The first Starbucks has opened in Russia

As the readers of the Lebedev blog have already noticed , a remarkable event happened in Russia: the first Starbucks coffee house in the country opened. This news is actively discussed in blogs , including abroad . The place for the first Starbucks was the Mega hypermarket behind the ring road, where Muscovites like to go on weekends.

Russia became the 43rd country where an institution of this type was opened. Note that this event occurred with a delay of nine years. The company planned to open a coffee house here in 1998, but due to the crisis it was forced to change plans.
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Coffee is brewed in exactly the same varieties as in America (the price of one serving is up to 230 rubles), but sandwiches and other snacks are adapted to Russian tastes (for example, the menu included a cheese sandwich). Will Starbucks be able to change Russia's coffee culture? By the end of this year, the second Starbucks will open on the Old Arbat.

In America, Starbucks has become a cult establishment, the number of coffee shops there has already exceeded 20,000. In Moscow, one coffee shop accounts for 3187 people, for comparison, in New York - by 365, and in Paris - by 126.

Thoughts about the opening of the Russian "Starbucks" guy who worked for several months in a New York institution and even rose to serve as a manager.

Starbucks culture, if it takes root in Russia, will find positive responses in the hearts of many Russians. Starbucks was founded in 1971, but the way the world knows it became in 1987, thanks to Howard Schultz. He offered consumers a democratic coffee house - a self-service coffee shop. The assortment was not “coffee in general”, but a latte, cappuccino, espresso, mock, macchiato and its other varieties. Another bunch of options that the world did not know until now: the client can choose the type of drink, the size of the mug, the type of milk (plain or skim), and so on. An individual coffee drink, the name of which is formed by the customer himself, for example, Grande Regular Decaf Coffee or Venti Caramel Frappuccino with Double Shot Espresso.

Probably, everyone saw in the American films people hurrying to work in the crowded New York, and in the hands of a Starbucks cup holder and a croissant? “How to lose a guy in 10 days,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “I Am Sam,” “Duplex,” “Shrek-2,” recalled in a minute.

Even Starbucks taught people to drink coffee on the go (75% of Americans leave the institution immediately after purchase). Will it settle down in Russia?

Starbucks is the “third place” (a place where people can come to be outside their home or work). People just come there to drink coffee, read a book and work on a laptop. They can drink 2-3 cups of coffee and sit all day. No one is expelled from the coffee shop. It was such gatherings that gave the world Harry Potter, JK Rowling wrote the first part in Starbucks. Will it settle down in Russia?

Delightful music playing in coffee shops is another plus for visitors. I write and listen to the disc, brought from the American Starbucks. Will she play with us?

On September 6, Starbucks opened in Mega-Khimki, and by the end of the month they will open on Old Arbat. Of the minuses: prices are higher by 40-50% from the US. Not democratic! I can’t say anything else - I haven’t walked yet. Waiting for the opening on the Arbat.