Starbucks to be 'forbidden'

By Keri D.
Chinese Netizens are campaigning to get Starbucks chased out of the Forbidden City in Beijing, where it has nestled happily for some seven years. Okay, I admit it, I often stop for a Starbucks coffee on the way to work. Yes, I know it is one of those companies which has become an icon of American corporate branding, but the coffee is miles better than the undrinkable stuff that was served before Starbucks got to my home city of Hong Kong.

Yet at the same time, I fully understand the massive campaign against Starbucks in the Forbidden City. It just sounds odd. It's like putting a McDonald's in Buckingham Palace or a KFC at Angkor Watt. The Guardian said it was "one of the most incongruous sights of the globalised age" and I tend to agree.
     There's a furious online campaign against it in China, and the betting is that it will be removed shortly. The authorities have already announced that they are reviewing the presence of the coffee shop.
     I suspect it will be a business versus politics battle. Starbucks may be politically incorrect, and thus should be moved out of the Forbidden City -- on the other hand, no doubt it is paying big bucks in rent to the Mandarins in charge -- so there are likely to be people wanting it to stay.
     Removing it may be bad news -- the chances are that it will simply be replaced with a Chinese own-brand coffee shop, which may not may not serve better coffee.
     The best answer may be to compromise. Those making the decision -- and my old friend Eden Woo, boss of the Starbucks chain's China division -- may want to push this option: There was a similar row on Hampstead High Street in London when McDonald's rented a shop premises.
     There were massive campaigns against it, leafletting and so on. But in the end, McDonald's abandoned much of its standard design: no red, no plastic chairs, no clowns, no big yellow arch logos, no tacky anything. The abandoned their corporate rule book and designed a small, rather elegant restaurant in black-stained wood. It was actually rather nice. Oh, it served all the same junk food, but the shop itself actually looked nicer than most of its neighbours.
     Starbucks in the Forbidden City has opted for the minimalist look already to some extent. But it may have to remove all its logos if it wants to survive.

Pic: Andrew Eick/ Flickr/ Creative Commons

Comments

[Mocha]

Yes, Starbucks should definitely get out of the Forbidden City. Cappuccinos etc are nasty Western drinks and have no place in Asia.

signed,
Pacific Coffee