Something very strange has been happening in recent days at the Starbucks branch of Dublin Airport, Ireland. Or rather - a former Starbucks branch located at the main gateway of the European country.
Last Thursday, the airport's official X (formerly Twitter) account announced the opening of a new café called Vista, essentially replacing the Starbucks branch that until recently occupied the exact same location. However, curious travelers who have since visited the place and wanted to buy themselves an Americano and maybe some corrupt muffin to relieve pre-flight tensions, were surprised to find that Vista offers exactly the same Starbucks products – literally one to one. The menu remains the same, and even the logo of the leading American chain continues to appear on the white glasses.
Did they just de-brand the Starbucks to get around boycott?? Still using the menu https://t.co/cyj9kntNSW pic.twitter.com/P4LV89qJAp
— This Barbie is an absolute dose (@wikkybikky) January 4, 2024
Soon, web surfers came up with various but not necessarily bizarre theories that local franchisees decided to rebrand their coffee shop in light of the ongoing and well-publicized boycott against Starbucks, following an iron sword war.
A guy named James, for example, wrote: "I think it's still Starbucks, they just changed the name in an attempt to evade the boycott. If you zoom in on the pictures you can see the Starbucks menu, and they still use Starbucks glasses! Vista doesn't even have a presence online. It doesn't exist!" the discerning man wondered. Other users also expressed doubts, linking Starbucks' sudden disappearance to the boycott.
Clarification: Vista is a temporary brand. Starbucks closed in December as their contract expired. A new local ☕️ brand will permanently move into this unit in March. Until then, the new operator (using Starbucks products) will run the cafe as Vista, ensuring pax get their☕️fix. https://t.co/K3eCAeGNLV
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) January 5, 2024
It doesn't end here. The next day, last Friday, the airport tried to broadcast things as usual and explain the strange issue in another post. "Disclaimer: Vista is a temporary brand. Starbucks closed its location in December after their contract expired," the reassurance read. "A new, local coffee brand will open at this location in March. Until then, the new franchisee (which uses Starbucks products) will operate the coffee shop under the Vista name and make sure passengers get their coffee supply." A legitimate explanation, but the timing certainly makes us raise an eyebrow or two. We'll wait until March and see.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us