Starbucks??

zuroph

Heard over weekend that those responsible for the newly opened Market are in negotiations to bring a Starbucks there. Now, While I've no problem with a starbucks in Limerick, surely this is the most horrible clash ever, sticking a multinational slap bang in the middle of our bustling local food and craft market. Especially since there is already a few cafes in the area.
Also hearing stories of them no longer allowing buskers, or music outside the old cafe. Anyone heard similar? Seems like two initiatives which would rob the market of its fantastic local vibe.

Berty

Although the quality of Starbucks Coffee is not the best they do something very very well indeed.

Their in store products for take home use are very desirable and they market them very well.

Those products will fit very well in the Market.

Anything that energises the market to bring a good quality tenant like that is good news.(to me)

bigpink

zuroph wrote: »

Heard over weekend that those responsible for the newly opened Market are in negotiations to bring a Starbucks there. Now, While I've no problem with a starbucks in Limerick, surely this is the most horrible clash ever, sticking a multinational slap bang in the middle of our bustling local food and craft market. Especially since there is already a few cafes in the area.
Also hearing stories of them no longer allowing buskers, or music outside the old cafe. Anyone heard similar? Seems like two initiatives which would rob the market of its fantastic local vibe.

Yes ive heard these rumours too,surely an independent cafe should be in place not tacky starbucks.Yeah part of the old market was the music and some of the characters of other stalls not with in the square are they still allowed on the street?

zuroph

People could take home their coffee products from a starbucks in town. The market is no place for a corporate multinational. especially since there is already a coffee store in place there!

Risteard

Surely a Starbucks would be a lot more high profile and attract more people to the area, possibly boosting trade in the market as opposed to an independently owned one?

stevoslice

Risteard wrote: »

Surely a Starbucks would be a lot more high profile and attract more people to the area, possibly boosting trade in the market as opposed to an independently owned one?

And why stop there, sure put a mcdonalds in there too, then why not a high street store, wouldn't that bring more customers down to the market... :rolleyes:

zuroph

as would a mcdonalds, a burger king, a marks and spencers, a tesco.... see where i'm going with this? Its a market, not a shopping centre.

EDIT: lol, see I was pipped to this..

Risteard

Not really there's already a McDonald's, Burger King and Tesco in Limerick. Not an M&S but there's no Strabucks as far as I'm aware unless you count the one in UL.

I don't understand opposing a company just because they're a multi-national. Fair enough if you don't think a coffee shop is suitable to a market environment but in that case whether it's a locally owned one or not shouldn't make a difference.

Aidric

zuroph wrote: »

especially since there is already a coffee store in place there!

Exactly. No need for a second. Plenty more vacant units around town.

osarusan

I'd be surprised if they moved into the market to be honest. It's not terribly busy except for Saturday mornings, and from my experience abroad, Starbucks is placed as centrally as possible to get as much footfall as possible. I can't imagine enough people walking out there just to visit Starbucks (not that it's far, but there are other coffee shops around, closer to the city centre).

bazz26

Starbucks is way overrated imo. I was in the one in one of the Microsoft offices in Dublin and their coffee was average at best unlike their prices. Don't see how something like this would fit in the Market to be honest.

Amazotheamazing

Think it would depend where it was going to be situated? In the actual market or in the general "Market Quarter"? While I wouldn't be overly keen on it in the market itself, it could be a good addition to the streets around it.

If you place it anywhere in the city centre, OP, where would you place it? The Market Quarter seems as good a place as any, imo.

panda100

I doubt very much Starbucks would open in the Market. They'll open in The Crescent or Cruises street,or somewhere much more central.

While I hate faceless corporations, I do admit Im a bit of a Starbucks fan. They don't usually shut till 10,you can stay there for hours on end and no one will clear away your drink and move you on.
The Tazo tea's are yummy, and Caramel Frappucino's are to die for!
Limerick really is crying out for a late night coffee shop, and unfortunately Starbucks is the only franchise that seems to be opened late hours.

phill106

While i would welcome a starbucks in the city centre, I definitely agree that the market is not the place for it. A nice unit in cruises street would be good, maybe where that bank was on the corner? Ebs was it? Lot of foot fall there with the people coming off william street there too.

kilburn

Lads forget bout starbucks for a while they aint opening any new stores for a while

bigpink

panda100 wrote: »

I doubt very much Starbucks would open in the Market. They'll open in The Crescent or Cruises street,or somewhere much more central.

While I hate faceless corporations, I do admit Im a bit of a Starbucks fan. They don't usually shut till 10,you can stay there for hours on end and no one will clear away your drink and move you on.
The Tazo tea's are yummy, and Caramel Frappucino's are to die for!
Limerick really is crying out for a late night coffee shop, and unfortunately Starbucks is the only franchise that seems to be opened late hours.

Limerick had late night coffee shops but they closed due to lack of business
Javas use to be open late,the milk bar,captain jacks,cafe on the row use to be late aswell

Mr E

I miss Javas....

dave 27

HOW ABOUT..opening a cafe/bar/restraunt like captain americas in Dublin and actually utilise the place more than once a week??

this place serves lovely food during the day with a bar and at night people can have cocktails and pints etc, why not have a live band in the market too every saturday?

utilise this market quarter for fcuk sake like!

Icky Thump

starbucks would bring more customers to be fair. there are alot of morons out there that would go to the market just to go to starbucks and pretend to be cultured:D i miss the real coffee shops. no proper coffee shops left. although Amsterdam have the right idea:)

buttercupbee

I hope this is not true - their coffee is consistently freezing cold and I know as I have been in many an outlet, almost testing worldwide just to see if I get another cold cup...and I do.
Horrendous operation. Its success baffles me but unsurprisingly there have been a few hundered closures across the globe of late happy out!

buttercupbee

Icky Thump wrote: »

although Amsterdam have the right idea:)

You are applying for Dutch nationality aren't you?
As after November 2010 these coffee bars will be strictly accessible to natives only. Hope you like a digestive with your cuppa!

Icky Thump

buttercupbee wrote: »

You are applying for Dutch nationality aren't you?
As after November 2010 these coffee bars will be strictly accessible to natives only. Hope you like a digestive with your cuppa!

hopefully they accept me by september/october

MissHoneyBun

Yeah I get all the not supporting big multi-nationals etc. but who gives a rats ass when you're about to get stuck into a tall frothy caramel frappucino?! In fact, I couldn't have made this post if it weren't for coffee :pac:

buttercupbee

MissHoneyBun wrote: »

Yeah I get all the not supporting big multi-nationals etc. but who gives a rats ass when you're about to get stuck into a tall frothy caramel frappucino?! In fact, I couldn't have made this post if it weren't for coffee :pac:

So long as it's a hot one!

Damn Gloria Jeans are guilty of cold coffee too.
But when it comes to their ACTUAL cold coffee (mochachillo and so on) what they actually did was make the coffee WITH COLD WATER THEN STUCK A LOAD OF ICE CUBES IN!!! I was WTF?!
Didn't even blend them! The dirty looks I got when I asked to blend them!
Was just as bad. Then I went and asked for fluffed cream to be added to the watery stew and was charged an extra 30c!
Couldn't drink, was vile.
Got my refund after being made to wait while she served 5 other people who came along after me, threw the change at me so I called her an
f-in pig and 2 of the customers walked out with me, one told her shove it when she went to serve.
This was in Cork.

Actually BOILING now I think back. Unlike their f-in coffee.
Read somewhere G Jeans are looking for a new franchisee in Limerick...
Good luck with that!

zuroph

Coffee isnt meant to be very hot at all

Berty

zuroph wrote: »

Coffee isnt meant to be very hot at all

That's the "Irish Mothers" fault. Everything must be boiling. My MIL would hear the kettle click and finish up the last 30 seconds of a conversation then go out and put the kettle back on to heat back up those 30 second down times.

Crazy.

Coffee and Tea should be drinable. You should never have to wait for a drink to cool down unless your mouth is made of asbestos.

zuroph

Coffee especially, the amount of threads I've seen complaining that "brown thomas sold me a dud cofee maker, it won't even boil the water!" is very frustrating.

Jambo221

Berty wrote: »

That's the "Irish Mothers" fault. Everything must be boiling. My MIL would hear the kettle click and finish up the last 30 seconds of a conversation then go out and put the kettle back on to heat back up those 30 second down times.

Crazy.

Coffee and Tea should be drinable. You should never have to wait for a drink to cool down unless your mouth is made of asbestos.

I'd do the same, tea needs to be close to the boiling point to brew properly, I drink it black too, so to me letting it cool is just all part of the ritual.
Coffee only needs a rolling boil, but the though of an iced coffee being made with cold water makes me sick.

source

Jambo221 wrote: »

I'd do the same, tea needs to be close to the boiling point to brew properly, I drink it black too, so to me letting it cool is just all part of the ritual.
Coffee only needs a rolling boil, but the though of an iced coffee being made with cold water makes me sick.

No it shouldn't water in tea needs to be hot, not boiling or close to it.....if the water is too hot it burns the leaves and gives the tea a crap taste. The best cup of tea is got about a minute after the kettle boils.

Jambo221

foinse wrote: »

No it shouldn't water in tea needs to be hot, not boiling or close to it.....if the water is too hot it burns the leaves and gives the tea a crap taste. The best cup of tea is got about a minute after the kettle boils.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea#Black_tea

For Green tea, yes, too hot and it will burn the leaves, either way, I'd use the word leaves very loosely as most people just use bags anyway, wouldn't break out a thermometer unless you're risking wasting loose leaf.

Berty

I just tested the temperature of water against loose leaf.(feck it, slow bank holiday Friday afternoon) I have loads of Loose Leaf Samples in the boot of my car.

You can smell the burnt leaves. The actual tea was a peppermint tea but the overriding smell was of burnt leaves.

If you are using 100% Tea(traditional tea bags), and not Lyons and Barrys where they have darkening agents, then you are ok. The likes of Barrys and Lyons have those darkening chemicals/agents which will give you a burnt aroma.

How to know what you have? Rip open a bag of tea and rub the tea in the palm of your hand. If it leaves a stain then it has a darkening agent and therefore could burn.

source

Jambo221 wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea#Black_tea

For Green tea, yes, too hot and it will burn the leaves, either way, I'd use the word leaves very loosely as most people just use bags anyway, wouldn't break out a thermometer unless you're risking wasting loose leaf.

As far as I'm concerned, tea bags are to tea what instant is to coffee. In other words muck.

Berty

You could buy tea bags like these.



http://www.suki-tea.com/opencontent/default.asp?itemid=1&guid=390F4F63-BFFA-4BC9-84CA-208428A5F940

Builderfromhell

Going way off thread here guys.
Isn't the Topic Starbucks in the market or something like that?

kilburn

ya and it wont happen !

counterlock

kilburn wrote: »

ya and it wont happen !

You seem adament kilburn? Do you know something we don't?

metamorphosis

I read in the post this week a little snippet that gloria jeans are looking for a vendor/place in Limerick so they could end up in the market? Was it rent that drove them out of the cresent? Would it be much cheaper in town?

kilburn

tried to open one myself and they are not currently looking to open new stores. But they have entered into agreements with catering companies to open sub-starbucks in airports and colleges.

Amazotheamazing

kilburn wrote: »

tried to open one myself and they are not currently looking to open new stores. But they have entered into agreements with catering companies to open sub-starbucks in airports and colleges.

Are you going to push ahead and open your own cafe anyway?

kilburn

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Are you going to push ahead and open your own cafe anyway?

I am considering it, sourcing and roasting my own beans layout like the old Javas or Puccinis

Amazotheamazing

kilburn wrote: »

I am considering it, sourcing and roasting my own beans layout like the old Javas or Puccinis

Sounds good, anyone remember biblio's down opposite Michael's Church?

Good luck with it.

Icky Thump

kilburn wrote: »

I am considering it, sourcing and roasting my own beans layout like the old Javas or Puccinis

old Javas didnt roast their own beans

Poxyshamrock

The only place I know that roasts its own beans is Pónaire in Annacotty and the Milk Market.

jbkenn

kilburn wrote: »

I am considering it, sourcing and roasting my own beans layout like the old Javas or Puccinis

Are you now?, good for you, have you considered how many cups of coffee you will have to sell every day just to pay the City Manager?, its called Commercial Rates, before you take Commercial Water Charges in to account, never mind Commercial waste disposal changes , it is determined by the City Council, it can be paid, for you convenience, twice yearly, in February and July. I personally estimate you will have to sell 32 coffee's a day to keep that little bollix happy, what do you estimate you will have to sell?, oh, by the way, we have yet to take the HSE Health Officer who will ensure you are HACCP compliant into account, and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation to ensure you are complying with all relevant Labour legislation, and the myriad of other State Clipboard carriers who will arrive on your door.

Best of luck with it!

Limerick_Lass

jbkenn wrote: »

Are you now?, good for you, have you considered how many cups of coffee you will have to sell every day just to pay the City Manager?, its called Commercial Rates, before you take Commercial Water Charges in to account, never mind Commercial waste disposal changes , it is determined by the City Council, it can be paid, for you convenience, twice yearly, in February and July. I personally estimate you will have to sell 32 coffee's a day to keep that little bollix happy, what do you estimate you will have to sell?, oh, by the way, we have yet to take the HSE Health Officer who will ensure you are HACCP compliant into account, and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation to ensure you are complying with all relevant Labour legislation, and the myriad of other State Clipboard carriers who will arrive on your door.

Best of luck with it!

Ah dont be so negative, some of the above you mentioned aren't that important in your first years... if you keep focusing on the hurdles, you will never see the finish line.
Best of luck with it Kilburn, hard work but wothwhile if you do decide to go down this route.

jbkenn

Limerick_Lass wrote: »

Ah dont be so negative, some of the above you mentioned aren't that important in your first years... if you keep focusing on the hurdles, you will never see the finish line.
Best of luck with it Kilburn, hard work but wothwhile if you do decide to go down this route.

Negative?, no, just being realistic, like I say, best of luck with it, tell me Limerick_Lass,what experience have you dealing with "officialdom" in this country?.

Amazotheamazing

jbkenn wrote: »

Are you now?, good for you, have you considered how many cups of coffee you will have to sell every day just to pay the City Manager?, its called Commercial Rates, before you take Commercial Water Charges in to account, never mind Commercial waste disposal changes , it is determined by the City Council, it can be paid, for you convenience, twice yearly, in February and July. I personally estimate you will have to sell 32 coffee's a day to keep that little bollix happy, what do you estimate you will have to sell?, oh, by the way, we have yet to take the HSE Health Officer who will ensure you are HACCP compliant into account, and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation to ensure you are complying with all relevant Labour legislation, and the myriad of other State Clipboard carriers who will arrive on your door.

Best of luck with it!

It's important to be realistic when you're setting out, but there's no point in being defeatist.

All the things you mention have to be considered, carefully, but are we really at a point where we don't want proper protection for employees or proper health and waste management standards?

Limerick_Lass

jbkenn wrote: »

Negative?, no, just being realistic, like I say, best of luck with it, tell me Limerick_Lass,what experience have you dealing with "officialdom" in this country?.

More than you think I do.

jbkenn

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

It's important to be realistic when you're setting out, but there's no point in being defeatist.

All the things you mention have to be considered, carefully, but are we really at a point where we don't want proper protection for employees or proper health and waste management standards?

I am not defeatist, on the contrary, I will never let those useless so and so's grind me down.

jbkenn

Limerick_Lass wrote: »

More than you think I do.

Am I wrong, in your experience, in what I outlined?

Limerick_Lass

jbkenn wrote: »

Am I wrong, in your experience, in what I outlined?

Everyone has different experiences, but usually these people are there to help you when starting off. But what bewilders me is your attempt to rush in and deflate someones dreams for no reason. As you put it above... the so and so's who try and grind you down! Arrogance is what I call it.