Starbucks Paris

[Schneier]

I was speaking to a French friend, and (of course) he is doubtful of the success of Starbucks in France. He did mention, to my surprise, that McDonald's had their worst year in 2003 since their inception in France. They also closed several locations. Very interesting....

I wish I believed this.

[Louisa Chu]

yes yes yes, i'm brave enough to stand up and say: Let's hear it for the poodles! Poodles of the world, Stand up for yourselves (and they do stand up very fetchingly).

As for French Paradox, sorry: I should have made some indication that my tongue was in my cheek when i mentioned the whole paradox thing. I'm sure eating lots of vegetables helps the whole diet thing too, along with the walking and general energeticness of life. the whole variety thing, and not eating butter on their bread for dinner.....

["T"]

this has to be the closest thing since the Florida election result. The big question

Which is worse - crapping French dogs or crappy American "coffee"?

Our Prime Minister would never agree, but for me it has to be the coffee.

LOL. At least the dogs are cute whereas crappy American coffee is always crappy American coffee.

[RandyB]

I was speaking to a French friend [who] did mention, to my surprise, that McDonald's had their worst year in 2003 since their inception in France. They also closed several locations. Very interesting....

Bad, bad news. McDo is a great place to find clean, free bathrooms in Paris.

[Louisa Chu]

No way clean - I don't even want to think about my last encounter.

[menton1]

Bad, bad news. McDo is a great place to find clean, free bathrooms in Paris.

There are immaculate "toilettes" on almost every corner of Paris!!

[jeunefilleparis]

today is my last day here and i am terribly sad to leave

i walked from monmarte to the louvre; on my way i relized that i was near the new starbucks; as i walked around; i was relieved to have not seen it and then i turned the corner and saw that freaky green wavy woman aka the starbucks sign;

it was disturbingly PACKED; i went in a promptly filled out a complaint form; actually filled out about 12 of them. i tried to listen to conversations aruond me;; to see if the crowd was american tourists or the french:most then were french

however; there was one table near me w; americans; they were gettng up and i couldn t help but ask them why they had chosen to go there when there were so many cozy little places to get cheaper not to mention better coffee: the guy who answered said that he was "collecting paris starbucks mugs" OOHHHH the shame

can i say the he had a definate southern twang when he spoke or is that Southern prejudice??

FELICE it was so great to meet you; i think that i ll be back at Xmas time!!!

Edited May 31, 2004 by jeunefilleparis (log)

[slkinsey]

Ugh. This is like the people who make a point of going to the Hard Rock Cafe when they are in a foreign country. "Oh boy! Crappy American food in France!"

[TarteTatin]

There is only one reason to walk into any American chain in Europe. The bathrooms. They are even easier to find than the ones in hotels. And does the Starpuke in Paris advertise a WiFi hotspot?

I do hope so, because I shall sit outside and utilize it to log on to my email account the next time I'm there. And shan't be drinking any of their overpriced swill.

[enrevanche]

Starbucks in Paris I could take or leave, and probably leave... there are plenty of places to get a good cup of coffee there, and like most tourists I enjoy the cafe culture. I do imagine that there are plenty of Parisians who will enjoy getting a cup of coffee to go.

I fervently hope, however, that Starbucks has expanded into London by now. The last time I was in London, I would have dropped to the ground, rolled around and spoken in tongues had I been presented with a decent cup of java, chain or not.

(Just checked their website, and Starbucks has apparently arrived in London like an invading army. What a difference a few years makes!)

[Gifted Gourmet]

All I can say about Starbuck's opening in a city like Paris is whatever they do, they will never beat the cafes of paris who are truly authentic ... that said, when I was in Vienna (Austria not Virginia), I was on a bus and got off at a stop to see some museum and looked up in shock and dismay to see the Starbuck's logo! I mean, quel chutzpah, to take on the home of the coffeehouse!! I feel for Arthur Schnitzler, the writer who chronicled life in the cafes of Vienna society for all posterity.

but then I read this: Starbucks in Vienna a success

Was I so completely wrong? A smoke-free coffeehouse in Vienna, a success??!! Quel dommage!!!

It takes some hubris to bring an American coffee shop to Vienna, the city of cafes, and then to ban smoking in it. But no one has ever considered Starbucks humble. And the move, a keystone of Starbucks' rapid expansion in Europe, appears to have paid off. Since the Karntnerstrasse coffeehouse opened in December in the smoky, beating heart of Vienna, near the Opera House, it has been a resounding success. Now there are three others in Vienna. Dire predictions that Starbucks had finally overreached have proved wrong.

The "dire predictor" herself are they still selling shares of their stock??

Edited June 1, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[Louisa Chu]

They do have WiFi.

I've lived in Paris without coming back to the States for two years and I like having Starbucks around - McDo's too. I may not go often - if ever - but it's nice to have the choice - and there's no danger of them running my neighborhood cafe out of business. If only we could get some better Mexican food than Chichi's - even Chipotle seems good.

[Bux]

In Spain, I thought it was a rip off for hotels to charge 12-15 euros for wi-fi. From my research on Paris, the going rate there, where fewer hotels have wi-fi, appears to be 25 euros a day. There's a McDo just a couple of blocks away from where I plan to stay that advertises free wi-fi. I may well become a habituee. I've been told the frîtes are good and they serve wine as well. Here in the states, I believe the wi-fi in Starbucks is not free.

[raisab]

In Spain, I thought it was a rip off for hotels to charge 12-15 euros for wi-fi. From my research on Paris, the going rate there, where fewer hotels have wi-fi, appears to be 25 euros a day. There's a McDo just a couple of blocks away from where I plan to stay that advertises free wi-fi. I may well become a habituee. I've been told the frîtes are good and they serve wine as well. Here in the states, I believe the wi-fi in Starbucks is not free.

Bux,

Where is that free wi-fi McDo's? thanx!

[Busboy]

The Hotel Latour Mauberg offers free wi-fi, and, to my mind, reasonable rates in a great location in the 7th.

[Bux]

The Hotel Latour Mauberg offers free wi-fi, and, to my mind, reasonable rates in a great location in the 7th.

From the hotel web site, although it's not that prominently displayed:

In a quiet corner of the breakfast room you will find our ADSL Internet terminal. Anytime, anyday, you can surf the web or read/send your e-mails - just as home.

Connect for free to Wireless Internet (WiFi) in deluxe rooms and in our lobby.

The rooms, at least the larger more expensive rooms, look large, especially for Paris and we can assume that's the case if they have room for a child's bed to be brought in. It looks like a nice place.

[Bux]

Where is that free wi-fi McDo's? thanx!

One could have made a bundle betting me that I'd ever post a link to McDo on this board. Here's the link to the McDonald's France site. They use pop up windows and/or frames. You'll have to click through to find the Wi-Fi locations. Click "entrez" on the homepage and click "Le Wi-Fi Chex McDo" under the "Guide des Restos" pull down menu. On the next page, click "suivez le guide!" Enter the départment number in the box on the next page (75 for Paris) and click "valider." Another screen will pop up with a scrolling list of about 27 McDo Wi-Fi locations in Paris. They say it's free. I have not yet had the chance to try it out.

I'm also told that in addition to the (expected) frîtes and the (unexpected) wine, MoDo in France also serves espresso. Europe is such a civilizing influence.

[pierre45]

I welcome starbucks to paris .its a change.you get a lot of coffe for the price and its portable.Its not a place where you could sit and read the paper .Its always crowded and perhaps when the novelty wears off or with other openings it will become less hectic.

[therese]

Nescafe (I think) is presently marketing a home espresso maker that uses little pre-made bullets. In France, that is, all over TV and on bus shelters and so forth. Haven't tried it, but how good could it be? Different color bullets hint at the really unpleasant possibility of different flavors.

Dog poop may be disappearing from sidewalks in Paris, but it is very much a part of the landscape in Montpellier (as of last week, at least). And the locals don't necessarily confine themselves to small dogs (large German shepherd sorts are popular, and they frequently get into fights), with expected disastrous consequences.

Occasional dispensers of plastic bags are seen about town, helpfully labeled with a happy puppy called "Toutounet".

The dispensers at the beach in Port-Camargue urge "Ayez le bon reflexe". These were much more common, but still not too heavily used.

[Louisa Chu]

Those Nespresso machines are GREAT. The different coloured capsules are different coffees - NOT flavours.

There's no wine at McDo's in France - just beer. And really - DON'T get the espresso - it SUCKS. I think the only reason I bothered once was because I was in the middle of a roadtrip - desperate.

[therese]

So are the Nespresso capsules filled with actual coffee, or with what the Nescafe company describes as "soluble coffee"? Glad to hear that at least they're not marketing hazelnut-flavored espresso. Yet.

[Bux]

There's no wine at McDo's in France - just beer. And really - DON'T get the espresso - it SUCKS. I think the only reason I bothered once was because I was in the middle of a roadtrip - desperate.

Well beer is my usual cafe boisson of choice and they advertise Kronenbourg 1664 on draught on their web site. There's no mention of wine and the espresso (or express) is listed as "Cafe Expresso" (sic). I could easly nurse a beer through the time it takes me to pick up my mail.

I wonder how far their signal carries.

[Louisa Chu]

Oh please - at McDo's in Paris? They'd be just as happy if you didn't bother them by actually ordering food - and then making a mess with it. There's a guy who hangs out at one of them who just brings in the food he's collected from the Monoprix dumpster. BUT having said all that - I can't fault McDo's TOO much - they do allow Karli in - and off-leash at that.

Soluble coffee?? Like INSTANT?? It's real ground coffee.

[therese]

Soluble coffee?? Like INSTANT?? It's real ground coffee.

Well, yes, like instant. The Nestle/Nescafe name is closely (very closely) associated with instant coffee, so it's not all that bizarre that somebody seeing the publicity might consider the possibility that the product was comprised in all or part of a similar product.

So, good to hear that it's real ground coffee and produces a nice espresso.

[Busboy]

The Hotel Latour Mauberg offers free wi-fi, and, to my mind, reasonable rates in a great location in the 7th.

From the hotel web site, although it's not that prominently displayed:

In a quiet corner of the breakfast room you will find our ADSL Internet terminal. Anytime, anyday, you can surf the web or read/send your e-mails - just as home.

Connect for free to Wireless Internet (WiFi) in deluxe rooms and in our lobby.

The rooms, at least the larger more expensive rooms, look large, especially for Paris and we can assume that's the case if they have room for a child's bed to be brought in. It looks like a nice place.

I have seen their "suite," which is not quite a suite by US standards, but very large and with windows overlooking the park. Unfortunately, the only room they had left when I stayed was pretty much a closet -- but the owners had warned me, and I preferred to stay with people I know (I have stayed at their other hotel, the Valadon, which has computer access but not wi-fi) than hunt down another place. I could get wi-fi in my room, but preferred to hang out in the parlour and watch the people come and go, and listen to the jazz the owner always plays.

They also have a computer available for a modest fee, for those who want to check mail but prefer to travel sans laptop.

EDITED TO ADD: Lest I sound unduly negative about my small room, I am looking forward to staying there on my next trip to Paris (whenever than may be) and staying in one of the larger rooms.

Edited June 2, 2004 by Busboy (log)