New American Beachhead in France: Starbucks

"We were told the French would never drink coffee out of paper cups,' said Philippe Bloch, co-president of Columbus Café, 'wouldn't take them to go, wouldn't drink anything other than espresso, and certainly not coffee beverages with a high added value like cappuccino or iced coffees. And that is not true.'"

People everywhere trade convience for quality.

I'd say that in the US that Starbucks offers a higher-quality coffee than most places, but that's really a remark on the dismal quality in general of coffee in the US.

France will probably work for Starbucks not because it's better quality but because it's new and different and, sometimes, more convenient. The different will come from the Lattes, the Cappucinos, the iced coffee. And, yes, Frenchies are ready to dumb-down like everyone else. Fat, dumb and happy we will all be!