1142 replies to this topic

[Barrrister]

While you guys were out having coffee I finished assembling a rowing machine. Suspect that my wife will use it more than I do but, I figure I will give it a try.

[Brantastic]

I had half an hour to kill yesterday with a friend so we decided to grab a coffee downtown. But there was no place to go. There were a lot of places selling take-out coffee but nowhere to sit and drink it--no outdoor seating, no benches. We walked around for a while and sat down on the plywood seating contraption outside Dutch Bakery but without coffee because by that time I didn't have enough time to line up anywhere to get some.

You can still sit outside at Hey Happy, 2% Jazz, Union Pacific Coffee or Bean Around the World on dry days. Bean Around the World has also temporarily expanded into the Fortune Art Gallery next door as well. It's a really pleasant place to sit and have a coffee and look at local art (which they switch out frequently).

[max.bravo]

Anybody know a coffee shop or cafe in oak bay that’s good for a sit down visit? Starbucks is my usual but they arent doing dine in.

[Matt R.]

What about the cafe in Athlone court? Ottavio? Obmg?

Matt.

[Mike K.]

Anybody know a coffee shop or cafe in oak bay that’s good for a sit down visit? Starbucks is my usual but they arent doing dine in.

Not sure if they’ll permit sit-down with the rule change, but I always stop by the place on St. Patrick, Delish I think it’s called. Nice little gem of a place.

[marks_28]

Anybody know a coffee shop or cafe in oak bay that’s good for a sit down visit? Starbucks is my usual but they arent doing dine in.

Sedona Cafe on Cadboro Bay Road. We dined inside there yesterday. They have a decent amount of Covid protocols in place.

[RandyPicnic]

Anybody know a coffee shop or cafe in oak bay that’s good for a sit down visit? Starbucks is my usual but they arent doing dine in.

Frescafe (the old Serious Coffee) on Oak Bay Ave has socially-distanced tables indoors and several on a big patio as well. They were limiting stays to one hour when they first reopened, but I'm not sure about their policies now.

[RandyPicnic]

You can still sit outside at Hey Happy, 2% Jazz, Union Pacific Coffee or Bean Around the World on dry days. Bean Around the World has also temporarily expanded into the Fortune Art Gallery next door as well. It's a really pleasant place to sit and have a coffee and look at local art (which they switch out frequently).

QV has added outdoor pods 

 

https://vancouverisl...o-use-1.5200039

[sebberry]

QV has added outdoor pods 

 

https://vancouverisl...o-use-1.5200039

 

I want to use one of those after someone with COVID has been coughing in there...

[JohnsonStBridge]

Anybody know a coffee shop or cafe in oak bay that’s good for a sit down visit? Starbucks is my usual but they arent doing dine in.

 

Technically a block outside of Oak Bay, but if your a bit flexible, Hide and Seek has a new location behind the Gonzales pharmacy (Fairfield & Irving St) with patio seating in Covid times.

[Victoria Watcher]

$345,000

 

Excellent opportunity to own a VERY profitable and stable franchise. This well-established cafe is a popular local meeting place that also attracts tourists and visitors with its friendly, long-term staff and great selection of food, coffee and retail items. Situated in a high-traffic retail mall with over 100 shared parking spaces it is complimented by the other adjacent businesses (laundromat, etc.). Located in a newer building with a solid lease in place. A truly turn-key business in an excellent location in one of the fastest growing communities in BC!

 

https://www.realtor....sooke-vill-core

 

 

 

 

you need to sell an awful lot of coffee before you start making your investment back.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 January 2021 - 11:53 AM.

[Mike K.]

Yeah, this has been for sale for quite a while. It was listed well before the two Tim Hortons’ showed up. $345k is asking quite a lot.

[Jackerbie]

More changes coming to Starbucks over the next few years. They're looking at closing up to 200 locations in Canada, though this may be off-set with better positioned new locations. We will likely see the pick-up store concept expand out of Toronto to other urban markets. The pick-up stores offer mobile ordering only aimed at the grab-and-go office crowd.

 

via https://www.cbc.ca/n...anada-1.5605902

 

As Starbucks continues to tweak their business model, it's been confirmed that 300 locations in Canada will be permanently closed by March. Unclear to me if this is in addition to the earlier announcement of 200 closures over two years, or an increase to that number to 300 total closures.

[Barrrister]

Can not say that I will miss the Starbucks stores but I feel sorry for the people losing their jobs. Still it might be a boast to some local coffee shops. 

[Kapten Kapsell]

Starbucks closed its Bay Centre location at close of business in January 31. That leaves two remaining locations downtown (Yates/Government and Quadra/Fort). Has Starbucks closed any other locations locally in 2021...?

[Brantastic]

While not technically within the boundaries of Downtown, the locations at the Robert Bateman Centre and inside the Pandora Save On are basically Downtown. But including the one that was inside Chapters, that's 4 Downtown locations gone. Personally, I'm happy to see them go. More business for the dozens of other, more interesting local coffee shops Downtown that serve better coffee. A Starbucks on every corner just makes Downtown feel generic and corporate.

[Victoria Watcher]

 Personally, I'm happy to see them go. More business for the dozens of other, more interesting local coffee shops Downtown that serve better coffee. A Starbucks on every corner just makes Downtown feel generic and corporate.

 

lots of people cheer that way.  but starbucks pays much higher wages and has better working conditions than most of the smaller shops that might replace them.  but if that's what people want.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 February 2021 - 11:06 AM.

[Kapten Kapsell]

I think there's a place for both Starbucks and independent shops, and some of the independent shops *do have* good working conditions, etc (I know of one person who left Starbucks to work at Bubby Rose).  I do think that a distinguishing factor of our coffee market is the competitiveness of it; in some non-West-Coast communities, Starbucks and Tim Horton's are the only options, but that's definitely not true in and around downtown Victoria.  One of the things that might be hurting Starbucks at the moment is the inability to eat in, which several independents are still offering.  I also think that Starbucks could be more competitive if it sourced from local bakeries in order to have fresher products on offer...

[pennymurphy2000]

 I also think that Starbucks could be more competitive if it sourced from local bakeries in order to have fresher products on offer...

They used to! At one time you were able to get treats from Patisserie Daniel and Cakes Etc. 

It was such a shame when they switched to their own brand of treats. The quality went way down. 

[Victoria Watcher]

They used to! At one time you were able to get treats from Patisserie Daniel and Cakes Etc. 

It was such a shame when they switched to their own brand of treats. The quality went way down. 

 

it's difficult.  a rogue manager cuts corners for some reason on the treat supplier and it potentially affects overall image qualify of the brand.  hard.