What happened at the americano cafe after the Chongqing backlash?

Starbucks China quietly raised prices on some drinks and food, with americano and latte up by 1 to 2 yuan, saying the change followed a full assessment of operating costs. The move came days after its Chongqing Ciqikou store was accused of driving away police officers eating outside, sparking public backlash, white flowers and eggs delivered to the store, and a flood of negative reviews.

Starbucks China responded on Weibo on the evening of February 14, but many netizens rejected the explanation. The Ciqikou store closed the day of the response and later reopened, becoming a livestreaming spot. Question marks over how the brand balances public opinion with operating costs now hang over the cafe americano coffee menu, and the outcome remains to be seen.

Starbucks has recently been mired in controversy. First, its Chongqing Ciqikou store was reported to have driven away police officers who were eating outside the store, triggering a strong public backlash. Subsequently, some citizens went to the store involved to deliver white flowers and throw eggs, and the Dianping comment section was also flooded with negative reviews. Before the incident had even subsided, Starbucks China quietly raised the prices of some drinks and food items, with products such as Americano and latte increasing by 1 to 2 yuan. The brand's customer service said this move was an adjustment made after a comprehensive assessment of operating costs. Facing the double pressure of public opinion and operating costs, whether Starbucks can continue to win consumers' hearts is worth watching.

Starbucks was once a popular choice among consumers, but recently it has frequently become embroiled in public opinion storms. Within just two months, several high-profile incidents in succession have caused many regular coffee drinkers to develop subtle changes in their impression of this brand.

Most people familiar with cafe consumption habits know: eating inside the store is allowed, but foods with overly strong odors are usually discouraged. However, a screenshot circulating on WeChat Moments a few days ago showed that employees at a Starbucks store in Chongqing drove away police officers who were eating takeout inside the store, on the grounds that it affected Starbucks' brand image.

Coffee Workshop reported on this matter yesterday. The next day after the incident, that is, the evening of February 14, Starbucks China responded through its official Weibo, but a large number of netizens clearly did not accept this explanation. Some netizens claimed that the Starbucks Chongqing Ciqikou store was closed on the day it issued the response, and only reopened afterward.

By today, this store has become a livestreaming hotspot for many local streamers. Unlike before, these streamers did not come to check in and consume, but specifically to record the store's latest situation. Videos circulating online show that some netizens sent strongly odorous foods such as luosifen, as well as white flowers, to the store involved.

Another online video showed that on February 15, citizens came to the Starbucks store involved to deliver white flowers and threw eggs on the ground. In the video, it can also be seen that when the store's cleaning staff were about to step forward to clean up, they were repeatedly stopped by citizens: "Don't sweep."

At the same time, the comment section of the Starbucks store involved on Dianping directly "exploded," with a large number of netizens flooding in to post negative reviews.

Regarding such behavior, some netizens said it was "gratifying," but many others pointed out that this approach undoubtedly increased the burden on staff and expressed disapproval of the excessive actions. Some views on Weibo also held that, setting aside the Starbucks incident, the participants in "delivering white flowers and throwing eggs" were already suspected of violating the law.

Some netizens said that everyone in every position has their own duties, and this so-called act of "sending warmth" instead added more workload for frontline employees and even hindered them from properly performing their duties. The incident is at the center of the storm, and the employees involved probably never expected it to develop into a situation that truly "affects the image."

Starbucks is currently entangled in news, and the aftermath of the "driving away police officers" controversy has not yet subsided, with discussion remaining intensely heated. Apart from issuing one response, the brand seems to have no time to pay much attention to online comments and citizens coming to check in. On the afternoon of February 16, Sina Finance reported that some Starbucks products had quietly begun to increase in price. An employee at a Starbucks store in Shanghai said they had not received prior notice and that prices suddenly began to change that day.

According to Starbucks' official app, the prices of many products, including Americano and latte, were raised by 1 to 2 yuan compared with before. Taking a grande Americano as an example, the previous price was 28 yuan, and it has now risen to 30 yuan. Starbucks customer service explained that this price adjustment was based on a comprehensive assessment and multiple factors such as operating costs, and that pricing for some drinks and food items had been adjusted.

In fact, there were early signs of Starbucks raising prices. The company publicly stated in early February that it would continue to raise prices in the coming months to ease the erosion of profits by rising costs and inflation, though at the time it did not specify whether this included the Chinese market. Clearly, Starbucks China has now also followed the pace of global price increases.

Raising prices while at the center of public opinion may be a helpless move under operating pressure. So, can Starbucks coffee continue to smell as good? We shall wait and see.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.