...I am high off my morning cup right now.
you hate brett favre too? let's hang out sometime :)
I think Brian's comments aout Korean service in a western chain environment are indeed correct.
Having once worked at Starbucks while I was at varsity we used to bend over backwards to make the customer the drink they wanted in a timely and professional manner.
And 85% of the time that's the case here in Korea.
The exception is those little extra things Starbucks is known for but Koreans can't wrap their heads around because no one has ever asked for it like this or the concept is totally foreign to them.
Recently I ordered a slice of walnut pie with my coffee and asked for a dollop of whipped cream on top.
The barista was beside herself in terms of what to do as no one had ever asked for this ever! (Apparently) I cold understand if it was a pricing issue - "extra cream W500" - but I know for a fact that there is no minimum yield expected from a litre of cream because it's never dished out in equal portions.
My second complaint would be in regards to customisation which I know is big in America, but Korean baristas think I'm crazy because I order slightly off menu.
Again having worked at Starbucks in the past I am not ordering anything un-doable, and I order in the accepted Starbucks speak which seems to have gone out the window in Korea but if I want a Quad venti soy 2 pump vanilla extra foam caramel macciato (At something like W7500 a cup) I expect it to be "yes sir, no sir, anything else sir?".
Oh, and I have a Starbucks card.
When I top it up and order a drink at the same time why can't I just perform one transaction. No! I have to pay for the valuie added to the card, sign and get a receipt, and then have to pay again for the beverage I ordered.
Whats up wih that?
Still can't beat the free wifi though!
(And Coffee Bean's White Chocolate Dream Latte on a cold winter's afternoon is to die for. 7 Monkeys, your maple macciato is too sweet, cut down on the maple syrup!)
The topic of Koreans not getting special orders is a whole other issue. But having worked at McDonald's for a while, I can say I appreciate the Korean style. Even though it means I can't get a Big Mac here because I don't like cheese, and I don't like dealing with the hassle of trying to make a special order.
When I worked at McDonald's we switched over around 1998 to a system whereby everything was made to order. So in that sense every order was "special" in that you couldn't just grab a hamburger from the bin, you made it when the customer ordered it.
While I have preferences, and while I think customers should express them, I got frustrated with a lot of the orders I used to get. Hamburger well done. Hamburger made with Big Mac toppings. I can appreciate the Korean perspective: a Big Mac comes with lettuce, onion, pickles, cheese, and Big Mac sauce. That's a Big Mac. Any alteration makes it not a Big Mac. If you want a Big Mac, you order this. If you want something different, you can't get a Big Mac.
I was in Starbucks that day and nobody mentioned anything about free coffee. Bastards. Now I have to hate Starbucks Korea, too.
Re: Favre. I don't hate the guy beyond the fact that he is a drama queen. He was a very good QB. I just can't understand how the media can worship him so much. I have seen him choke way too many times for that.
I have to take exception to the idea that there's no good coffee in Gwangju. I know of several spots downtown that roast their beans on site and offer espresso based drinks cheaper than Starbucks prices. However, if you want drip coffee but don't want to pay for overpriced hand-drip then I guess Starbucks is one of the only options.
Would you mind sharing?
Ross, I go to Kwangju from time to time, and I would love to go to such places and give them my business if I knew where they are.
Any addresses, websites, or phone numbers? Oh, names would be good, too.
Mahalo in advance!
Particularly anything around Chonnam University or along the road that goes from Chonnam U toward the expressway headed for Seoul.
My favorite is Roast Bean off of 금남로 across from the 동부경찰서 on the street with all of the hagwons. I like it because it's a tiny shop with a lot of regulars and a friendly staff, so everybody ends up talking. I usually don't get sweet drinks but I can vouch for their espresso. They sell beans as well and usually have a couple different varieties on hand. They also sell beans to a bunch of other cafes and restaurants in Gwangju so the coffee you get at other stores might well be from here.
There is another place around the corner from there that does their own roasting called 커피볶는집. I've only been their once or twice but remember the coffee being okay.
Also, there is the Hans and Bean on 중앙로 and the river. They have a big roasting machine in the store though that might be for decoration, never bothered to ask.
Sorry Kushibo, I don't know of anything special near Chonnam, just the big Starbucks.
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