Costa Coffee Enters France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Costa Coffee Enters France - Essay Example Coffee culture in France is rather old; even prominent historical writers have been known to mention a cafe or two in their accurate descriptions of the French revolution. Therefore, coffee businesses are ubiquitous in France; one can find a coffee shop in almost every street corner in the nation’s capital. Most of them are high-end, chic cafes, with lots of decorated interior designs and room for interaction with one’s acquaintances. These types of shops can mostly be found in places like Saint Germaine as well as the Left Bank, which also has a high concentration of elegant coffee shops. Typically, a French cafe will have both an indoor and outdoor setting with plenty of wooden interior designs and an intimate atmosphere all around. Cakes, pastries or sandwiches may be available but most consumers go into these shops for the coffee; espresso in small cups is their preferred choice while others may choose different versions of the espresso and cream. Most French waiters in these cafes seem ambivalent about meeting consumer needs and may even appear arrogant to foreign nations. Smoking used to be a distinct aspect of coffee culture in France but after its ban, most patrons prefer to smoke in the outdoor section of the cafes. Overall, the ambiance of cafes makes coffee cultures predominantly unique in France; people think of coffee drinking as a ritual to be enjoyed. Waiters care little about turnover rates, so patrons have the freedom to sit in as long as they like while catching up with friends. The cafe is a social meeting place and reflects the unhurried nature of French culture in comparison to other western societies.