Coffee Culture is a franchise. Let's just get that point out of the way. It's a medium-sized (31 stores) Canadian franchise spread across Ontario. Furthermore, it's a franchise that decided to open its first Toronto location right across the street from (arguably) the most celebrated little quality coffee shop in the city. C'mon, that is gutsy. That is oddly impressive. Who are these people at Coffee Culture? More importantly, who do they think they are?
If their gaudy website and/or info pamphlet are any indication, they are first and foremost a place that has free Internet and a plasma TV. Now, I haven't thought about plasma TV in a long time, but I don't remember it being such a bad thing. Plus, the website says they carry sandwiches and welcome casual business meetings, so Alyssa and I and one of our business partners went over there for lunch on Monday to check out this confusing establishment.
The first thing I notice about Coffee Culture is... the booths. There are many and they look really comfortable and over/undersized (each side is not quite big enough for two people, not quite small enough for just one). Most booths are occupied by lone individuals on their laptops, presumably enjoying that advertised free wifi, so the three of us are left with some comfy chairs in the corner next to the faux fireplace and plasma TV broadcasting a muted CP24.
The offerings are extensive: grilled sandwiches of all sorts, bagels and soups of the day, espresso drinks and freshly baked (from frozen) Danishes. There is also a selection of "famous cookies" and cakes from La Rocca. Although no one can tell me where the bread and bagels come from, the service so adorably pleasant that I can only assume these people are happy I'm here.
Collectively, we have three different sandwiches (margherita chicken, chicken and roasted vegetables and honey grilled ham with Swiss), a soup of the day (tomato bisque) and one coffee. The soup ($2.50 to add) "tastes kind of homemade." The sandwiches ('bout $6 each) are not terribly disappointing, obviously recently assembled and about on par with any mid level food franchise (like one of those Subway sandwiches). Alyssa is the one with the coffee and she shrugs her shoulders about it. "On the better side of standard," she says.
To sum up: as far as the food and drink go, there are no surprises here at Coffee Culture, which is precisely what's so... surprising. The place is full to the brim. We couldn't even get a booth! Sandwiches are being ordered left, right n' centre and the place appears to be doing killer business, even across the street from Manic, and Kahawa which we dropped into for comparisons sake and found pretty quiet (and they even have a lunch menu and a sign offering free wifi at Kahawa).
I like to drop into Tim Horton's from time to time because it's a remnant comfort from my childhood. I understand the presence of Second Cup and Starbucks because they were around way before this indie coffee house Toronto blow-up in recent years. But this new place confuses me. It's comfortable in there, but I wouldn't expect it to thrive in a quality coffee neighbourhood like this. I wouldn't even expect it to appear in a neighbourhood like this. Who are these people at Coffee Culture with their comfortable booths and their standard brew?
Photos by Alyssa Bistonath
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I've never been to Coffee Culture, so can't pass judgment on its charms or lack thereof. But I do wonder if maybe, in part, people don't even know that it's a chain. Honestly, I didn't. And the only thing that's prevented me from trying it is loyalty to Manic, which is my favourite coffee joint in that neck of the woods.
Equally, I'm sure, there are people who DO know it's a chain and like that cos at a chain you never have to expect the unexpected, yeah?
You rave about the booths, the seating, but no pics? I would much rather see the layout of the place then a close-up shot of pie.
meh, have a look at the pics on their website. Looks and feels like a typical American shopping mall chain restaurant that specializes in coffee.
Coffee Culture's parent company is The Obsidian Group, who also controls the mediocre Crabby Joe's chain.
Well, if places like Manic are frequented by people who like to talk about *other* people's baffling tastes in mediocre cuisine, then I can see why they'd rather go to Coffee Culture.
I love how the place is called Coffee Culture, yet Coffee seems to be the furthest thing from their priority ("On the better side of standard" ...really?). Not one photo of their "espresso drinks" (the first thing on the mind of any 'true' coffee lover), instead, promises of free wi-fi and TV (why not just stay home?)
This review merely reinforces my original aversion to even trying this place out- especially since Manic offers everything I could ask for from a coffee shop (ie: amazing espresso, minimal saturation of laptop-toting internet-junkies, and an unregulated soundtrack.)
I would rather go to Coffee Culture than the Manic and Kahawa after reading this review as per Gloria's comment.
The real answer to the question is that Coffee Culture, when planning for this location, only cared if there was a Tim Hortons nearby, not if there was an espresso bar or serious coffee place close. I think that's obvious isn't it?
Coffee Culture have a location in Hanover, Ontario, which is a godsend for me when I visit my parents who are in dial-up hell. Their coffee is better than Tim Horton's (basically the only other option, other than fast food coffee), but I've found it not on par with smaller places in Toronto (e.g. Cherry Bomb, Lit, Ella's Uncle).
However, my experiences have been pretty positive and really cheap refills. I doubt I'll go to the Toronto location, but do wish them well.
So you are discounting the value of your experience based on the fact that it is a chain? Sometimes I find that by being a chain an establishment can lose it's charms, but I didn't even know Coffee Culture was a chain when I went there. The service is super friendly, the seating is comfy, the lighting is nice, the drinks and food are all good. Other cafes which comparison have been drawn too have a much much smaller selection of beverages and food. Yes they aren't going to have vegan chocolate cookies, but the place isn't brimming with people wearing over sized sunglasses. Hipsters just feel uncomfortable when they aren't included. I say this with an air of cheekiness. The place is just nice, get over it. This place is what chains like star bucks or second cup are aspiring to be and fall flat.
I am sorry there feller, but you mustn't have much of a sweet tooth because manics sweet selection is lacking. And I love their vegan chocolate cookies darn it. So when you go to a coffee shop you sit there and judge the internet junkies? Maybe you should get a hobby that involves something better than judging others through your oversize sunglasses you tight jean, American Apparel white t vneck wearing pretensions dip $#!t. And what in the name of all that is good is an unregulated sound track? "My itunes play list is on random. I live on the edge of what we conceive as being cool. I am beyond what any human dialect can describe." Any sound track is regulated by someones frekking taste and runs the risk of being disliked. Put in your white ear buds, crank up your iphone and shut up. If we had it your way we would just be avoiding anything that might be conformist. Nuff said. And please, can we all get a little aggressive in comment sections now and then without people whinging about it? Otherwise this might happen http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093894/
william's coffee pub by another name
This is so typical... A pathetic review of a cafe/coffee place without a proper review or even understanding of real coffee... Until then, this city will continue to be populated by "coffee joints" like TH/SB etc.
Hey, maybe take a moment and try to see a perspective other than your own. Now imagine that everyone in the world is not interested in a convoluted, flavour profile in a cafe review. Also, Every city has places like this, and Starbucks, etc. Did you think that average/middle of the road cafes were somehow exclusives of Toronto? I think the one typical thing about this review is the critical/pompous comment posting with someone going by the name "Gastronomic gastroenterologist". I bet your foodie friends love you. In my opinion, I wouldn't blame the success of Tim Horton's or Coffee Culture on a blog posting. Just saying.
I really love coffee culture - perhaps because I had a great hangover coffee there one day at the Burlington location, and now it's just a sentimental thing. Think of it as somewhere between Tim's and Starbuckle. Yes, it's average. I think that's what I like about it.
p.s. their chocolate croissants are filled with a nutella-like ganache. it's intense.
I haven't had their regular coffee, but their frozen drinks are okay (if sugary). I do appreciate the large patio. I think I've gone there three times, and the last two times the music was exactly the same playlist - I think it was from some kind of adult-contemporary satellite radio station, or at least that was the impression I had. Music's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it was a little annoying to hear exactly the same thing like that.
I still prefer Kahawa.
I will commend Coffee Culture for having a bold location strategy. Hanover, Ontario is the perfect example. They have locations in Downtown Milton and Downtown Brampton, which really needed a good hang-out joint. CC has been one of the best things happen recently to Downtown Brampton, and the coffee is good, the sandwiches fine, and open late and really comfy.
An addendum: the College Street store is a surprising deviation - the chain seems to have done well by going into smaller towns and neglected downtowns (like Brampton, Oshawa, Sarnia).
http://www.coffeeculture.ca/canada/index-5.html
Heck, they have a location in Downtown Brantford, which a few years ago looked like a war zone (and parts of it still do). At least someone is taking a bit of a risk and doing well.
I get the appeal of Manic, but their espresso is hideously bitter and unfortunate.
Kahawa suffers from an all too confusing name and questionable graphic design, which makes the place a bit unmemorable when walking by.
Coffee Culture is an alright place. It's not Tim Hortons and it's not Starbucks. It's full because some people just don't fit into skinny jeans and don't like deep-vs...
Admittedly I haven't tried the College St location, but when I was in vacation in Owen Sound two weeks ago, the coffee at CC was so bad that I had to throw it in the garbage. Even after I put milk in it. Even though I had been sleeping in a tent for a week and desperately in need of coffee, I had to throw it in the garbage. That's pretty bad.
Coffee Culture is a homey kind of place, but since it is a franchise with multiple owners, some CC's aren't that great. There is one in Downtown Burlington, and the owners seem to be lost in the ways of running the business, and are incredibly rude to their employees and each other when they think no one is watching. The coffee is half decent, the food is good; although in a place like that, in an albeit small downtown area, customer service is key. You do not want to be talking to a used car salesmen, trying to get you to buy coffee and thats what it feels like talking to the owners. Most of their employees are polite and personal, while others are obviously just in need of the money.
With other competitors (Starbucks, Second Cup, Tim Hortons, and Williams) just up the street, you have to step up your game. Whether that is in customer service, or proper managing.
It is a wonderful establishment, with the booths and fireplace that are in most of the others, and with those minor adjustments, they might get that much more service.
And possibly take that 'Help Wanted' sign off the door. Considering that has been up for a majority of the summer and into the fall, it makes you wonder where their employees are going? Obviously working environment has to do with that issue.
hey you guys look at you some of you are trashing coffee culture while others are standing up for it what have we all reduced to i appreciate those of you standing up for the coffee cultures and sure some of you may have had one bad visit but really they serve good quality beverages and food and i can say this one because i am a fan of them and their food and alot of the stores have a very warm and inviting atmosphere and as for the person who pretty well had nothign nice to say about the downtown burlington location all i have to say is that is YOUR personal opinion i for one work there and what is more than is i can say they offer amazing coffee which says alot since i dont drink much coffee due to being really picky i mainly stick to my teas and another thing watch who you are talking trash about because did you not think that maybe the daughter of the brant st burlingtons stores owners daughter might stumble upon this blog site. as it is my mom and step father that own this store and considering i find it to be one of the more friendlier atmospheres there are and the music selection is generally jazz due to the class of the store. i am ashamed about those of you who have nothing positive to say about these stores considering how this franchise is and open and welcoming environment and how all the stores have their own seperate owners and where the locations are are generally up to the person/people who have bought that individual store the owner generally places the store where they feel they will strive and so be it if it happens to be near your favorite coffee pub or place it is an individuals point of view that keeps people away from certain stores where as really we should all try it once or twice and btw my mom and step dad are great people just going through a rough time i dont see all of you out there having just opened your own coffee shop and having to put in long hours because you opened about a year ago i dont see you having to fight to make ends meet cuz you are putting most of your time and effort into your new store all you can do is hope that word gets around and that your store gets the publicity that you need to survive so once you have gone and opened your own little coffee shop then maybe you can come back and try talking down about people that some of us may know . this is actually really pathetic that some of you have nothing better to do than talk down about stores and yes we are busy and that is because WE DO OFFER GREAT SERVICE AND GREAT FOOD and WE DO HAVE ENTERTAINMENT OFTEN(burlington store at least : 390 Brant St) we do try to keep our customers happy and if one or two walks out displeased all i can say is at least we tried now if you have any more complaints about the 390 Brant st store please feel free to contact me and i will try to help you in anyway possible but we dont need everyone judging us based on a little review posted by someone who happened to have a displeasing time at a store.
thank you to anyone who actually takes the time to read this i appreciate it and have a good day sincerely danielle and i will be back to keep an eye on this blog.
to all the haters of coffee culture i think that you guys might need to go back and try it again
to me coffee culture in town is a fantastic place for young and old to grab a coffee(or another beverage) and catch up with a friend
i find the one in Grimsby PACKED with students and adults every day no matter what time it is.
ps danielle way to stick up for your parents! and other people who acctually love coffee culture!
Danielle,
The right you have to write a post defending a store, is the same right anyone has to comment, positively or negatively about one. Remember that. It doesn't matter how much work someone puts into a company/business, what matters is what a customer gets in their experience. Coffee Culture, as much as you disagree, is a franchise in which your parents place the orders for all food supplies over the internet from Sysco. Everything comes in either frozen, pre-cut, and packaged. Nothing Coffee Cultures makes is from scratch and the coffee comes from an automatic machine. It is somewhere between a Starbucks and Tim Hortons. I'm saying this because most of us in the city put a pretty high demand on our cafes, or at least try to. Cafes, etc only meet the expectations that the customers put on them, that is why there is criticism. It is up to the cafe to either meet their expectations or not meet them.
Another big also, you have no idea what we do for a living, how we pay the bills, etc. You have no idea how hard we work. Whether we are all students, waiters, artists, retail clerks, business owners, or lawyers don't presume you know who you are speaking to. You only know that we are people who may or may not have had a pleasant experience at a Coffee Culture. Keep an eye on that.
Do you know what punctuation marks are? Please use them cause having a mega-long run-on sentence is definitely not going to help with people reading your defense.
Also, as David has pointed out above, it is anyone's prerogative to have and form their own opinion, as it is yours. So do not be so arrogant and presumptuous to assume that people that have expressed opinions here are "pathetic people who have nothing better to do than talk down about stores". Watch your language.
The above comment was directed to Danielle St Jean.
christ, was it ever annoying to read danielle st john's commments. christ!!!!
We're thinking of opening a Coffee Culture in Niagara Falls. We visited the St. Catharines store and were impressed by the decor, service and menu. The owner was there and took the time to answer our inquiries (even though it was quite busy). We like what we saw and intend on pursuing our franchise.
i dont know what you are used to but there coffee is awesome! they have different coffees there, for example don't buy dark or house if your used to weak coffee.
Hi kurt, did you ever open a coffee culture in Niagara Falls? just curious...if so where is it located? Thanks
Coffee Culture (Obsidian Group) already has owners walking away. Being ripped off by a franchisor is getting really sad in this country. The Franchises are going broke. I hope the Obsidian Group / Crabby Joe's / Coffee Culture / Union Burger have to repay all the poor suckers that gave them their life savings. Please boycott anything Obsidian Group owns. :(... Please take care of the privately owned and operated businesses. Not the poorly operated franchises owned by the Obsidian Group.
Al, what specifically, please, have you heard about franchisees walking away?
Hello
Chatham owners just walked away from their location after only a year. Wallaceburg Crabby Joe's walked away after a year. There are also others. I think Bracebridge Crabby's. And there are several other Obsidian owners who are very unhappy.
Are you a member of the Obsidian family or ex-family?
Neither but considering an investment of sorts in the Coffee end of the business so was interested in your comment. The Crabby Joes looks a little iffy but the Coffee Culture I think looks better. But I guess it depends on the market and the location.
Al, I have heard a lot of owners of Coffee Culture are unhappy. Do you know what was the problem at Bracebridge?
Found out that Wallaceburg owners could not agree with Obsidian so walked.
Heard a lot of people have left Obsidian, President, managers and that owners are speaking out about bad treatment. Sounds like a rip off. Why are these people allowed to continue...
Obsidian group is a complete joke. If you are considering entering into a contract with these people, I suggest you find yourself a good franchise lawyer and do your homework. Call the current owners of any store, coffee culture or crabby's and they will be more than happy to tell you that everyone is losing money while head office sits back and rakes it in. They pump up food costs, charge obscene amounts of rent. I could go on and on..... Want more info? Just ask.
I hope someone brings these people down. I've heard of at least 7 owners who have lawsuits pending. Good luck GUS!!
:)
Jane
If you can give me any information you have regarding the obsidian broup I would appreciate it. My personal email address is allen196700@hotmail.com
Hi
i am looking at purchasing a coffee culture franchise in the next week or two so if any one has some inside information that you think might be important for me to know about i would really like to it if you could let me know thanks
Dear Kevin,
Are you insane??? Have you read the above comments? I highly
suggest you stay away from this Franshisor!
Ok. I have read all the comments. Mixed messages however I am interested in furthur information regarding franchise problems. Coffee customer complaints are one thing but lawsuits are another matter. I like the coffee and business and looking at it for a business. Anymore comments please share.
MY MOM OWNS COFFEE CULTURE BRAMTON ONTARIO IM DAWN TOWN BRAMTON
Obsidian group is a complete joke. They are crooks
Obsidian Group are crooks. Stay away from them!!!!
All that I can say is to stay away from Obsidian Group. They are a terrible company to deal with. I have heard of numerous owners walking. I am sure that the list is going to grow as the months go on.
dear Joanne
i was in the same boat as you all ready to purchase but i spoke with several other owners and took their advise and looked deep into how they want you to finance, and when you ask them for the financial statements on an existing franchise you are looking to purchase you are not able to have them all they will give you is projections because they want you to purchase the place as a new business and get money from lease hold improvement loans. they tried this with me the statute of limitations on lease hold is only 180 days but they were doing paper work on lease hold improvements that were over 3 years old ( last i checked that is fraud ) and it was going to be all in my name. They even went so far as to tell me to fire the financial adviser i had and they would get me the money with their bank they deal with. My advise to you is to run away and do not look back. and i have to thank every one that was on here and helped me to ask the right questions and get the real story THANKS FOR THE HELP EVERY ONE
Wow, I just read all your comments. I have never seen so many opinions, good and bad, regarding a fairly small coffee chain. It is clear, the independent coffee shop promoters don't want to see this chain succeed. This tells me they actually have something good happening here. Personally, I think the coffee and menu is quite good. The way I see it, Coffee Culture is a mix of Starbucks & Panera Bread at at franchise cost that is realistic for smaller entrepreneurs who want to get into the coffee business. The problem with selling just coffee is the difficulty in generating enough sales to be profitable enough to want to be or stay in the business. Frankly, the food is what drives the average sales per customer to a level where you can actually make enough money to be in this business. Example, Panera Bread has good food but bad coffee. Their stores average $3 million in sales in my area. The problem is that Panera Bread requires a net worth of $7.5 million and liquid capital of $3.5 million to be considered. I don't know about all of you, but this potential entrepreneur doesn't have that kind of capital. Coffee Culture has good, not great, coffee and food along with a realistic initial investment. Combine this with a relaxed environment and Old-World decor, and you actually have what I believe is the the next big thing in the coffee business.
Wow, that comment is so obviously from someone involved with Coffee Culture. I've tried to stay out of these comments, but a friend used to own the franchise in Port Perry and he used to go on about the incompetence and bizarre business deals with regards to franchise financing, etc.
Bottom line: It's a bad company, a bad business, bad management. Simple.
Actually, I'm not involved with Coffee Culture. I don't have access to the information you are referencing regarding financing. However, I do understand credit is difficult to obtain these days. Therefore, the only franchise financing I am hearing about is 401(k) rollovers, HELOCs and cash infusions. Please enlighten me as to the other forms of franchise financing Coffee Culture employs.
all i can say is that if you look into the lending rules for lease hold improvements you will see that you are not able to claim any lease hold improvement that has been done more then 180 days prior to the loan application being filed. obsidian group seams to thing that there is no limit on time frame and no limit on the amount of times they can reuse the expenses. The best thing i ever did was walk away. by the way there has been another franchisee walk away from their coffee shop in Kincardine because they could not make it work this makes 9 in the last 18 months (possibly more )
Kevin, the only financing available in Canada for this type of business would be under the CSBFL program unless a investor wanted to put a home on the hook. If it is the CSBFL program the 6 month rule you refer to applies to the period of lending from the time of approval. In other words funds need to be released for leaseholds and equipment in 6 months otherwise the applicant needs to reapply. There is no limit as to how many times a CSBFL loan can be used to purchase a current business as long it is a new company buying the business and an appraisal is done on the leaseholds and equipment to gauge their value. All major chartered banks operate under these rules as the CSBFL program is a Federal Government guaranteed program.
In regards to the stores, did these people walk away or were they terminated by the Franchisor.
Stan i know what you are saying, in order for a lease hold improvement to be valid for the program it has to be done with in 180 days of the application other wise they can not be considered improvements for the new purchaser.or you get the money based on lease hold improvements that you are going to do to the bussiness. bottom line they are not entirely on the up and up and will do what ever they want to make them money and leave the franchisee out in the cold every time
Right so if you applied today the CSBFL loan is valid until April 13, 2011. I can go and buy your business on April 14, 2011 and I can apply for another CSBFL loan on those assets (leaseholds & equipmet) again. They can and are considered improvements for me. The only stipulation is that there will need to be an independent appraisal that the bank needs to do to ascertain the value of the assets and the previous business financials or if thoses arent available, projections with evidence. There is no limit to the number of times one can use the assets under the CSBFL program as long as the appraised value exceeds the loan amount. The asset doesnt disappear.
Listen I am not sure what Coffee Culture does but I think that you seem to be missing how the CSBFL program works if that is the program you were going to use to purchase the franchise. I am in the financial industry out of Toronto and do CSBFL financing for a Chartered Bank and how I described it is how that program works. I don't know what program you were using or what Coffee Culture uses as we don't have them on our client list. I appreciate you sharing your experiences but I also want to ensure that people get the right information. I am a customer of the College St. store that started this blog - just an FYI.
h
Hello.
what you have said is true but you forget the any of the lease hold improvements that i might do and you are going to us for the loan can not be older then 180 days from you application you re-aply for it as many times as you wish but the impovements must be no older then 180 days or they do not count
it is right in the CSBFL policies as per their on line site
either way the people in the large cities might be able to make it work but the ones that are suckered into the small towns are failing and not only coffee culture but also the crabby joes, and the new union burger. as long as they make money they do not care about the ones that are making it for them
Kevin the policy that you are referring to is as follows: "Eligible purchases made within the past six months can be financed". Either you are being misguided by being provided with the wrong information or are misinterpreting the information that is being provided to you. No policy as you state exists to mine or my banks knowledge on the CSBFL program. The age of the improvements does not matter as long as the appraised value of the improvements and equipment is greater than the loan amount. It doesnt matter big city or small town, or Newfoundland to BC, it is the same program Nationally.
Obviously you have an axe to grind with this company for your own reasons and that is fine. The beauty of our society is that you can do that. But if that axe is in regards to the way they finance, IF they use the CSBFL program, then you are presenting wrong information on this blog about that, period.
And in regards to your last comment, this Obsidian group has been around since 1996, has about 90 units in Ontario and 7 in the USA. A Canadian company which shocked me because up until visiting the College St Coffee Culture and this blog I hadnt heard of them. Offices in Mississauga and Buffalo, NY (I cant imagine why Buffalo). Most of the stores are in smaller Ontario towns and true to their strategy smaller Western NY towns. They went into areas that all of our other national brands (except Tims) avoid like the plague. From the outside, it looks like a good Canadian success story. How could they grow to this size without some franchisee success?
I have a friend that is a franchisee and has nothing but great things to say about Coffee Culture, Crabby Joe's and the Obsidian Group. The group has been growing extremely quickly, and yes there may be some issues with some franchisee's, but it is also my understanding from my friend that Obsidian didn't operate the Coffee Culture brand in Canada until about 6 months ago and that the previous management and owners of Coffee Culture are no longer there.
My friend is very happy and he's been in the Coffee Culture system for 2 years. Unfortunately, where I live there is no Coffee Culture nearby but I have been to his store and the Coffee is great!!
Obviously, we're all entitled to our own opinion, and I am going on what my friend has told me, mostly all positive.
I love Coffee Culture!! They have amazing coffee and the Healthy Harvest muffin is the greatest!!
I do some extensive traveling all over southwestern Ontario and throughout my travels have had a chance to visit many Coffee Culture's due to where they are located.
I can say that their Dark Roast blend is the absolutely best Dark Roast I have ever tasted. I make it a point to stop at every Coffee Culture throughout my travels. I think it is a great concept, very comfortable and inviting and the service has always been exceptional.
The only issue is that there are not enough of them!! Great Coffee!!!
The last few posts are so blatantly the Obsidian Group, (owners of Coffee Culture Etc...) This is always the way they try to remedy complaints. Lies and misdirection. You are way too obvious. hahaha
I am a Coffee Culture Franchisee and have been so for a year and a half. My husband and I are very pleased with the results of our Coffee Culture and specifically since Obsidian Group has bought the company back about 9 months ago.
You guys all don't know what you're talking about, and it obviously shows that you have too much time on your hands to gossip about other people. Some words of advice: go get a life and understand how business works.
My husband and I work hard to take care of our business and we really don't need people like you to argue and log into this blog as different names and hide behind those names because you have nothing better to do.
Please respect the fact that some of us have invested our life savings into this concept and a comment such as yours affects our business. Its obvious that all of you above are the same 3 or 4 people who are playing games.
WE ARE HAPPY WITH OUR COFFEE CULTURE!
Last night was the first time i went to a Coffee Culture. My date suggested we end the night with a coffee and dessert. My first thoughts when i walked in to this cafe was "WOW" the cafe had a warm, welcoming feel to it. We ordered our coffee and dessert. The girl behind the counter was very friendly and had a big smile on her face, like she was happy to serve us, even thought it was late in the evening. The coffee was very tasteful, it was just right. In the future i will definately keep my eyes open for a Coffee Culture when i'm traveling, and i will definately recommend this cafe to all my friends.
Thanks for the obviously blatant PR post. We all know that Coffee Culture is a poor man's second cup and that is not going to change.
Also, if your date suggested bringing you to Coffee Culture for dessert, I am so sorry for you because that is just terrible.
CC Franchisee, where is your business? I have been thinking about the chain and it would be good to hear some positive specifics. Are you able to help?
Randy
From direct experience with the Obsidian Group I urge you to run from these people. If you go ahead with it please remember me in a year when you realize you have been scammed. At that time you will want to contact me. I may still be able to help you.
Sorry you are interested in this company.
This company is very, very unorganized!! the management team has issues! Gus only gives a shit about selling his franchises. I have dealt with many directors of many large companies and these guys are a bunch of idiots! if you have money to spend buy a better franchise like mcdonalds, tim hortons, subway, pizza pizza the long list goes on. Or! instead of opening up a franchise, spend the time and money and find an investor and buy a location to build your own company. The weekly gross royalty is sickening and you should better examine what you are signing.