{"id":4326,"date":"2025-05-22T13:43:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T13:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/costa-coffee-opening-times.html"},"modified":"2025-05-22T13:43:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T13:43:43","slug":"costa-coffee-opening-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/costa-coffee-opening-times.html","title":{"rendered":"Costa coffee opening times: do caffeinated squirrels run the clocks\u00a0(or just your morning espresso)?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id='video-container' data-video-id='iXc33jTtHdQ' style='width:100%; height:auto; max-width:587px; position: relative;'>\n<div class='image-video-plugin' style='background:url(\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/iXc33jTtHdQ\/0.jpg\") center no-repeat; background-size: cover;'><\/div>\n<p>        <span class='youtube-play-button'><\/span><br \/>\n        <noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iXc33jTtHdQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/noscript>\n    <\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Is Costa Coffee owned by Starbucks?<\/h2>\n<h2>Is Costa Coffee Owned by Starbucks?<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s squash this java-fueled conspiracy theory right now: <b>No, Costa Coffee is not owned by Starbucks<\/b>. They\u2019re rivals, not roommates. Imagine two baristas in a caffeine-powered standoff, armed with caramel drizzle and passive-aggressive latte art. That\u2019s the vibe. While both brands might haunt your morning commute like caffeinated ghosts, they answer to different corporate overlords.<\/p>\n<h3>Wait, Then Who <i>Actually<\/i> Owns Costa Coffee?<\/h3>\n<p>In 2019, Costa Coffee was swallowed whole by a company better known for sugary bubbles than espresso bubbles: <b>The Coca-Cola Company<\/b>. Yes, the same folks who put Santa in red suits for soda ads now own a British coffee chain. Why? Because capitalism thrives on chaos. Here\u2019s the timeline in <i>&#8220;Corporate Acquisitions: The Sitcom&#8221;<\/i>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>1971:<\/b> Costa starts as a tiny London roastery (same year Starbucks was founded\u2014coincidence or cosmic prank?).<\/li>\n<li><b>2018:<\/b> Whitbread (Costa\u2019s parent company) decides to sell it for \u00a33.9 billion. Tea money, but for coffee.<\/li>\n<li><b>2019:<\/b> Coca-Cola, presumably bored of world soda domination, buys Costa. Now you can order a <i>Vanilla Coke Latte<\/i> (please don\u2019t).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>But What If Starbucks <i>Did<\/i> Own Costa?<\/h3>\n<p>Picture this: baristas from both brands forced to collaborate. The Pumpkin Spice Mafia vs. the Flat White Federation. Loyalty points would become a dystopian currency. Secret menus would <b>literally<\/b> go underground. Fortunately, reality is (slightly) less dramatic. Starbucks is busy colonizing street corners, while Costa\u2019s out here giving Coca-Cola an excuse to buy espresso machines. Separate kingdoms, same never-ending quest for your tired, thirsty soul.<\/p>\n<p>So rest easy, coffee detectives. The answer\u2019s clear: Starbucks doesn\u2019t own Costa. But if you spot a barista wearing both logos, <b>run<\/b>. The java-juggling corporate crossover event is nigh.<\/p>\n<h2>Do Costa workers get free drinks?<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s cut to the chase: Do Costa employees swim in a secret sea of lattes like caffeinated Scrooge McDucks? <b>The short answer is yes<\/b>\u2014but with a few quirks that keep things interesting. While they\u2019re not exactly brewing personal bathtubs of caramel macchiatos, most Costa workers do get free drinks during shifts. Think of it as a \u201chydration tax\u201d for keeping the espresso machines alive during the morning rush.  <\/p>\n<h3>The Perk-uliar Details<\/h3>\n<p>Costa\u2019s free-drink policy is a mix of generosity and \u201cdon\u2019t push it\u201d energy. Rumor has it:  <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Workers can usually grab <b>unlimited hot drinks<\/b> while on the clock (water is free, too\u2014revolutionary).<\/li>\n<li>Fancy iced concoctions or specialty drinks? <b>Sometimes limited<\/b>, because nobody wants a barista vibrating into the stratosphere after six Red Bull coolers.<\/li>\n<li>Off-duty sips? Discounts often apply, but <b>you\u2019ll need to leave your \u201cI \u2665 Costa\u201d apron at home<\/b> to avoid awkwardness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now, can they just\u2026 *invent* a drink? Technically yes. A Costa worker could theoretically craft a \u201cTriple-venti, half-caff, pumpkin-spice, extra foam, no foam, upside-down macchiato\u201d on a slow Tuesday. <b>But will management notice if they hog the syrup pumps?<\/b> Absolutely. There\u2019s an unspoken rule: \u201cThou shalt not summon a unicorn frapp\u00e9 during peak hours.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p>Of course, the real perk isn\u2019t just the free caffeine\u2014it\u2019s the <b>eternal smugness<\/b> of knowing how to fix the milk steamer when it inevitably hisses like an angry cat. And sure, the employee discount post-shift is nice, but let\u2019s be real: <b>Nothing beats the joy of explaining for the 47th time that a flat white isn\u2019t just \u201ca latte in a smaller cup.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<h2>Does Costa Coffee exist in the USA?<\/h2>\n<p>Ah, the age-old question that keeps philosophers, caffeine addicts, and confused British tourists awake at night. <b>Does Costa Coffee exist in the USA?<\/b> The answer is yes\u2026 but only if you squint, whisper \u201cflat white\u201d three times into a latte art heart, and know where to look. Imagine a scavenger hunt where the prize is a caramel latte, and the clues are buried under a mountain of pumpkin-spice-everything. That\u2019s the Costa-in-America experience.<\/p>\n<h3>Where to Find Costa\u2019s Stealthy American Outposts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Airport terminals:<\/b> Where jet-lagged souls stumble upon Costa kiosks like mirages. \u201cIs that a\u2026?\u201d Yes, it is. No, you\u2019re not hallucinating (yet).<\/li>\n<li><b>Target stores:<\/b> Nestled between the cereal aisle and yoga mats, Costa machines dispense hope\u2014and mediocre cappuccinos\u2014to weary shoppers.<\/li>\n<li><b>Brick-and-mortar shops:<\/b> A handful of actual cafes exist, mostly in cities like NYC or Boston, hiding in plain sight like caffeinated ninjas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Fun fact: Costa\u2019s parent company, Coca-Cola, has been sneak-dropping Costa products into the U.S. since 2019. Think of it as a <b>\u201csoft drink invasion\u201d<\/b> but with more oat milk and fewer explosions. Still, Costa\u2019s U.S. presence feels like a glitch in the coffee matrix\u2014especially when every third building is a Starbucks or Dunkin\u2019 in a baseball cap.<\/p>\n<p>So, does Costa Coffee exist stateside? Technically, yes. Practically, it\u2019s like trying to find a needle in a haystack\u2026 if the haystack were made of espresso beans and the needle occasionally moonlights as a Krispy Kreme. Pro tip: Follow the scent of roasted beans and the faint sound of a Brit muttering, \u201cThis isn\u2019t how they do it in London.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Is Costa on the boycott list?<\/h2>\n<p>Picture this: you\u2019re clutching a caramel latte with extra sprinkles, nervously squinting at your phone, wondering if your caffeine loyalty is about to spark an existential crisis. <b>Is Costa on the boycott list?<\/b> Let\u2019s cut through the froth. As of now, Costa Coffee hasn\u2019t landed on any widely recognized boycott lists\u2014unless you count that one viral tweet from a disgruntled hedgehog meme account (RIP Gary the Espresso Gnome).<\/p>\n<h3>Why Would Costa Even <i>Be<\/i> on the List?<\/h3>\n<p>Boycotts usually need drama, right? Costa\u2019s biggest scandals involve <b>\u201cmystery syrup shortages\u201d<\/b> and debates over whether their holiday cups are \u201ctoo sparkly.\u201d Critics aren\u2019t exactly storming the castles. That said, if you\u2019re boycotting parent companies, Costa\u2019s owned by Coca-Cola\u2014a classic villain in the \u201cbig soda\u201d universe. But linking that to Costa is like blaming your toenails for your cousin\u2019s karaoke choices. <i>Tenuous.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Quick Boycott Checklist for the Paranoid:<\/b>  <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83d\udeab <b>Ethical Bean Sourcing?<\/b> They\u2019re Rainforest Alliance-certified, but hey, nobody\u2019s perfect.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udeab <b>Corporate Overlords?<\/b> Coca-Cola\u2019s side-eye from activists might trigger guilt-by-association.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udeab <b>That Time They Ran Out of Vegan Brownies?<\/b> Valid outrage. <i>Priorities.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The Boycott Matrix: A Game of Telephone<\/h3>\n<p>Boycott rumors spread faster than a barista misspelling \u201cA\u00e7ai\u201d on a cup. One TikTok about <b>\u201cCosta\u2019s conspiracy to shrink cup sizes\u201d<\/b> (unproven, but terrifying) can make folks rage-uninstall their app. Before you join the mob, ask: <i>Is this about actual policies<\/i>, or did someone just hate the new pumpkin spice blend? Spoiler: It\u2019s usually the latter. Stay vigilant, but maybe don\u2019t torch your loyalty card yet.<\/p>\n<div class='global-div-post-related-aib'><a href='\/news\/exterritorial-ending-explained.html' class='post-related-aib'><div class='internal-div-post-related-aib'><span class='text-post-related-aib'>You may also be interested in:<\/span>&nbsp; <span class='post-title-aib'>\u2018exterritorial\u2019 ending explained: did sentient staplers outsmart the space\u2011llama? (nope, weirder)<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<p>So, sip that flat white in (mostly) peace. Unless Costa starts charging extra for <i>oxygen<\/i> in their stores, the boycott patrol has bigger fish to fry\u2014like whatever\u2019s going on with airline peanuts these days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is Costa Coffee owned by Starbucks? Is Costa Coffee Owned by Starbucks? Let\u2019s squash this java-fueled conspiracy theory right now: No, Costa Coffee is not owned by Starbucks. They\u2019re rivals, not roommates. Imagine two baristas in a caffeine-powered standoff, armed with caramel drizzle and passive-aggressive latte art. That\u2019s the vibe. While both brands might haunt&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/costa-coffee-opening-times.html\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Costa coffee opening times: do caffeinated squirrels run the clocks\u00a0(or just your morning espresso)?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4327,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}