Starbucks in Warsaw - Believe It!

Nowy Świat 62

Hot off the presses: Starbucks opened its first store in Poland this morning. The inaugural store, in Warsaw at Nowy Świat 62, has been in the works for 2 years.

I made haste in getting myself over there for my first Polish Starbucks latte. It was pretty crowded, with TV crews and a crowd of customers (both Polish and International). The employees were practically giddy - the clearly understand what a Big Deal this is.

Opening Team Poland: A surely coveted job

The line, serviced by circulating trays of muffin and cookie samples

It's quite the challenge, I imagine, to find the perfect balance between staying true to the Starbucks brand and appealing to local taste. Another American and I bemoaned the lack of scones (particularly the crack-laced Maple Oat Nut Scone), but we also understood that scones aren't really eaten in Poland. So should Starbucks take it upon itself to bring the wonders of the scone to Poland, or should it just sell them what they want? I pondered a similar quandry in an earlier entry.

From an American's perspective, I think Starbucks succeeded. Entering the store felt like coming home (I know, I know...but you see I have intense love for Starbucks). We'll see how it is received by the locals. The Suits from Seattle are surely keeping a close watch on this high growth-potential market.

A Suit keeping an eye on things

A Variation

This was the first real week of Spring weather in Warsaw, and to celebrate, some friends and I went on a long bicycle around the city.

At one point we reached a park with a bit of a hill. I'll blame being in the wrong gear, rather than my poorly toned muscles, but I nearly fell off my bike halfway up the hill. Naturally, there was a group of about 10 Polish guys standing right there drinking beer. They found my plight hilarious, and they enjoyed making fun of me in Polish until I was far out of sight. I didn't care - the bike ride was splendid!

Ogrodowa Cafe

Some friends, Ola and Bruno, just opened a restaurant in central Warsaw, Ogrodowa Cafe. Their aim is to deliver fresh, interesting food to the neighborhood at reasonable prices. I can't get enough of the place...I eat there at least twice a week and am finding my dependency growing. Luckily, Ola and Bruno are warm and welcoming enablers.

Ola and Bruno, owners

What's interesting is Varwovians aren't quite so enamored--yet. Ola (born in Poland, raised in the US) and Bruno (born and raised in Portugal) tell me that people often come in and exclaim that the menu is "weird." They don't see the usual Warsaw staples: fried meat, potatoes, pasta. But with a little prodding, these skeptics often try the food and find they love it.

Even though Warsaw is a developed European city, a certain level of sophistication hasn't quite taken hold. As Bruno joked last night, wealthy women come in with Gucci purses and don't know what risotto is. Ola and I were trying to figure out why this is: why does Warsaw lack the iconic sidewalk cafes which seem to define so many European cities? Do the people not want to eat interesting food? Or have they simply not been exposed to it enough to demand it?

There is the historical angle to consider. Warsaw has certainly been through a lot of regime and population change in the past several decades, making cultural evolution a bit...disjointed. With the major inflow of capital in recent years, development has happened rapidly, but it is oriented towards wealthy foreigners. Many of the best restaurants in Warsaw have a strong international clientele, and are quite expensive. Not exactly the best way to expose the local population to new flavors.

I love what Ogrodowa Cafe is trying to do. It fills a niche Warsaw didn't know it had, but I hope that people catch on soon and learn to embrace the novelty of it. One of my favorite experiences is eating there with my Polish friend, who has lived in Poland her whole life. Every time she comes to OC, she invariably eats something she's never had before, from peanut butter to split pea soup, to potato chips served alongside a sandwich (not a Polish practice, evidently). And she has loved each and every thing. While traditional Polish food is fine, what's the harm of trying something new every now and then, especially when it is so affordable?

Bruno, creating the delicious