Reaction To Why Starbucks Failed In Australia

Reaction To Why Starbucks Failed In Australia
This is my reaction to Why Starbucks Failed In Australia
In this video I react to what went wrong for American coffee giant Starbucks after it launched in Australia
#australia #culture #reaction
Original Video - • Why Starbucks Failed I...

[@7thsealord888]

Starbucks went riding in, assuming Australia would be just like the USA. Trouble being, post-ww2 Australia had A LOT of immigration from the Mediterranean, especially Italy and Greece. So a coffee culture was already well-established - anywhere in the country, pretty much, most small takeaways could provide a decent cup of coffee, and even McDonalds caught onto this. By Aussie standards, what Starbucks sold wasn't even coffee.

[@crs2379]

I had it once, tasted mostly of sugar and fat

[@darrel7382]

Exactly

[@Deconstruction_Administrator]

Australia STARTED McCafe

[@warpedweft9004]

the Italians have a name for it - aqua sporca, translated means dirty water.

[@ozowen]

Yep. Their coffee was swill and their patisserie array was nor much better. And the service was sub par. Reasons for going to Starbucks? Zero.

[@dianacasey6002]

I think that apart from the dreadful coffee it’s also because apart from grabbing a coffee when at work, Australians like to catch up at their local favourite coffee shop. They enjoy sitting and relaxing and generally get to know the staff. It’s a social event.

[@Jeni10]

Exactly! 😃😋

[@mikeyhau]

True. In my local suburban cafe the manager welcomes me if he sees me, even though I only go there once a month or so. He recognises me as a "regular" customer, shows me to a table and even though he's always very busy he takes a minute or two for some general chat before taking the order.

[@Jeni10]

@@mikeyhau Yep, very Australian manners and we love that.

[@dianacasey6002]

@@mikeyhau I know it’s like our own village for a little time. I love it. Great for ppl who live alone.

[@maxrander0101]

even just grabbing a take away coffee from a local shop that knows how to make proper coffee and ends up knowing your exact coffee without you having to order it everytime and it always being perfect is something those big international companies wont get here or seem to understand its the whole place the friendly staff the great coffee and other things they have plus understanding how to make a coffee the way the person wants not just some plain shit coffee thing the local place i go to is great in that they know my order the sec i walk in and the sec im at the counter all they ask is have here or take away and am i also having breakfast here today and then they will have it done with passion and care by someone trained in coffee making and bring it to your table if having it in the store if its take away they will bring it out to you while your waiting and if your also having anything that requires heating to eat then they will only make your coffee at the exact last min so they are both perfect i love the place and its the only shop i will go to now and im fussy when it comes to coffee it takes a perfect coffee for me to even consider ordering one from anywhere again

[@stevep2430]

To an Australian, drinking a Starbucks coffee is like drinking dish washing liquid. There is no comparison in the Starbucks range that can out do Australian coffee selections.

[@blackletter2591]

The striking thing about the Starbucks video was the absence of any decision to make better coffee. They actually think that marketing is the only answer!

[@johnlamberti2735]

That's because they are American. They've never been interested in quality - just want to market crap. It's their entire mindset.

[@eddiel8708]

Big American company 'Starbucks' $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

[@somethingaccessories]

Exactly there are so many amazing house roasted coffee shops and cafe's dedicated to a good simple coffee. As well as the atmosphere of relaxing and enjoying your coffee.

[@roslynjonsson2383]

I personally would prefer to drink dish water, than drink StarcatspissBucks, it's disgusting

[@zalired8925]

The storm water in the gutters tastes better.

[@roslynjonsson2383]

@@zalired8925 NO argument from me on that one mate

[@reannejarvis9464]

Hi ros, glad I’ve never tried it then

[@joandsarah77]

Part of me wants to try it once, but the rest of me says nope. Living in inland QLD I've never seen one but apparently one has opened in Toowoomba.

[@roslynjonsson2383]

@@joandsarah77 Listen to that other side jo n sarah. It doesn't only know what it's talking about, and saving your tastebuds, but saving you from wasting money at the same time lol - Wish I'd known beforehand and had the heads up

[@Jus7aguy]

Starbucks failed in Australia for 3 reasons. 1: Their Coffee is crap. 2: Their atmosphere is crap, and we often like to sit down over our coffee, take a moment, and chill. Or talk to someone we're with, read, or catchup "over a coffee". 3: Their coffee is REALLY crap, and the pretentiousness just adds to the crapness. You can still find them around, but only in VERY majour shopping centres. And you don't seem to see a lot of folks in there. Or you see them in some hospital foyers, where they are the ONLY option. And those trapped in the building are stuck with them or nothing.

[@internetapocalypse4885]

American businesses love a captured customer base. CNN on airport TV screens is an example.

[@traceymarshall7991]

Starbuck's made the mistake of thinking us Australians have the same "sweet and watered down tastes" like Americans. Even our worse tasting coffee is better then Starbucks. lol Sorry America! Love your channel! Cheers from Nth Queensland, Australia.

[@meganwilliams2962]

Have you tried the beans from The Coffee Works Mareeba? Their roasts are divine.

[@traceymarshall7991]

@@meganwilliams2962 .no I haven't been to Mareeba/Atherton area for a couple of years. I'm nth Qld, not far nth.

[@meganwilliams2962]

@@traceymarshall7991 We're in Sydney and order on line. Their hand made chocolates are fabulous as well. They deliver all over the country. Chocolates are packed in thermal bags with ice packs.

[@traceymarshall7991]

@@meganwilliams2962 I will have a look at their website.. Thanks for the info - always looking for great/fabulous tasting coffee. I moved from Sydney 2 years ago to help mum - I hate the traffic there but love the shopping and things to do! Take care and thanks again 🙂

[@trentbryar7608]

What's interesting is that at the same time, we have taken our cafe culture to the US and it's been a massive hit. Americans have been quick to appreciate our coffee in preference to their own. The same no frills, great tasting coffee.

[@ozzybloke-craig3690]

Australian Coffee is very high quality. We don’t like trash American products.

[@lindarackstraw7711]

Exactly. Because they value themselves better than everyone else. Just typical

[@tameelah3839]

When I go to my local coffee store the minute they see me they already know what I want and how I like it. We get to know our local Baristas, we don't grab and go, usually we sit and chat with friends.

[@RobNMelbourne]

As said in the video, the only places you will see Starbucks in Aus now is in high tourist areas. I live in Melbourne so there are a few. I have noticed when I walk past one, the people in it are usually Asian or American tourists or exchange students. I went to a Starbucks in Docklands, Melbourne with an American friend in 2007, the coffee tasted like sugary dishwater ... I have never been back. Coffee has been in Australia since the First Fleet in 1788 and the very first Italian espresso machine was imported in 1928 by the Massoni family who owned Cafe Florentino in Melbourne (it's still there in Bourke Street and is an institution). Coffee culture really kicked off after WW2 with Italian immigration, particularly in Melbourne. Lygon Street, Carlton is our 'Little Italy' and University Cafe claims to have imported the first Gaggia espresso machine from Milan in 1952. It's in the cafe today as a memorial. Top cafes that have been going for 50-60-70 years run by generations of the same family are like temples were Melburnians go to worship the coffee bean and the barista is like the high priest. Starbucks just didn't understand that cultural fact. P.S. - I lived and worked in New York in the mid 1980s, it took me ages to find a cafe that had half drinkable coffee. Most of it was crap.

[@Helith99]

A few years back Starbucks quietly opened a few new locations in Sydney with one being in Chatswood which is a predominately Chinese and Asian neighbourhood with lots of international students, mainly Asian, living there too. I think another was in a shopping centre near one of the Universities. So it seems their new strategy here is international tourists, international students and Asian immigrants.

[@warpedweft9004]

There's one in a big mall in Sydney's south. I never go there but one of my daughters likes the pumpkin spice flavour so she goes there once or twice this time of year. Once was enough for me to never go back.

[@heathergarnham9555]

I think most of the international airports have a Starbucks

[@TaliesinMyrddin]

"International company tries to get in on the Australian market and fails because the local stuff is that much better" is my favourite song For a while my state was like one of the few places in the world where a milk drink outside a coca cola product, but I think they finally took over a few years ago

[@helenahandkart1857]

Farmers union is still ahead.

[@optimusvalerius8824]

Why would I as Australian living in Melbourne drink substandard coffee from Starbucks when I can drink the best coffee sourced from all over the world at a local coffee shop ?

[@colmastro4373]

There are currently 69 Starbucks in Australia with 38 of them in QLD alone. 42 of them projected to shut down by 2030. Only 3% of customers are actually Australian, all 69 locations depend on tourism, this is why the majority are in QLD.

[@cherylemaybury9967]

I’m 67 years old and from the time I was 15 years old in 1972, I would meet my friends at the local coffee shop for an espresso coffee. It was run by Italian immigrants and it taste delicious. They also had a good range of cakes and tortes to choose from so it is a deeply ingrained custom here. I tried Starbucks when they opened in my town but the coffee wasn’t very good and they didn’t have much else to offer. I soon went back to my favourite cafe for my coffee and cake. At the time my small town already had 32 existing cafes to choose from so we didn’t need Starbucks. I wouldn’t ever go back to Starbucks again. I won’t trust them to make a good cup of coffee. I’m so spoiled for choice in my town. Btw I live in a tourist town so chances are they will try again here one day. 😊

[@meganwilliams2962]

thisx100

[@pgstudio4651]

Mate, where do you live?

[@kennethdodemaide8678]

Starbucks is a rare thing in Australia. It is almost impossible to find outside the major cities. You will only find a few in major cities which exist to cater for foreign tourists. Their coffee is crap. I tried it once when it first set up in Australia. Never again.

[@camsmyth101]

Brisbane seems to buck this trend the city zone I know of at least three there was four at one stage. But leave the city it’s rare to see any.

[@JayJayGamerOfficial]

They are slowly expanding again but I believe they have adjusted their methods to not get the same reaction

[@wiolettajankowska1183]

I've always had a good opinion about Australians, but watching your and other films about Australia, I'm starting to love them 😁 greetings from Poland 😘

[@blacksorrento4719]

Starbucks makes disgusting coffee, we are coffee snobs in Australia. Prefer our small corner coffee shop, the baristas there have some pride in what they are serving. They wouldn’t be caught dead serving that dirty dishwater that passes for coffee. We 🇦🇺actually have refined tastebuds, thanks to our migrants.

[@Deconstruction_Administrator]

Even if we're not catching up with friends, the cafe experience here is to take a seat and decompress with a nice cappuccino or latte with a baked treat.

[@blacksorrento4719]

@@Deconstruction_Administrator I have not long returned from Seattle where the headquarters of Starbucks is. The tour guide was all full it, Starbucks this and Starbucks that, to an Aussie bus load we nodded, but our minds were thinking Bleh!!!!

[@elli4210]

Exactly. "I'm getting a coffee, want one?" "Where are you going?" "X." "No thanks, I prefer Y" ...is a perfectly normal workplace conversation in Australia.

[@blacksorrento4719]

@@elli4210 this is so true 👍😊

[@jsegal8385]

A bit of a funny story...When the first commercial espresso machines were installed in Melbourne they were classed as pressure vessels and Government regulations stated they had to have a licenced boilermaker on the premises...

[@stevenbalekic5683]

Mcdonalds and Hungry Jack's have better coffee than Starbucks in Australia...they actually have proper barista machines in Australian Mcdonalds and I think Hungry Jack's might have them too. They don't serve drip coffee at those places in Australia.

[@DavidCalvert-mh9sy]

I've seen this video on why Starbucks failed in Australia, and have always found the theories put forward entertaining. The elephant in the coffee shop is the coffee, to which you rightly alluded to in your introduction. To expect Australians to pay premium price for a cup of coffee which was held a step up from instant was a big ask. Brand alone does not always carry the day.

[@nuranozdemir6454]

I absolutely hate paying premium prices for that very low quality crap excuse for coffee from starbucks, they think overloading with sugar to hide the lack of actual coffee in the cup would fool us. I prefer to support my local cafe and keep our dollars in Australia, even Maccas cafe is doing a decent job cos they read our thriving coffee culture.

[@hildabraud3438]

There is a huge coffee culture in Australia. We love good coffee, not sweet sickly over priced warm milkshakes.

[@k.vn.k]

Starbucks = sugary milk instant coffee flavour Local coffee shop = real coffee that you can smell miles away, strong and gives you comfort with energy.

[@kennethdodemaide8678]

Coffee was being consumed in the 1800s but really became popular after WW2 when cafes grew greatly in number.

[@internetapocalypse4885]

I remember going to Starbucks in 2000 when it opened in Oz, I took a sip of the milk (which had a slight hint of coffee) spat it out, and chucked the rest of it in the bin. That was my one and only experience with this brand.

[@jogould1045]

always support your local mate

[@noelleggett5368]

There aren’t very many Starbucks in Italy either - for the same reason. You can get a better cup of coffee in any corner shop or hole-in-the-wall in most Australian cities. Also, Aussie cafés are world famous for their atmosphere and diversity of menu options. Australia even forced McDonalds to get rid of their filthy American stewed coffee and replace it with McCafé - miniature Aussie café with a decent espresso machine in almost every McDonalds store.

[@ironside210]

In US, coffee is mainly "to go". Starbucks model and outlets are aimed at that market. In Australia, coffee is largely a "sit down, have a coffee, a pastry and a chat" market. Therefore, Starbucks has contracted to those locations where very high foot traffic contains enough "coffee to go" crowd, with no taste buds. I went ONCE.

[@lilacDaisy111]

I went to Starbucks when it first came here, for the novelty of it. I ordered a caramel coffee, and it felt so wrong - like dessert as "coffee" - that I just never thought of going back. I also HATED them yelling my name out, for me to collect my order. Like customers were cattle. Very trashy overall experience.

[@samoman67]

Is it coffee? The 2 times I went to Starbucks here in Oz the coffee was so over sweetened it was sickly. Put me off ever going back. Australia is embracing America in a lot of ways (is that a good thing, I think not) but to be honest we are getting sick of companies shoving Americana down our throats and the way Starbucks tried to ppush in probably turned a lot of people off. Plus their "production line" of serving isn't an Aussie thing.

[@jemor2143]

Gloria Jeans has been slowly closing down here too which saddens me as my son and I really like their coffees. Before Covid they were in almost every large suburb here for years but now there's only about 2 left and they are miles away. The franchises have struggled I think, since Covid as they have hefty franchise fees and shopping malls have put their leases up also.

[@bronwyn6415]

​@IdoZatTimeInaVan I agree, I tried Gloria Jeans coffee once because there were always crowds in my local shop, never again.

[@Fardeki]

For me, it really just comes down to taste. Starbucks ain't it unless you have no better choices and fortunately for us in Australia you generally do have access to better alternatives.

[@nolajoy7759]

They don't serve coffee, they serve "coffee". 😂 I have not seen one where I live in Australia, only in Bali.

[@cocoidiea8643]

I liked it the two times I went as a teenager but I recently got one of the bottled ice coffees for free and my first impression was "blergh!"

[@elizabethpilarski1076]

If you get out of the big cities in Australia people like to support their local small business owners.

[@ozzybloke-craig3690]

There are actually Starbucks here. I just went to Google Maps. There are 3 near me. I have never seen them or been there and have no interest in ever going there to buy that garbage. We have a place in shopping centres called The Coffee Shop and that is a big business chain and has great quality. Why would anyone want American garbage? I have no idea if anyone goes to the Starbucks or if they are doing well atm, but I would guess they don’t get a lot of Australian customers. Maybe tourists and Americans that live here. But I would think even Americans that live here have learned how trash their coffee is and drink ours instead.

[@daveamies5031]

Australians have seen too many times a big company roll in try to dominate the market then drop the quality of their product, so even if Starbucks came back with top quality coffee people wouldn't trust them because the cost cutting is bound to kick in within a few years. Big chains always start compromising quality when they get dominant, especially ones with a history of serving sub standard products. In a market like Australia I doubt Starbucks could earn consumer trust, but maybe if the become popular with Italians and then replicate what worked in Italy here they might succeed.

[@lindahubbard7033]

Their first mistake was opening their flagship store in Lygon St Carlton…the heart of little Italy where coffee culture has been flourishing since the 1940’s.

[@reannejarvis9464]

Just an interesting piece of coffee trivia, in the 1960s in Hobart Tasmania you could see coffee roasted in cafes and some supermarkets let you choose your desired dark or medium roast in machines in the supermarket. In the 1960s. In a not very cosmopolitan city. 🇦🇺🎸⚡️🤘🏼🤘🏿💋❤️

[@warpedweft9004]

That was everywhere, not just Hobart. I've saw it all over the place, both in Australia and the UK.

[@kerrynicholls6683]

We have a lot of shops that let you pick what beans 🫘 you want. They have a lot of types, in some places.

[@penniehead2104]

Not a coffee drinker myself. My fellow Aussies are horrified!

[@clivegilbertson6542]

G'day Mate! Why would you go to Starbucks for a more expensive drink that to be honest tastes a bit like super sweet dishwater when top quality coffee is readily available just down the street??? Cheers!

[@lenorefrost7681]

I had a Starbucks in Melbourne when the shop first opened, but the product was too sweet, even for my immature palate. Never went back, and wouldn't go again if one re-opened near me. I love my local, independent cafes.

[@bluedog1052]

On a US base, just outside the Aussie compound in Iraq we had a Pizza Hut, Burger King and Starbucks and I'd assume that the Starbucks at Guantánamo Bay was for staff/soldiers only. As an Aussie, Starbucks sucks and you'll never find me in one.

[@stanleywiggins5047]

From a non coffee drinker, Starbucks is CRUD, there isn't one within 500km of me, but I still see Starbucks 250ml bottles (that you can get in the suppermaket) when chasing cans, plastic & glass bottles for the 10c refund

[@chickinchainmail]

Its not about the marketing, its the taste. Its better than Maccas coffee, but generally not as good as really good barista made. Saying that, a lot of it depends on the skill of the barista and the quality of the coffee, usually fast food chains pay minimum wage, and coffee making is a skill and minimum wage doesnt attract the best baristas - but everyone has to start somewhere

[@jessegriffiths645]

Honestly bro with the amount of "decent" coffee shops in Australia, that's one that isn't instagram worthy, charge heaps for a coffee and makes good coffee, even if starbucks did try to market more to Australians there isn't any need there are way too many good coffee shops in every suburb from rural to central cbds to even think about getting a coffee from starbucks, like you said a frappe or something like that different story I reckon most Aussies would be getting that rather than actual coffee

[@MySkydawg]

There’s a Starbucks at Surfers Paradise and it’s been dead every time I’ve passed it. Maybe 2 weeks ago now, went to Surfers for a few days and walked past - it’s blocked off with optimistic signage saying ‘don’t worry we’ll be back soon!’ reno signs and I’ll tell you now I laughed my damn ass off every time I saw it because there’s almost nothing I can imagine them doing to their store that would improve business more than just fixing their actual operation and the damn coffee. The icing on top though was that a cafe had at some point opened directly beside the closed store and the damn pavement was now absolutely packed with customers 😂

[@deadkodo]

When I worked in Sydney CBD there was a Starbucks on the corner at other end of the block. The only time I would usually go in there was if I had to do overtime on a weekend, very very rarely, or at Christmas for some of their minty drinks. There was already a cafe in my building and were so many around the area. Most people who did go in there were tourists though. I think they expanded too fast and it diluted their product and put people offside as they were seen as trying to take over the smaller cafes which people enjoyed and we don;t like generally. Also most of their coffee just doesn't taste as good. When I visit the USA I will have it but that is mostly because it is all that is available.

[@StuTheDon17]

Even occasional coffee drinkers here in Australia are often coffee snobs. Myself included. I'll have a coffee on a Saturday morning, and you better believe I'm buying the best cup I can get. I wouldn't be caught dead drinking instant coffee or Starbucks.

[@frankritman5799]

Hungry jacks/Burger King (in the rest of the world) had a similar experience here in Aus with coffee. They failed big time. Coffee was terrible but the difference being they owned it. Even when they relaunched their cafe side they acknowledged it in their adds, made a joke of it. I get them occasionally when need and cicumstance dictates and they are pretty good all things considered. The Starbucks fail in Adelaide SA was spectacular. Adelaide people rallied behind their local brew houses. I feel sorry for the people who bought franchises. They must have taken a beating. Similar with Cafe illy. They opened in prime spots selling great coffee but folded quickly. Not sure if there is even one left in SA.

[@elli4210]

I've never been to Starbucks and I have no plans to. A big thing that this video doesn't address is food: Aussie cafes are often restaurants that offer breakfast and lunch, not just a place to buy coffee and a biscuit. They might also be a tiny space a few metres square with just enough space for an espresso machine and a cake cabinet. I love the ability to walk into my cafe and order "the usual" and know it's probably already underway.

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

There is another American coffee company that has done very well here in Australia, that's Gloria Jean's coffees from Chicago they seemed to have followed the Italian way.

[@warpedweft9004]

Frankly, theres a lot of room for improvement there as well. If there's any other choice, Gloria Jeans is not my preference.

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

@@warpedweft9004 I prefer a Gloria Jean's coffee's than the cat piss that Starbucks calls coffee.

[@warpedweft9004]

@@alwynemcintyre2184 lol..anything is better than Starbucks!

[@DK_Son]

We already had McCafe and Gloria-Jeans in full operation, which were both Starbucks-like in some ways. You can get any coffee there, any frappe, caramel castles made of whipped cream and diarrhoea water, etc, etc. So we didn't need a Starbucks. We are also generally resilient to anything American that gets shoved in our faces. We MIGHT adapt to it, but it needs to get a foothold in the market first and earn respect, as well as become a taste that we desire. Starbucks popped up what felt like was a thousand stores overnight, and we were just like "Who gives a shite???". We also like our little cafes. I'd get a something from a local cafe, before I walk into a Starbucks and get some big cup of brown clown diabeetus water.

[@stunnedmullet]

Didn't work in New Zealand either as our coffee culture is too good to drink Starbucks.

[@kerrynicholls6683]

Thank goodness 😅 I would hate for a Starbucks to open near me. Not that it’s a problem, they would be bankrupt pretty quickly and I’m glad to see our neighbours feel the same way. Love ❤️ from Australia 🇦🇺

[@70chevs]

Even instant coffee in Australia tastes better than coffee I've had when I went to the US. I don't have sugar with my coffee but in the US I had to add sugar so I could drink it.

[@stick0035]

Only had one coffee from Srarbucks, thought I was drinking Draino.

[@davidareeves]

Aussies were like, that's not coffee, this is a coffee. Starbucks went home crying . I wonder if those in Guantanamo Bay are allowed to complain too. IMHO, it's an inhumane treatment of people drinking that stuff

[@dezzyly]

I got Starbucks two times in my life and the first time they gave me someone else’s order which had a horribly sugary coffee and I don’t even know what it was supposed to be, it looked like a flat white but did not taste even close, the second time it was a chai latte I asked for no cinnamon which I was presented by a layer of cinnamon and the most horrific tasting chai latte I’ve had in my life, it was so damn syrupy. So yeah, absolutely not a fan of Starbucks but each to their own.

[@myopinion69420]

I tried Starbucks twice and it was un-drinkable, I could not have more than a few sips, but I am picky with coffee. the second time I took my partner who is also picky, but will still drink a coffee even if its terrible, just wont get it again, but even she could not drink more than a few sips. that is what cemented to me that it is terrible, I have NEVER seen her not finish a coffee before, no matter how bad it is, yet she did not even get a quarter of the way through it. I honestly feel bad for Americans if this is what 'good' coffee is for them.

[@almostyummymummy]

Starbucks in Aussie, pretty much same attitude had with Walmart in Germany. Works in the US, so will work everywhere else.

[@Rusty_Gold85]

Being Australian I hate nothing worse than using an Overseas companies products .They only dodge Taxes anyway . A small Family run business would put back into the area . Sponsoring local sports Club etc

[@mce_AU]

I vowed to myself many many years ago to never go to Starbucks and I haven't to this day and cannot see myself ever going.

[@mikeyhau]

I tried Starbucks in Brisbane soon after they opened. Coffee ordinaire!! Why buy so-so coffee when there are so many fantastic alternatives? I never went back.

[@mrgreeneggs6191]

my brother in-law who just recently passed away was a coffee roaster and sold it in the local market with a mate. those two guys made a living from it.... a good one. its al about the blend and experience here. one cant simply buy a fancy coffee in a fancy shop and not sit down with mates and have a good yarn....well, you can but it rarely happens unless your just grabbing 2 16 ouncers to make it through the morning at work....that also a thing. i used to drink 6 16 ounce coffees before lunch in my old job.... i was constantly crunching numbers and needed the stimulant to keep the juices flowing.

[@juliewhitton7267]

Tried Starbucks in UK. My son roasts coffee and compared to what I'm used to it tasted burned

[@TheGrant65]

Seldom mentioned and relevant in this context is how Western Australia (WA), a state with 2½ million people has always been the most resistant; I think we (here in WA) have one solitary SB now, somewhere in the suburbs of Perth. The additional factor in WA seems to have been the "evolutionary advantage" of a dominant, homegrown chain, Dome Cafes (which also, surprise surprise, offered the traditional types of coffee expected by Aus consumers). Dome started in Perth, around 35 years ago - well before SBs, Gloria Jean's or other chains had a presence in Australia. In fact, Dome had franchises in the rest of Australia and SE Asia before SB etc arrived. Dome did find it heavy going outside WA though, and the arrival of the international chains saw them retreat back to WA. Where they are still unassailable, for now. (fwiw) Gloria Jean's, in particular, did get established in WA, with kiosks in a lot of malls, but their coffee is (imho) as bland and uninspiring as the other lot.

[@Mzuleft88]

Starbucks is doing better now because the new generation of kids are so far Americanised they wouldn't know a decent coffee if it bit them in the arse. If you walk up to a Starbuck in Australia and watch the customers come in and out, almost all of them are under 25. Social media has helped too.

[@louise8001]

I think they thought Australia would just automatically love it, like the rest of the world, because it was American. Maybe they believed we didn't really have a coffee culture here already and just assumed we would immediately embrace Starbucks. I have had it overseas, but it never really did anything for me.

[@jonathangroenewald3906]

“Catching up for coffee” in Australia at the local cafe, is a social ritual. I Can’t imagine doing that at a ‘Starbucks’…besides, their coffee is crap.

[@ZuShin]

I'm an Aussie and have lived here all my life. I have never tried Starbucks and am not really motivated to try it out.

[@fruitcakeplayz3770]

Im australian, and the first time i tried starbuck i was SUPER exited, I had seen starbucks all over the internet but its not a common place in australia so i never even saw a store untill i was 14 and thought it would be great! Guess what? I could make that sh*t at home by mixing water and cream, after that i fixed my mistakes and went to local coffee and tea shops instead ☺️

[@aussiehorndog]

When Starbucks opened a store in my local shopping centre I thought I should try it because i had heard how great the coffee was. Big mistake. It was disgusting and tasted like burnt dirty dishwater. I vowed never to go back but decided to give it another try as they may have had a bad day. Again big mistake! The "coffee" was just as disgusting as the first time.Give me a real coffee shop/cafe any day. Gloria Jeans did have better coffee but have basically disappeared. In my city there is only one store remaining. As a chain they lost a large portion of their customers when the company became a huge supporter of the no campaign against marriage equality, and it was strictly downhill from there.

[@AnnQlder]

Here’s the thing, Australians know good coffee, Starbucks doesn’t. I’d rather have water than Starbucks “coffee”.

[@PiaRavenari]

If Starbucks made a genuine effort, I'd definitely try them. But they'd need to target dine-in, and quality coffee, as well as potentially offering some decent snack options. Gloria Jeans adapted well because they started offering things like toasties, or chips with chicken salt, snacks very familiar to Australians and that have high appeal to kids with Mums in the shops. That makes Gloria Jeans really appealing in shopping centres in particular (which is where you tend to find them in Western Australia at least). The to-go-culture of Starbucks is really alien to most of us. Like, here's the thing, McDonald's McCafe coffee is better quality than Starbucks coffee, so if we really want a good to-go coffee, we can literally go through a drivethru 24/7 and get fairly mid (but still better than Starbucks) coffee. Honestly Maccas excels at certain drinks in particular (their hot chocolates tend to be more robust and stronger than most cafes). We were the ones who invented the McCafe concept (barista-made coffee operating out of McDonalds) precisely because our love of genuine coffee is intense. And we've exported that concept elsewhere. Like, if McDonalds can figure it out, I fail to see why Starbucks can't. Not only that, but their dessert/snack ranges are pretty good, why didn't they capitalise on that with a dine-in option. It just feels like so many missed, obvious opportunities. The fact that they're now pivoting to just really targeting tourists, like, good for them I guess. They have no interest in being seen as anything other than terrible among Australians, that's not our loss. We don't have a single one in Western Australia (at least that I know of, maybe one opened at the airport lol), but we have over 6 busy (and I mean *busy* we need more) cafes in our semi-rural suburb. We're not missing out, at any rate!

[@0Zolrender0]

Your point is very valid. However can you please stop using the work "like" in every sentence? You're Australian not Murikcan.

[@PiaRavenari]

​@@0Zolrender0 Using like in sentences is a natural way of making language more conversational and less formal, it's not purely US-centric, and to use it in run-on sentences originated in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and is also used to help flow among the Irish and Liverpudlians among others. Linguist Alexandra D'Arcy's written a whole book about it. The Journal of Language and Social Psychology did a peer reviewed study on it (that demonstrated that people who use like in conversation are more likely to be conscientious, compassionate, aware of their surroundings and intelligent than those who don't in social interactions/conversations, because it creates natural pauses in the flow of sentences. Could I have been more formal on this site? Sure. But saying 'like' less than three times in a few paragraphs isn't a crime, and I prefer informality). There's no 'pure' Australian English grammar, it's a melange of British, American, and Australian colloquialism and more. The word's been used for longer than you think it has in conversational flow, in more places, and while one could argue that folks in the US use it the most, it's used everywhere English is spoken, because using it in conversational flow started first among the British English and was exported out in, well, conversation with people from different countries.

[@0Zolrender0]

@@PiaRavenari That's a long way of saying "The English language is being degenerated by those that say they speak American English". You know, the version of English that is not English.

[@warpedweft9004]

I'm one of those who remembers what McDonalds coffee used to be like. We were sure it was made with the sweepings off the floor. You'd go thirsty rather than buy it. To their credit, they read the room and adapted, and that's why they survived. If Starbucks can't read the room, and displays pure arrogance and shows nothing but distain for an already established culture, then they deserve what they got.

[@warpedweft9004]

@@PiaRavenari that said, it doesn't make it any less annoying.

[@DottyDotDitto]

The idea of Starbucks attempting to sell their version coffee in Vietnam is laughable to me, Vietnamese coffee will allow you to see through time.

[@Deceased858]

Starbucks coffee is like prison sex, you’re going to get it but it’s going to be rough. 😂😂

[@kerrynicholls6683]

Literally. 😂

[@willpugh-calotte2199]

I think Starbucks were a bit pushy rolling out so quickly across the country. They left no sense of anticipation of their arrival. Aldi, on the other hand, has been a great success in Australia, but they rolled out their stores across Australia more slowly, leaving people looking forward to an Aldi eventually coming to their town. I also hear of New Zealanders, going into an Aldi when visiting Australia, then agitating for Aldi to come to New Zealand. Starbucks didn't leave room for a _demand_ for their product to arise. As far as I'm aware, the remaining stores are largely for the benefit of international tourists.

[@uknowispeaksense7056]

I tried a Starbucks coffee and found that even the $1 7Eleven latte is way better.

[@banta-pd8zj]

Australia sailed through the GFC. Why? They refused to give billions of dollars to multinationals and other large companies. Instead they invested in jobs and in the workforce. Some people afterwards thought the GFC was a hoax Australia was so unaffected.

[@davejensen7922]

I make better coffee in my kitchen than Starbucks and I don’t have to pay eight bucks a cup

[@Jen-eo1fh]

One mouthful of Starbucks coffee was enough for me it tasted like watery milk. I binned the rest. Never again. 🇦🇺

[@gordiebrooks]

Coffee shops here in Australia are a dime a dozen!! They are everywhere.

[@ianwhite1858]

Basically it's shite - and wtf is creamer

[@ozzybloke-craig3690]

I’ve only heard of that because of South Park, so idk what that is lol

[@roslynjonsson2383]

Creamer is an American powdered milk that you stir in, very similar to Coffee Mate.

[@PlasticAssasin8]

Ive got my own coffee machine, no need to ever go to Starbucks

[@Amyduckie]

Starbucks made this assumption that Australians are like Americans. We are in some ways, but not with coffee. We have our own culture, when America is used to exporting their culture en masse. There was one Starbucks in my city, and when it closed I didn’t really know anyone that was sad about it. Their coffee is awful too. I would have liked to see Starbucks focus on the actual Australian market, personally. I’d try it if they improved their horrific coffee, but at this point, I’d encourage tourists try local coffee.

[@liviabaggio1543]

Also with Vietnamese coffee it has successfully integrated into Australia coffee culture, along with Vietnamese food.

[@petertimbrell1964]

I live in Toowoomba, a regional Qld city, and Starbucks has recently opened up a rather impressive, purpose built cafe. I haven't tried it although I might one day just out of interest. Time will tell whether they have learned any lessons from their previous failures.

[@joandsarah77]

Oh really. I haven't been east in a while. We normally go to Zarathustra's when we go to Toowoomba. Think I will stick with it lol.

[@petertimbrell1964]

@@joandsarah77 Don't come at the moment - too many fires.

[@joandsarah77]

@@petertimbrell1964 I know all about it, I have a friend in Halliford whose farm is threatened. She is keeping me updated by text. I am keeping a watch on the QLD fire page too.

[@doubledee9675]

It failed because its product was totally unsuited to our market. Coffee really took off here in the early 1950s, with Italian migrants setting up espresso bars all through the larger cities. They were very popular and expanded into even the most remote rural towns. The kindest way to describe Starbucks coffee is that what was sold in its bars as coffee did not meet the style or standards to which we'd become accustomed. The few surviving shops are in areas where US tourists or business people might be.

[@JustGunnie]

Double shot cappachino is my fave type of coffee. No fancy bells and whistles. No need for sugar.

[@harfmt]

You'll still find them in the tourist spots..... for the overseas tourists :)

[@davidcruse6589]

No most like the independent cafes but it was quality and cost that killed them if was better they could've survived on drive through that they had but its crap Mac's is the main drive through coffee and they learnt real quick you need a good quality product and competitive price We even have mobile independent coffee vendors that visit business and park on h/ways in morning to get people travelling on their way to work All coffee makers are trained on how to make coffee properly Also alot of Aussies drink tea as well and when I grew up tea was no1 as coffee was expensive But with wage increases coffee became more affordable Also most Aussie homes have their own coffee machines so only when out they buy coffee

[@JesusManera]

In Melbourne there are between 2000-2500 independent cafes. Within a 15 minute walk of my house, I have over 20 cafes that are all excellent quality (but not a single Starbucks within 6km). So even if they did open one locally, I think regardless of what Starbucks did to rebrand or promote itself differently, Australians just wouldn't choose it. The brand is so tarnished, it's almost embarrassing to be caught drinking Starbucks because it's seen as a kids' version, and people are loyal to their local hole-in-the-wall independent cafes. The small number of Starbucks that do exist in Melbourne are either next to international (mostly Asian) student housing because Starbucks is very popular in China, or in suburban shopping malls where teenagers who haven't yet developed a taste for coffee buy their more sugary dessert drinks.

[@kferg3029]

I live in a suburb of Melbourne called Williamstown and just off the top of my head there probably 2o local cafes and we have may be 3 local coffee rosters. Every person I know has a decent home coffee machines.

[@lilacDaisy111]

Yesterday, I saw an American KZbin barista show how, when customers ask her to make them her favourite drink, because they want something different, she makes them a cappuccino. I was so confused. Why make the most common coffee ever, for someone who wants "something new"! Then I remembered this docco and how influenced we are by Italians. They just forgot to enforce their "no cap's after midday!!!" rule, LOL.

[@taltaleweaver9085]

Starbucks is okay, if you only like coffee 'flavoured' milkshakes. Sweet, sickly and completely forgettable/ I remember when it appeared here we tried it ONCE, immediately regretted our life choices and went back to our regular coffee shop a few doors down for some real coffee that served real coffee and not some weird constructed dessert milkshake.

[@lone982]

It's not poor marketing..... It's nasty coffee........

[@pamelabaars6896]

We love our coffee in Australia good coffee. Life is to short for bad coffee. I’ve also heard it’s very sweet, not sure I’ve never had one.

[@miniveedub]

I know they closed a lot of their US stores at the same time due to the financial crisis but they were already struggling here before the GFC hit and Australia was one of only a handful of countries that didn’t go into recession during the GFC, it didn’t have as much impact on their failure as you would expect.

[@tamarapetrov4990]

They only have stores in heavy business traffic or tourist areas. I dont think they can save themselves in Australia, and I dont take it as a kick in the teeth at all. Nothing would make me drink that stuff. I felt so sick the one time I tried (out of desperation after an 11 hour flight). It's not even coffee. Gloria Jeans is not much better... If I really have no other option I'll go to McCafe, but I can only have their "coffee" with caramel syrup (I dont normally have sugar). In the end, it's just far too easy to find really good coffee here to bother with bad stuff, specially expensive bad stuff. Even living on the very edge of suburbia, I have 4 great cafes within a short stroll.