Coffee Ethnography: How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee

Section One 

For this coffee ethnography, the non-corporate coffee house selected was Café Zinho, it is located in Los Generales, along Spahr Street. As for the Starbucks outlet selected was in the same region along Copeland Street. When the two enterprises were compared, significant differences were identified. The Starbucks along Copeland Street gave off a more contemporary sensation. The two coffee houses were selected first due to their proximity; they were approximately 10 minutes apart if walking. Secondly, it was the only Starbucks that qualified with the requirements of not being cited in a shopping or grocery mall, bookstore or student union. Moreover, they were along the school route, therefore, meaning they competed with each other. The final reason is that café Zinho is not a corporation and is family owned thereby making it a suitable reference point when comparing it against Starbucks.

Section two 

With Café Zinho being the first to be analyzed, the venture is based in a house that was repurposed. It working space consists of one main room where the customers buy and partake of their products. A working station for baristas and the cashier as well as waiters and finally an outdoor sitting area. The business venture was visited on a Saturday afternoon between 2 pm and 3 pm. In general, the coffee house offered a home like feeling this can be attributed to the fact that it is a repurposed residential area. The entire floor is wooden, inclusive of the tables and seats. The tables did not have a standard size but were varied, religious ornaments were openly displayed on the walls, and the décor has an earthy color to it. Finally, it had antique furniture positioned at various points within the room; another contributor to the home like sensation. These simple yet well-applied factors of café Zinho gave the coffee shop a truly indie sensation as it was comforting and family oriented.

When the same aspects are taken into consideration from the Starbucks outlet down the street, it offered stated previously, a contemporary sensation. The décor was mostly responsible for the sensation; it comprised of a black, white and grey décor. The ceiling was open exposing the ventilation duck, the equipment being used was state of the art identifying how Starbucks was mainly sales oriented compared to satisfying the actual consumer’s needs. Other aspects that made it differ from Café Zinho was the lack of antique furniture, and the impression “come in, buy our products and work by yourself or leave.” However, the similarities between the two outlets included the architectural design of the buildings in that one large room and a small room on the side and an outdoor area. In the previous description of café Zinho, it was stated that its décor plus furniture selection played a role in it being defined as an indie. However, the Starbucks outlet is regarded as a corporate due to its minimalistic and standardized approach towards décor. It gave off a dull sensation that was further embroidered the staff and customers.

Section Three 

If aspects or elements of the publication Everything But the Coffee are to be applied in the small study of the two coffee shops, it would mostly focus on evidence of globalization and working in coffeehouses subjects. The first being, evidence of globalization, it is important to start with definitions. Globalization is defined as the process in which businesses or organizations develop international influence or in other words start operating at an international scale such as Starbucks. When any company opens branches in the international soil, it has to take into consideration the cultural needs of the region. This in mind, many companies have had to abandon their home practices and adhere to those of the new environment. In the case of Starbucks, the company has opted to rely on a standardization approach (Simon, 2011). This means that the majority of their outlets share the same décor, color scheme, and machinery. From a personal opinion, this can be testified to be Starbucks evidence of globalization. The outlets lack any form of customization thereby ripping any home like effect. This is another reason why Starbucks offer better working conditions compared to other indie coffee outlets within the region or in some cases the country (Simon, 2011). The sensation of minding to oneself is highly demonstrated in Starbucks that to some extent is discouraging to stay.

Café Zinho, on the other hand, differs highly from Starbucks as it provides a home-like and family coffee shop sensation as compared to the corporate approach of Starbucks. The home-like sensation can be derived from the random placement of antique furniture, the tables are not standardized and are varying to accommodate either large and small groups or families. In essence, café Zinho tends to provide an environment that embodies family activities (Simon, 2011). This notion is from the fact that the outlet has a play area for children, the food products are made on-site, and advertisements involve family activities such as the rodeo. Though they do offer ‘on the go’ services, the majority of their client base opted to stay in the establishment. Though the venture’s owner has Portuguese heritage, the outlet was warm and inviting.

On the second theme of working in coffee houses, there was a significant difference between the two coffee outlets. The first was that Starbucks’ employees mainly consisted of college students who were 30 years and below(Simon, 2011). Serving a much bigger and broader, millennial demography, the outlet was the majority of the time busy. This environment can be argued as the reason why the majority of the working staff were young college students (Simon, 2011). Another aspect of Starbucks that was noted was the somewhat balance between men and women. The high-pressure environment discouraged the production of foodstuff in-house, and as per the observations made in the Starbucks, their food products are outsourced. Finally, Starbucks young staff operation made every ethnic group in the region prefer their services.

Café Zinho, on the other hand, comprised mainly of working staff that was over the age of 30. The women outnumbered the men and comprised of whites and Hispanics. This aspect of the venture can be attributed to two factors, first its family-run structure and lastly, its community-centered service (Simon, 2011). Café Zinho’s services are not only personalized but encourage the client to purchase more. From the observation made, the older working staff portray more patients as compared to the young staff in Starbucks. The café Zinho staff tend to be more concerned with the service offered and how the client can benefit in the future (Simon, 2011). As for Starbucks, the staff is focused on sales and thereby need staff that can work under pressure.

Section Four 

Starbucks, to begin with, is an American formed company with international subsidiaries. As of 2017, the company boasted over 25,000 outlets globally employing close to quarter a million employees (Real &Percell, 2018). The services the coffee giant offers outdo many local shops both locally and internationally regarding quality and pricing. Therefore, Starbucks as a company demonstrates America as being a precise nation. This is from the fact that when an order is placed in any of the company’s outlets, the outcome meets the needs of the client. It is true that there are other locally owned shops such as Café Zinho that offer the same quality of service but there the select few that fail to achieve it. Starbucks as a company has perfected their level of consistency as the coffee purchased in one outlet barely differs from that purchased in an outlet in another region.

Moreover, the experience in any Starbucks outlet is revolutionary, in that it suffices the needs of the majority of its clients. This refers to the level of clutter in their outlets. By just having what the customers need the company saves on unnecessary purchases demonstrating the nation as being cost-effective (Simon, 2011). Another aspect of is the company’s ability to compromise price for quality; this means that the Starbucks can provide high-quality services and products at a reasonable price. Coffee is an expensive beverage, but Starbucks has been able to ensure low prices by taking advantage of economies of scale. This makes their prices 10-30% lower as compared to local shops offering the same product (Real &Percell, 2018). The final aspect that Starbucks can represent the nation with is diversity. America is known for its diverse nature regarding ethnicity, culture even nationalities. With this high level of diversity, the company has to meet the needs of the majority of the varying people. This is demonstrated by the company’s vast list of products it sells. The company has been able to maintain market dominance due to various factors and having varying products of the same commodity is one of the main reasons.

References

Real, K., &Percell, H. (2018). Starbucks Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

Simon, B. (2011).  Everything but the coffee . Berkeley: University of California Press.