Caffe Bene suffers from rapid growth pains

This Caffe Bene in Myeong-dong is one of the many new outlets of the popular Korean-owned coffee chain. / Korea Times photo by Cathy Rose A. Garcia

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia

Move over Starbucks, homegrown brand Caffe Bene is fast catching up with its U.S.-based rival.

Caffe Bene opened its first store in April 2008. But thanks to an aggressive franchising strategy, high-profile marketing campaign and the current craze for coffee and waffles, Caffe Bene is outpacing its rivals in terms of opening more stores.

There is a Caffe Bene sprouting up almost everywhere you look. In 2010 alone, the Korean-owned chain has opened 300 new outlets around the country.

But are the number of outlets an actual indicator of success, or simply an attempt to win bragging rights to the title of biggest coffee chain in Korea?

Even with its growing number of branches, Caffe Bene is locked in intense competition with Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Angel-in-us, Holly’s and other international chains and local coffee shops.

The Korea Times visited several Caffe Bene outlets to find out if it has what it takes to be a success not just in Korea, but also abroad. Does Caffe Bene have what it takes to be the first Korean coffee brand to make it big in the international market?

Almost anywhere you go, there’s a Caffe Bene and its signature look is hard to miss. The rustic wooden exteriors, with the playful sign that says ``Caffe Bene: gelato & waffles,’’ is not one to be mistaken for Starbucks or Coffee Bean.

Usually there are big posters or standing cardboard cutouts of actress Han Ye-sul and actor Daniel Choi posing with their coffee mugs. The use of star marketing is also one of the things that distinguish Caffe Bene from other chains, which could also perhaps be one of the reasons for its high profile. A Caffe Bene store opening is usually attended by a celebrity, depending on the size and location.

Star marketing

There’s generally a homey, warm ambience at Caffe Bene outlets, with lots of wooden tables, dark woven chairs, faux leather benches, bookshelves and plants. Magazines and books are available for customers to peruse while waiting or drinking coffee, a move perhaps to make people stay longer and order more coffee.

Depending on the branch and time of day, a Caffe Bene can be either so empty that it feels lifeless or so busy it’s hard to carry a decent conversation with all the noise.

The menu has a wide assortment of drinks and desserts. There’s the usual coffee and tea drinks, fruit ades and juices, along with yogurt smoothies, Frappeno (their answer to Starbucks’ Frappuccino) and Benesto (grain-based drinks).

Coffee is similarly priced with other coffee chains, between 4,000 and 7,000 won, depending on the cup size. A regular sized cappuccino goes for 4,300 won, and is served in a white porcelain cup and saucer. The coffee is not bad, but nothing memorable either.

Some of the drinks have a distinctive Korean flavor, like the black latte and grain latte. The grain latte has a nutty texture but it tasted too watery.

The waffles are popular, but there’s nothing extra special about them. A small Belgian waffle is 2,500 won, but if you add whipped cream, fruits or gelato, the price rises to 4,000 or 4,500 won.

There is calorie information provided next to each menu item, but it seems misleading. A waffle with a scoop of Italian gelato and red beans is 264 calories for 100 grams, but it is doubtful if the dish served is only 100 grams. Customers may be eating more calories than they think they are.

Disappointing bread

Another menu item that caught this reporter’s eye was the honey cinnamon bread (6,000 won). The inch-and-a-half thick chunk of warm bread, topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream and drizzled with caramel and cinnamon powder, may have looked sinful but it was actually not too sweet.

The bread’s flavor proved to be a disappointment, and the whipped cream was too cloying. But if you order coffee with any of the bread desserts, there is a 500 won discount.

For people who like to work on their laptops while sipping coffee, it is disappointing that Caffe Bene does not offer free Wi-Fi, unlike its rival Starbucks. It offers a Wi-Fi service but only for KT Olleh customers, which makes it annoying for non-subscribers.

However, some branches do have Mac computers which customers can use for free. At the Apgujeong outlet, there were shiny white Mac computers, but no one was using them.

Another newly opened Caffe Bene near Hansung University Station has one Mac for use and it also gives customers a password to access free Wi-Fi on their own computers.

Merchandising is an important aspect of Caffe Bene. Customers can take home various products like mugs (8,000 won), mobile phone straps (3,500), coffee (12,000 won for a pack), green tea bags (15,000 won) and chocolate (9,000 won).

Caffe Bene reportedly has plans to expand overseas. At first glance, one can see English-language headings on the main page of its website (www.caffebene.co.kr, but when you click on them, all the information is in Korean. It seems the company is not yet ready to go international.

Its website could also use some copyediting. There are typographical errors for the English headings and names, such as ``fruit aids,” ``fruits adis” and ``appogato.’’

For now, it seems Caffe Bene is riding high on the coffee craze, plus the fact that it offers a little bit of everything. It remains to be seen whether it will be able to sustain this massive expansion, after the coffee craze simmers down. Only time will tell if Caffe Bene can become the next big international Korean brand.