Re:Why Starbucks actually helps mom and pop coffeehouses (2007)
by bunderbunder on Saturday December 05, 2015 @12:38PM
(#10682586)
I was counting Starbucks in the group of "nice" coffee shops. Their markup on coffee might be somewhat higher (though I doubt it; they may have lower materials cost but they also charge half to 2/3 as much as the indie places I tend to frequent do for a regular cuppa), but I bet any difference is still tiny compared to the facilities and staffing costs.
I was meaning it more as opposed to places that more-or-less just serve coffee out of a window.
Starbucks bulk-roasts their coffee, and they use darker roasts than most independent roasters (ensuring consistency across locations), which allows their beans to have a much lower per-unit cost.