Why Does Coffee Culture Keep Absorbing Street Food?

Mstand released a Buttered Basque Latte for Halloween along with pastries and merchandise bundles, but a potato sausage scallion pancake drew the most attention. The street food item sat oddly beside a brand known for a refined image, and early tasters said the hot pancake had a crisp shell with mashed potato and sausage filling inside.

The item arrives pre-made and is heated in an oven after ordering. Longtime customers compared it with the brand's earlier breakfast line, and some questioned the merchandise strategy, noting buyers who wanted the packaging more than the contents. The discussion shows how coffee culture brands keep borrowing from everyday food to stay in conversation.

During Halloween, Mstand launched a new Buttered Basque Latte and a series of merchandise bundles, but what truly caught fans' attention was an unexpected potato sausage scallion pancake. As a coffee brand known for its refined and stylish image, Mstand's decision to add a street food item to its menu sparked discussion on social media. This article reviews consumers' genuine feedback on this scallion pancake, longtime customers' recollections of the brand's breakfast product line, and the controversy surrounding Mstand's merchandise strategy, while exploring loyal fans' hopes for the brand to return to its coffee roots.

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Recently, many brands have been rushing to catch the last train of the holiday season, launching Halloween-themed new products. Mstand also joined the ranks, unveiling a new drink called "Buttered Basque Latte" on the day of the holiday, attempting to "confuse" consumers' taste buds with a latte that mimics the flavor of a buttered Basque cheesecake. At the same time, Mstand also rolled out matching pastries and merchandise bundles.

However, among Mstand's new product lineup this round, what truly surprised many fans was neither the new latte flavor nor the laptop bag that had merchandise enthusiasts buying for the packaging rather than the contents, but rather an unexpected potato sausage scallion pancake.

In most consumers' perception, Mstand has always maintained a refined and fashionable brand identity, with its afternoon tea pastries being mostly cakes and desserts that excel in both appearance and taste. So when a street food item like the scallion pancake, brimming with everyday market vibes, suddenly appeared on Mstand's menu, it was inevitably jarring to some.

However, for customers seeking novelty, the more unusual the combination, the more it sparks the desire to try it. Based on shares from the first batch of experimenters on social media, this scallion pancake is a pre-made product that staff heat up in an oven after customers place their orders. Those who have tried it report that the piping hot scallion pancake has a crispy outer layer, with mashed potato and sausage filling, and the overall flavor is quite good.

Some netizens said they hadn't held high expectations before ordering, purely out of curiosity, but after the first bite, they were greatly impressed and gave rave reviews: "I thought a pre-made product just heated up wouldn't be anything to look forward to, but the first bite really blew me away" and "It's hot and genuinely delicious." Some even ate two in one sitting because it suited their taste so well, and suggested the brand keep this product as a permanent menu item.

In response, longtime users who have accompanied the brand for years weren't too surprised. They pointed out that although Mstand is seen by some as synonymous with "refined afternoon tea," the brand had actually launched breakfast pairings like baguettes and fried dough sticks years ago, allowing office workers to grab a coffee and a meal to enjoy a proper breakfast.

However, compared with brands like Starbucks, Manner, and Tims, Mstand's breakfast offerings aren't particularly cost-effective, and the brand has done relatively limited promotion in this area. As a result, many people felt an unexpected pleasant surprise when they tasted this newly launched scallion pancake.

In the eyes of loyal users, in order to continuously bring freshness to customers, Mstand has been racing toward becoming a "coffee-selling merchandise store" in recent years, jokingly dubbed by some as a "merchandise maniac" and "the luggage factory of the coffee world."

Every time a new bundle is launched, discussions about the bundled merchandise flood social media, while the coffee—originally the star of the event—ends up feeling like an accessory to the package.

Because of this, some netizens have joked about whether Mstand still remembers its brand slogan "M Stand, More Than Coffee," and in official promotional posts, longtime users can occasionally be seen leaving comments like "Are you still making coffee at all?"

So those loyal fans who don't want Mstand fussing over merchandise every day can't help but feel a bit gratified when they see the scallion pancake attracting attention, sighing, "The R&D department finally did something real." At the same time, they hope Mstand's R&D team will continue to focus on what matters, rolling out more products that make people's eyes light up, so that public discussion returns to the coffee itself rather than the merchandise.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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