When Was the First McCafe Opened and Where? A Blue Bottle Truck Offers a Pop-Up Lesson

A Blue Bottle Coffee truck began a three-month stay near West Lake in Hangzhou. On day one, customers waited about an hour in the cold for limited-edition gifts and photos with the retro truck. A day later the queue had faded, and some visitors questioned the value of a 28–58 yuan menu served without seating.

Comparisons to Blue Bottle's co-branded pop-up in Beijing and its Shenzhen store have shaped how this Hangzhou stop is read. Online talk suggests the truck may warm up a future Hangzhou store, though officials have disclosed no plans. For older chains, the lesson echoes when was the first mccafe opened and where: novelty drives crowds, sustained value keeps them.

Specialty coffee brand Blue Bottle Coffee recently drove a grayish-white coffee truck bearing the brand's logo to the shores of West Lake in Hangzhou, planning to stay for three months. On the first official day of business, consumers queued for about an hour in the cold wind, receiving limited-edition small gifts and taking photos with the retro coffee truck; however, just one day later, the queuing spectacle had noticeably faded. The coffee truck's limited menu is priced between 28 and 58 yuan, similar to in-store prices, yet it cannot provide comfortable seating, prompting some consumers to question its value for money. Looking back at the controversy over its previous co-branded pop-up in Beijing, as well as the positive reception of its Shenzhen pop-up store, Blue Bottle's Hangzhou pop-up model this time seems to face more scrutiny. Online speculation suggests this move may be warming up for a future Hangzhou store, but officials have not yet disclosed any related plans.

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Following its two-day co-branded pop-up store in Beijing, specialty coffee industry pioneer Blue Bottle Coffee has made another move—a grayish-white coffee truck bearing the Blue Bottle Coffee logo has driven into Hangzhou and is expected to stay by West Lake for three months. Compared to the long queues in front of Blue Bottle Coffee's previous store openings, although there was a queue in front of the coffee truck that officially opened yesterday, the line was not exaggeratedly long. According to feedback from netizens who visited the site, waiting to pick up an order takes about an hour.

Just one day later, the Blue Bottle Coffee truck on the street already looked somewhat deserted, with only a few scattered pedestrians standing in front of the counter waiting. Yesterday's long queue seemed like a fleeting illusion, gone in an instant. Even during peak foot traffic hours, the time customers spent queuing to pick up their orders was significantly shorter than during the same period yesterday.

It is understood that on the day the Blue Bottle Coffee truck officially opened, consumers who came to buy coffee could receive limited-edition small gifts; moreover, since that day was a relatively free Sunday, many coffee lovers took the time to bundle up in coats and down jackets, put on fuzzy hats, and come to the coffee truck in the chilly overcast wind to queue up and check in, holding their coffee high and taking photos with that exquisite retro European ERIBA Touring series 60th anniversary commemorative coffee truck.

However, according to some consumers who visited, queuing up to check in at this Blue Bottle Coffee truck was not worth it.

Judging from the limited menu offered by the Blue Bottle Coffee truck, coffee drinks are priced between 28 and 58 yuan, not much different from the store menu prices. But compared with brick-and-mortar stores, this coffee truck standing on the street cannot provide customers with comfortable seating; everyone can only stand in the cold, gloomy weather holding a cup of coffee costing over 40 yuan per person. For some coffee lovers who care about value for money, this is somewhat hard to accept.

Regarding Blue Bottle Coffee's pop-up model launched in Hangzhou this time, local consumers also seem unwilling to pay for it. Some commented: "Setting up a crappy truck and selling at this price—this isn't selling coffee, it's robbery," "This is just for people with more money than sense," "Really, if I can't sit comfortably, I'm not willing to pay," "Queuing so long in the freezing cold is an IQ tax."

Looking back at Blue Bottle Coffee's previous co-branded pop-up event in Beijing, the widely discussed "limited-time instant dissolve" incident more or less affected its image in consumers' minds. Coupled with the lukewarm response to this Hangzhou coffee truck, Blue Bottle Coffee's pop-up model seems unlikely to replicate the good results of its earlier Shenzhen pop-up store. Consumers also have considerable complaints about the relatively high product pricing at Blue Bottle Coffee pop-up stores and the product quality that does not match the pricing. In addition, more and more coffee lovers are becoming increasingly rational about consuming coffee from well-known brands, which may also be one of the reasons why the queue in front of the Blue Bottle Coffee truck in Hangzhou this time was not very exaggerated.

There is also online speculation that Blue Bottle Coffee's launch of a coffee truck in Hangzhou may be a warm-up for opening a Hangzhou store later. However, as of now, officials still have not disclosed any information about Blue Bottle Coffee landing in Hangzhou. Whether this Blue Bottle Coffee truck parked by West Lake can truly drive into a Hangzhou store in the future, we can only wait patiently.

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