20 minutes – Starbucks coffee costs more in Zurich than in Bern

As a Swiss employee says, it is forbidden to take a picture of the table of offers suspended over the counter with the prices. Anyone who compares the offer in different Swiss branches however notices that even though there are the same types of coffee everywhere, prices vary depending on the city and place.

At the Starbucks stations in Olten and Bern, a medium Caffè Latte costs 6.80 francs. In Zurich, at Stauffacher, it is available for 6.90 francs. However, depending on the coffee beverage, Starbucks is also cheaper in Zurich: a medium cold milk coffee costs 7.10 Swiss francs in Bern, 7.40 Swiss francs in Zurich and Olten is the most expensive with 7.60 francs. Between Bern and Olten there is a price difference of almost 8%.

By far the cheapest is Starbucks at the vending machine in the kiosk. Whoever prepares an average coffee pays 5.40 francs. And here the price is always the same throughout Switzerland. The Valora kiosk company makes the prices independent of Starbucks.

"Our prices depend not only on ingredients, but also on many factors, such as rent, which can vary significantly from country to country," says Starbucks on a 20-minute request. In addition, individual Starbucks coffee licensees can not dictate prices.

Valora's individual k-kiosks are also partly independent; they resemble Starbucks coffee shops run by licensees. Nevertheless, Valora manages to apply uniform prices – although rents vary depending on the location of the kiosks.

At McDonald's, most restaurants also belong to independent licensees. The Group only gives you non-binding price recommendations. For the Big Mac and most other products, it's the same for a country, but for coffee, even the recommendations vary from country to country.

"The recommended retail price of coffee varies by location," says Deborah Murith of McDonald & # 39; s Switzerland. In Ticino, latte macchiato is recommended at 4.90 francs, compared to 5.20 francs in Zurich. Because coffee can attract some people in McDonald's, it is available for free on the first Monday of the month, at any Swiss branch.