Starbucks pull out of UD Town project

Friend of my Gf who works at Starbucks in Nong Khai, confirmed they have pulled out of the proposed Starbucks in Udon Town Centre.

Maybe their market estimations are different to those of the Property Developer.

smart move, i think, the starbucks i see in bkk, just don't have the customer base to support them. after paying that much, then finding out how 'delicious' it is, i can see the reason why. no loss for me here, any chance of a WAWA...... ........large hazelnut please. right

I presume also their figures might be based locally on SB's in Khon Kaen now and also in NK.

I imagine in KK they will definately move location to the new Central Mall, which driving past 2 days ago, is starting to take shape nicely.

maybe a little off topic but if I recall star bucks get 3 bucks for a container of coffee that a little steep even for us wealthy expats living on a pension LOL so how is a thai going to afford to buy the coffee when his pay check is far less than ours just a reasonable point 3 bucks = 100 baht that 1/2 days wages to some thais.

A few years ago while waiting for a friend at the Jiffy (?JET?) gas station on the Nongkai Hwy, I ordered up a cup of nothing-special coffee in the shop alongside the station. er, cough, sputter, spit, did you say "70 baht"? She pointed to the menu hanging above her and sure enough, 70 Baht. Any guesses how many times I've returned??
My limit's 40 baht for a good cup of coffee....when I'm hard up. You can buy high quality arabica beans for less than 200 baht per 500g....grind them up yourself, infuse through a Bialetti coffee maker, and you'll outshine any of the stuff you get at any of the coffee shops........eyecandy not included.

No muffins, BKK Post , air con , eye candy,

Na, take the SB pls and in larger cups, the Vente is huge compared to normal coffee cups

Had some exellent coffee in Pitsanuloke from a road side vendor,cost 20 baht.I sometimes think that where there are more farangs the more prices seem to rise.Another instance I went to the government phyiscal education college in Pitsanuloke,10 baht for a drop in.They see almost no farang,so they were all curious and friendly,plus they said put your money away.It makes me wonder if they think foreigners are made out of money in Udon?

If Nong Khai can support a Starbucks (for a few years now, where the people are grubbier and poorer) there's no reason Udon couldn't. Probably a business issue -- like some unscrupulous landlord tripling the rent at the last moment.

Say parrot, where do you get those high quality Arabica beans?

Staff in SBs NK told me that SBs is waiting for a prime spot at the Complex or similar; they only set up in the most high profile locations.

BTW, the SBs in NK is so dead these days the staff have become even "friendlier" (American-style) and pushing their THB 2000 / kilo coffee even harder.

I just bought a kilo of Lao Mountain Coffee for THB 350. Fine stuff duay!

Also, please note that their Estima brand is their only Fair Trade coffee. If you do buy their "elite" coffee, demand Estima.

Bon Kafe

My favorite beans are from Dao Heuang company in Laos. I used to buy them from a store in Ubon, but lately they don't respond to my phone calls. The beans come in red or gold bags and are sometimes available at the duty free store in Laos. 200 baht per 500g. Always very fresh. You can see a photo of their roasted coffee (not instant) at http://www.daoheuangcoffee.com/3.php If anyone knows of a dealer in Udon, please let me know.
Second choice, almost as good: 180-ish baht per 500g, available at the small bakery/coffee shop just before Chom Chern's deli on the same side of the road, map o-10. The same coffee is also available in the coffee shop at AEK Hospital, but sometimes they don't have the beans I'm looking for.

Anyone else have any sources for good beans?

Hi.
IMO I think you pay over the top for the name, would never use them because of this. In my country it is called name dropping, I have been to starbucks and had this and that, just to make them look good, like I shop in Harrods. To pay 2 to 3 times the price of any other decent cup of coffee, I refuse. But UTU, this is what keeps them in work.
A couple of years ago I brought a kilo of Columbian, excuse spelling, beans to LOS. Cheap but the best coffee I have tasted by far.
Yes I have been to Starbucks, once when working but never again, was not impressed by the service or the coffee. So I will not shed a tear for them pulling out.

I have drunk HUGE amounts of coffee in my life - especially when working. However, 30 odd years ago I stopped taking milk & sugar in coffee. That, coupled with addiction to cigarettes - now in remission - means that (what I would call) the 'poncy' end of the coffee market holds few attractions to me..
I like a strong cup of black coffee & not a thimble full
I have tried many types in various countries produced in a huge variety of machines. Many have been delicious, many have been a drink to avoid - but that is a very personal thing ,
In the UK I found that pre-ground, vacuum packed Italian coffee was as good as it gets - why I have no idea, as I do not think Italy is an area where coffee grows (??????). But that suited me....I have tried coffee from Laos, but not yet found something as good - adequate, YES, but the search continues....The Librarian WILL get a visit to try his offering soon.....

BobHelm wrote:...I have tried coffee from Laos, but not yet found something as good - adequate, YES, but the search continues...

Alain, a very good friend of mine, is a French coffee roaster and one of his shop / coffee house (Symphonies) is located in Udon Thani, on the external side of the ring, just a few hundred meters before arriving at Global House.


He roasts fresh coffee beans and proposes four different tastes to its individual customers, from the strongest to the most fragrant coffee beans or ground. Coffee tasting is possible in his shop and he can also create specific assemblages for his professional customers (bars, restaurants, etc.).

Another friend of mine, Patrick, speaks about him in his blog: http://udonthani-en-isan.over-blog.com/article-35817330.html. It's written in French, but you can use Google Translate (for instance) to read this webpage in your own language. Anyway, there's a lot of pictures too and in my humble opinion, it's worth having a look at. But most important, the coffee is really good (my favorite is the Opera Italian Taste, an excellent choice for espressos, but you should try the other tastes as well).

Symphonies
288/7-8 Moo 6
T. Nong Bua
A. Muang
J. Udon Thani
41000 Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 42 321 181
Fax: +66 (0) 42 266 740
Mobile: +66 (0) 873 733 516

Anyone tried those coffee beans in the Nong Khai market? Was tempted but you just dont know what quality they are or if the weavels that live in the bag give a better taste.

anyone bought any from the NK market?

What do you use to grind them down, is there any decent coffee grinders for sale in Udon?

Fussy

Excellent, Goyave - will check him out! Tough finding good beans in these parts!

If you're serious about coffee, you need a burr grinder - with cog-like gears that can be adjusted for perfect grinding, fine or coarse or anything in between.

I haven't looked around for one here, but (alas) bought an expensive one from SBs about 2 years ago; never looked back, actually.

Then, you should use the ground coffee within a day or so, ideally immediately - but I'm too lazy for that!

Merci encore! Symphonies it is!