METROBLOGGING'S SEAN BONNER gives Atwater Village caffeine-dealer Kaldi Coffee (3147 Glendale Blvd.) the once over:
"There's free wifi, comfy seating, and the staff gets the top rating so far in my book. I've been here off and on for months, but only regularly the past week, and they already know my order before I get to the counter - and actually care about making a good cup of coffee.
"Think Kings Road vs Starbucks. Which is amusing because there's a brand new Starbucks that just opened up a block or so away and when I passed it this morning it was empty."
The rest of the Village seems to agree with Sean. For the most part. Starbucks still has a few slight competitive advantages:
1) Their patio is elevated
2) They open when they say they open
3) They take plastic
If Kaldi evolves to include #2 and #3, the block is theirs for the keeping. |
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1 comment:
I'll gladly forgo the ability to use my credit card for cold pressed coffee, organic coffee, much more interesting coffee and tea choices, LaBrea Bakery baked goods, rice milk, strange Japanese snacks, art on the walls, occasional crafts, and a unique non-generic experience. This last one is really the most important to me. I cannot stand the way the country and really the world is becoming homogenized by the huge corporate franchises. Somehow, in some small way, having a cup of coffee at a place like Kaldi makes me feel as if I'm part of an uprising, a revolution against the corporate greed that is ruining so many aspects of our lives. :)
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