On the ground in Italy - 3

Coffee prices reflect mutual agreement among bar owners not to undercut each other. Here in Rome the prices rose by about 20 cents last month, in response to the crisis with electricity costs.

Thanks for the update! I’ll be in Rome in one week! Good to know about lack of Wi-Fi in restaurants.

almost no cafes or restaurants have free wifi

Italy at it's finest and Thank G. for that.

Sorry about the rain, Paul!

That's why Starbucks failed in Italy.

???? While not nearly as many outlets as in the U.S., they're reported to be doing well, and more outlets are planned. The "mothership" in Milan looks to be quite a thing; will be on our stop-by list when next in the city! Not all of the current shops are in tourist centers (e.g. see Rome's location) so they're not just depending on visitors, either. I'm guessing that their target market is younger consumers interested in exploring beyond the traditional offerings + the shops as meeting/workspaces.

https://www.starbucks.com/store-locator?map=42.078973,13.365238,6z. (Zoom in to see locations; most are in Northern Italy)
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/starbucks-opens-first-outlet-in-rome.html
https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/starbucks-does-well-italy-while-dominos-does-not
https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations/milano

Doesn't mean I'm a lover of the brand, just noting that I'm not seeing it tank in The Boot yet. LOL, Seems as I remember multiple threads on the Starbucks-abroad subject in the past.

I think Kathy is right about SBux. I believe we paid €1.50 for espresso at the flagship store a few years ago but they offer the usual upgraded beverages for much much more and lots of tasty treats and gifts. They were mobbed. Rome site due to open shortly near Termini.

That's why Starbucks failed in Italy.

On the contrary looks like they're expanding - "Starbucks opens its first drive-thru in Italy"
.

Coffee prices are, I believe, controlled by the government. EVERYWHERE an expresso is €1.70

Wouldn't be surprised. Lots of price fixing goes on - here in Canada, the price of a 1 Litre carton of milk is a controlled price - after that, stores can set whatever price they want for the larger containers.

Wow that's expensive! I live in Milan and espresso is €1.00 - €1.10 everywhere... Maybe in the tourist center it's €1.20 and it's already too expensive

Italy at it's finest

I pay 7 Euro a month for unlimited texts, unlimited minutes of talking time and 80 gigas of data. Obviously there is no more demand for free wifi from most customers; so less and less restaurants&bars offer a service needed only by pompous people form 3rd world countries who still live in the 90s...

Incidentally, before being sure they do not offer free wifi you'd better ask waiters for the password. They could have forgotten their father set up a "guest" network for customers.

I'm guessing that their target market is younger consumers interested in exploring beyond the traditional offerings + the shops as meeting/workspaces.

I can see a Starbucks through the window, you are 100% right. They are making big money with teens. I like SBux coffe, but I can't wait 10 minutes every morning to get an espresso. Only teens can waste time with slow service.

Coffe prices are I believe, controlled by the government.

Coffee, bread, low quality cigarettes and some type of pasta prices were controlled by the government. I think the EU put an and to it in 1992. For sure prices aren't controlled anymore.

Coffee, bread, cigarettes and pasta... the minimum equipment for a decent life according to our grandfathers, today it would be... 5 free gigas, 15 complimentary kms with Uber and a couple of TV shows on Netflix? Or two games of your favorite football team?

Not judging at all, but is it a big deal that a restaurant doesn’t offer WiFi or free WiFi? I’m from a younger generation (upper end millennial) and could never understand the need to have WiFi let alone a cell phone in hand while in a restaurant.

Again, not judging by any means, just curious.

Amanda

...could never understand the need to have WiFi let alone a cell phone in hand while in a restaurant.

I don't plan out my days completely when traveling. Just the items that require pre-booking. I've found myself pulling out my cell phone when stopping at a cafe for lunch to see what's in the area that appeals to us. Or loading up the next destination on google maps.

And, I also sometimes just like to take a break. I've been known to pull up a book on my phone and just relax and sip my coffee. :)

could never understand the need to have WiFi let alone a cell phone in hand while in a restaurant.

I think people are hoping for Wi-Fi in restaurants and such to take care of on-the-ground bookings, opening/closing times and such. It’s often suggested on this forum that cellular data isn’t absolutely necessary since it’s said that you can usually tap into Wi-Fi while out and about.

Everybody in Italy has a mobile phone service and it is generally significantly cheaper that in the US, therefore, as Dario said, free wifi is not in big demand nowadays. The free wifi is however useful inside restaurants and bars when the cell signal is weak, which can be an issue inside old stone buildings where the walls are 3 feet thick. Ask the waiter and most likely they will provide the password for the wifi in those circumstances.

The price of coffee is not set by the government anymore, therefore it can vary from place to place. The average nationwide for a cup of espresso at the counter is currently €1.10, but due to the increasing cost of coffee and energy it is expected to reach €1.50 soon. In 2022 the regions with the highest average price were Trentino-Alto Adige and Emilia Romagna. The regions with the lowest average price were Calabria, Campania, and Sicily.

Espresso in Ferrara this morning €1.10.

Having a phone....
Probably not the case in Italy but we run into restaurants here where access to the menu is via QR code. Just happened again yesterday. One of those COVID things, ya know.

Paul-of-the-Frozen-North - We just returned from Italy yesterday (Vernazza, Firenze, Montepulciano, Rome) and I didn't even consider what an espresso cost or my daily cappuccino so I can't comment on any comparison. I honestly would pay anything - this morning's coffee at home was truly a disappointment. We found the restaurant prices to be extremely reasonable and much cheaper than a similar meal here in New England. We purchased our daily pecorino, parmigiano reggiano, prosciutto crudo, and vino from the local markets.

As far as the wifi goes - we didn't even notice. What we did notice was that since the last trip we took a few years ago, most places offer "take away" or "to go" for cappuccino!