In 2018, Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) opened its first store in Italy, a 25,000-square-foot roastery in Milan. Despite being inspired by Italian coffeehouse culture, the American chain faced resistance when entering the country.
It took Starbucks 47 years to open a shop in Italy. Italians take their coffee culture very seriously — it’s filled with traditions, customs and rituals.
It’s common to order an espresso, quickly drink it at the counter while chatting with your barista, and leave — contrary to Starbucks shops, where customers may sit for a while to work on their laptops.
When Starbucks announced its formal plans to open in Milan, some local residents disapproved and a few protesters set fire to a cluster of the palm trees Starbucks had planted in the Piazza del Duomo.
“Our intention for this project has always been to demonstrate our respect and gratitude to the city of Milan, which has so greatly inspired Starbucks over the years,” the company said.
Recent developments involving the retail coffee maker have been more worrisome; the corporation is being sued for slander because it handled a union demonstration. Despite that, SBUX shares gained $1.12, or 1.3%, to begin Tuesday at $90.03.
The manager of one location called the police after an incident in which she said that employees would not let her leave unless they were given a pay rise and that one of them had physically attacked her.
