Cafe culture braces for Frappuccinos to go
January 15, 2004 - The Boston Globe
PARIS - Two words in the modern French vocabulary are almost invariably spoken here with an air of disgust: mondialisation (globalization) and McDonaldisation (no translation necessary). Tomorrow, in what some would see as the next step toward American homogenization and a gastronomic faux pas, Starbucks Coffee Company opens its first retail store in the heart of the City of Light.
The Seattle chain’s Gallic debut on Avenue de l’Opera will be closely followed by a store in La Defense, the high-rise business district west of the Paris city limits. There also are plans for a third French store in an undisclosed location.
Although many Parisians do not see the event as a cultural or economic threat, others familiar with Starbucks’s ``flood the zone’’ approach - it has opened about 200 cafes in London alone, for example - fear they will see the same tactic here.
“If there were 50 [in Paris], I’d rebel,’’ said Claire Chaudiere, part owner of a cafe called Le Rendez-Vous des Amis in the Parisian quarter of Montmartre, who became acquainted with - and enjoyed - Starbucks as an exchange student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “There would be protests and I’d be in them.’‘
Still, she said: ``For the French, it’ll be a neat curiosity to check out, but it probably won’t become a habit for them.’‘
Another of the cafe’s owners, Anne Bory, agreed. “If there were three in Montmartre and they became a local hangout, that could be competition for us.’‘
The French, for whom cafes play a special social role, perceive Starbucks as a grab-and-go experience. In a Parisian cafe, patrons shoot the breeze with the owner - often a neighbor who lives upstairs - and other customers. They might plant themselves on the cafe terrace for hours, watch the world go by, and chat with friends.
Starbucks is expected to continue its smoke-free policy here, where smoking is the norm. French cafes also provide a source for such daily needs as Metro tickets, cigarettes, telephone cards, and stamps.
Starbucks seems to have picked up a touch of French discretion on its trip across the English Channel, seemingly entering the country as inconspicuously as possible. There is no advertising touting the opening in Paris. And if there are plans in France beyond the three outlets, the company is not talking about them publicly. (Starbucks officials in France and the United States did not respond to requests for interviews earlier this week.)
McDonald’s rocky reception in France may play a key factor in this “soft’’ launch. Seen as a gastronomic slap in the face to a country that takes its culture and cuisine seriously, the fast-food giant’s presence culminated in sheep farmer Jose Bove attempting to raze one of the restaurants with a tractor in 1999. As a result, Bove is now something of a national hero.
Despite such sentiments, in the eyes of most French, Starbucks has chosen a market with surprisingly little competition. Few consider it a direct threat to their classic cafes such as Les Deux Magots. Instead, they see it as competition for such small French chains as La Brioche Doree that are hybrids of coffee shops, sandwich shops, and bakeries - places where there is less risk of a sentimental backlash.
Manon Griggio, 18, a wholesale clothes saleswoman born and raised in Paris, was the only person (staff included) at her local cafe in eastern Paris who had heard of Starbucks.
“It will be a good discovery for Parisians, but it’s difficult to lose your old habits,’’ she said. “A good Parisian cafe has a combination of a good and casual ambience, good coffee, and good service.’‘
Griggio compared Starbucks with chains like La Brioche Doree. “The coffee and service at Brioche stink. If Starbucks has American-style reception and good coffee, and they play on the quality of their products, it could work well for them.’‘
And if they show up all over Paris? ``If it’s really over the top, they could see a backlash,’’ she said.
The people who expressed the most anger about the chain’s opening here appeared to be American expatriates.
“I would go out of my way not to go there,’’ said Ellen Dunne, a Scituate, Mass., native who works as a freelance graphic designer. “Expatriates move to France to be in France, not to go to McDonald’s or Starbucks.’‘
Dunne said she has experienced a culture clash at her Parisian office.
“The few times I’ve shown up with a to-go cup in my hand at work, I’ve been laughed at. I won’t do it anymore. It’s asking for ridicule - it’s like showing up in the office with an American flag on my shirt.’‘
Starbucks already has a strong presence in Europe; Britain has seen the largest expansion, with more than 400 stores. Among other countries, Spain has 20 stores and Germany 28.
Rene Peron, a sociologist and specialist on commerce in large cities for CNRS, the French public scientific research organization, said he believes Starbucks has a strong chance of succeeding.
“Different forms of US-style distribution are everywhere in France and the European Union,’’ he said. Even if there were backlash, “there’s a difference between what people say and what they do. McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and the Gap exist all over France and Europe. I don’t see why it would be different for Starbucks.’‘
Caption: Anne Bory, part owner of Le Rendez-Vous des Amis in Paris’s Montmartre quarter, said that she doesn’t yet expect too much trouble from Starbucks, but “if they became a local hangout, that could be competition for us.” / GLOBE PHOTO / JOE RAY
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