I used to drink Second Cup coffee. I used to think it was pretty darned good, too. I used to walk an extra couple of blocks just to get my coffee there, and I was happy to be supporting a Canadian company.
When Starbucks moved into Montreal, I watched the stores go up with a mixture of resentment and trepidation. Here comes the big American chain to push their crappy coffee on Canadians, and probably put local barristas out of business to boot. I saw Starbucks as the McDonald’s of coffee: American cultural imperialism wrapped in an aggressive marketing strategy. I simply added Starbucks to my list of lousy coffee locations and remained loyal to my beloved Second Cup.
Then one day I was late for a job interview and in need of a caffeine boost. With no other options around, I dragged myself into Starbucks and reluctantly ordered a large coffee. After a few sips, I realized that it was Second Cup that had the brilliant business plan: It turns out that all those years I’d been paying two dollars for a cup of hot water with brown food coloring and artificial flavor in it.
It wasn’t just that Starbucks coffee was better, but that it was so much better that Second Cup went from my favorite coffee to an unthinkable waste overnight. In retrospect, I couldn’t believe that I’d put up with that thin gruel for my entire adult life. Starbucks coffee was so rich that I had to put twice the amount of cream in it that I used to put in Second Cup “coffee.” It was so strong that one Starbucks coffee would keep me flying almost an entire day compared to the two-hour jolt I got from Second Cup’s concoctions. This went beyond a matter of taste; Starbucks just puts more coffee in their coffee. It’s as simple as that.
This experience taught me some valuable lessons. First, the fact that a company dominates a particular market doesn’t mean that they’re cutting quality for price. Like Starbucks, they may be succeeding by charging the same price for a superior product.
Secondly, the fact that a business is local doesn’t get them a free pass in the quality department. I’ve heard so many criticisms of Starbucks that amounted to nothing more than “it’s an American multinational, so no one should drink their coffee.” How about “Second Cup is a Canadian embarrassment, so we shouldn’t drink their swill?”
My favorite criticism of Starbucks is one I’ve heard from a number of friends over the years: “I like Second Cup. I find Starbucks too strong.” With critics like that, Starbucks doesn’t even need cheerleaders like me.
