Starbucks is coming to Belgium

10 August 2009

The unstoppable advance of Starbucks into Europe continues. There is one branch of Starbucks in Belgium, at the airport in Zaventem, presumably for the visitors from North America. The global coffee chain is going to open a branch in Antwerp central station later this year.

I have a love-hate relationship with Starbucks: the coffee, while not fantastic, is of a drinkable quality and they provide a comfortable space to kill time. It’s familiar too: whether in Beirut or in Berlin, you feel secure in knowing what you can expect. Yet this kind of sameness, that undoubtedly appeal to some, irks me. Oh well, I’m a hypocrite in these matters.