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• Independent vs. Coroporate Coffee Shops

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Caffe Paradiso »
Address: 801 S. Lincoln Ave. Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: (217) 384-6066
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Cafe Kopi »
Address: 109 N. Walnut St. Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: (217) 359-4266
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Independent coffee shops seem to have become a trend, say some. Café Kopi, The Morning Cup and Caffe Paradiso are just a few that can be found within a reasonable distance from the U of I’s main campus. The more interesting observation is that all standard coffee shops situated within campus boundaries – with the exception of Paradiso – are chains: Espresso Royale (six campus locations), Starbucks, Caribou Coffee.

Now think about the following fact. Since June of this year, the Starbucks corporation has been closing locations (beginning in Seattle, its home) and revamping them to look more like neighborhood cafes. They’ve even changed the names, but these venues continue to operate as an extension, and for the profit, of Starbucks. Are franchises like Starbucks, Caribou, and Seattle’s Best becoming obsolete, or are they flourishing, as evidenced by their omnipresence in our community?

Either way, they’re getting more clever and finding sneaky ways to reel in customers. There must be some significant lure in independent coffee shops if a market giant like Starbucks needs to change their overall atmosphere in order to become more like them. A lot of money has to go into a project of this scale, further proving that these ‘independently owned’ cafes are expected to make big bucks in comparison to the profit of their predecessors bearing the Starbucks label. What is it about the environments of Kopi or Paradiso that the coffee-shop conglomerate wants to mimic? Can Starbucks really mask the nature of its products and service, which must by now be quite familiar to loyal customers and nonconformists alike? I know that my extensive and incessant ruminations aren’t really getting anywhere, but this seems ridiculous! Caffe Paradiso doesn’t even have a logo, let alone a website, let alone enough surplus income to start opening other Caffe Paradisos under false names. I just don’t believe that Starbucks can recreate the eclectic ambience of, say . . . Bar Giuliani. Yet if the company successfully imitates a coffee shop like Giuliani used to be, this could mean that even more great independent cafes will go out of business.