A shadow of its Hong Kong self

Hong Kong is a rare example of a place where a local incumbent, Pacific Coffee, has successfully competed against Starbucks Coffee. However, like Cantonese to Mandarin, that southern success is clearly not translating here in Beijing.

At more than one of their locations, I have watched staff take out their menu cards to make certain drinks. Can anyone imagine Starbucks baristas doing that? Today, the guy behind the counter got the order -- placed in Chinese -- wrong twice. In Hong Kong, Pacific Coffee represents quality and service. Here, it represents neither. While their locations are universally more comfortable than Starbucks, ultimately, it's a cafe, not a furniture store. Clearly their training regime needs to be upgraded and extended if they are serious about succeeding north of the border.

(Steven Schwankert will become the Managing Editor of The Beijinger on June 1, 2013.)