07.01.12 Costa Coffee, Friary Centre

Published on: 7 Jan, 2012
Updated on: 28 Feb, 2012

Costa Coffee, Friary Centre by Bus Station Exit

Starting this week this website is going to commence a survey of Guildford Coffee Shops. The views are subjective and the scores reflect simply an average of those awarded by those who conducted the survey. We will attempt to keep the order at each shop as similar as possible to assist comparisons. Shop staff/owners will not be informed of our visits or survey activity

We commence with one of the famous coffee shop chains that have been with us since the 1990s. Everything is to a formula which must be popular given the number of shops that exist. They may not be everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ but they are dependable if predictable. This particular shop is ideally positioned for anyone waiting for a bus, a much better place to wait than the bus station itself.

From the outside: smart, clean and modern. Glass has been used well to allow customers to sit inside or by the concourse without diminishing light or vision.

Subject	Comments	Score
Costa Coffee, Friary Centre by Bus Station Exit
Coffee	Cappuccino and Black coffee were both American style rather than Italian and slightly bitter.	2.5
Cakes	Cinnamon whirl did not seem fresh but tasted okay. Biscuit – run of the mill but overpriced.	2.5
Menu range	Standard Costa menu. Over 20 items to eat plus large range of coffee styles and other beverages.	4
Interior	Modern, very clean and tidy. Well maintained and smart.	4
Atmosphere	Muzak was slightly annoying. Bit clinical but the shop was well patronised by apparently happy customers.	3.5
Access	Very good. Wide door with no steps. Disabled access to toilet.	5
Service	Cheerful, polite and fast. Counter service only, although staff was observed to offer to take an order, that required a little time to prepare, to one table.	4.5
Information	Large easily legible menu over counter. No table menus or opening times easily visible. No Wifi access.	3
Value for money	Probably a little below average.	2
Toilets	One unisex toilet. Probably adequate for size of shop. Disabled and baby changing facilities. Spotless.	5
Opening hours	Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat 9am-6pm Thu 9am-8pm Sun & BH 11am-5am
Address	Level 2, Friary Centre (opposite Primark) Tel: 01483 453137

The order: one cappuccino (well presented!), one black coffee, one pastry and a biscuit.

Costa Coffee [source Wikipedia] is a multinational coffeehouse company headquartered in Dunstable, United Kingdom and a wholly owned subsidiary of Whitbread. It is the largest coffeehouse chain in the United Kingdom and second-largest in the world (behind Starbucks).

Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by the Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. It was acquired by Whitbread in 1995, since when it has grown to over 1,700 stores across 28 countries.

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