Aug
5
Even as coffee bars have become an ubiquitous part of most urban landscapes in India, we need to get the atmosphere right before we can truly claim to have adopted the Starbucks or Costa culture in the country. The spoiler is the loud music played at most of these places.
These places suffer from decibels levels unique to India. Generated not so much by the chatter of guests (bad enough in a full bar as we Indians tend to be anyway loud) but by the music that blares out from the systems installed.
A place to talk, not dance: So loud is the music at coffee bars in the country, one is left thinking if these are places to dance. Wish the owners realise people go to talk over coffee, or read or do some work. Loud music is best left to bars with a different swing factor.
Go soft on the music: Surprisingly, all those who have got into the business of coffee bars have no doubt visited some in other countries. A typical Starbucks will at most play soft, piped music barely audible but enough to create a certain mood. Even the selection of music is not rock or bhangra-pop. Why can’t we have this here too?
No consistency either: The kind of music being played and the noise levels are also totally arbitrary, left to staff at various outlets and what their customers prefer. There are enough tug-of-war situations, bordering on the hilarious, happening at such bars daily: A customer wants it loud, and the staff obliges. Another (like me) comes along for a lower volume, and down it goes. Till the next request to up it. And back and forth. At least stick to one level, and one genre of music, so one knows what to expect.
Rules change for the management: I wish I had gone up and taken this issue when some managers of Costa were holding a meeting at one of their locations in south Delhi. The music promptly went soft so they could all hear themselves speak.
Loud society deserves no better: Given our love for anything loud, so amply demonstrated by our persistent honking even on empty roads as just one example, it is no wonder we like it loud at coffee bars. But we still want to talk. So we start screaming our lungs out to make ourselves heard. Adding decibels to the fun!!
The pecking order: Personal experience shows Café Coffee Day to be the loudest offender, with Barista only slightly better. Costa was relatively ok, but they too seemed have joined the party. Let us see what culture Starbucks brings with it when it does make an appearance in India.
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4 Responses to “Coffee bars not a place to shake a leg”
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That’s an interesting observation. Cafe Coffee Day certainly has no sense of music about them - both in the choice of music, or the decibel levels. Costa definitely scores in both these departments.
I definitely disagree here…Barista only plays Worldspace music and its never loud enough to start disturbing people. I have spent hours with my academic / leisure reads at Barista outlets and have never felt that the music is jarring to my time there with my coffee.
Ajay,
I couldnt have agreed more with you. I have muttered this to myself a zillion times. I could add a few names which totally surprise. YOu probably forgot to hit the note on the kind of lights they use. Take for eg. Pizza Hut, they would not only use loud music but also white light with a glare that drives you blind. I went there to expect a different atmosphere. But I guess the american companies are “indianizing” after all.
YOu know theres a lesson they teach in entrepreneurship and that is listen to your customers, how they behave, what are their likes and dislikes and I guess as you mentioned our loud streets are what they are looking at. I wouldnt be surprised if Starbucks came with an “indianized” version.
I could write a little more as I subconsciously researched on this phenomenon myself. I went to a mall the other day( actually more than a month ago). I was standing infront of 2 restaurants making a decision where to dine in that night. One was ruby tuesday: dimly lit and the other Pizza Hut: brightly lit. I chose the latter just because the earlier option “looked” expensive and i beleive thats the kind of pyschological insight that drives decison making of these companies at the top level.
Do check out all the so-called 5 stars in this city on a saturday night…..new money new found freedom & just-wantu-hve a good time attitude speaks for itself.