There’s something a bit different about Coffee#1. They train all their staff to make a nice little swirl when serving lattes. They resolutely insist on not installing wi-fi in their cafes, preferring people to come inside for the coffee rather than the high-speed internet. And when they launched their first loyalty cards this week, they chose to use old black and white photographs on the three different designs – see them on Flikr here.
Earlier this year, Coffee#1 won best coffee chain in the UK, beating such global conglomerates as Costa and Gusto in the process (story here). Not bad for a chain founded in Monmouth with 12 stores across Wales and the South West, including three in Bristol, in Bishopston, Clifton and Westbury-on-Trym and one just down the road in Clevedon, whose manager Liina is officially one of the country’s best latte artists.
So yes, Coffee#1 is a chain, but please don’t let that put you off, they don’t feel like chains at all. They feel comfortable rather than corporate, and each cafe has a character all to itself. In the Bishopston branch, big hessien bags of coffee beans form part of the decor, and when I was in the Westbury branch last week I bought one Welsh cake and after finishing, I went back for another it was so good. And at 50p, an absolute bargain.
Also at the Westbury branch (left), which has a brightly coloured mural on a wall outside by the suntrap pavement seating area featuring animals in a rainforest setting, I experienced something so simple that I don’t know why more cafes don’t do it. One member of staff took my order while I was still in the queue, another made my coffee and a third took my money. And all three were smiling. It’s so easy to do, but is so rarely seen.
Large latte (with trademark swirl): £2.30
Coffee#1 Bishopston, 157 Gloucester Road; Coffee#1 Clifton, 33 Princess Victoria Street; Coffee#1 Westbury-on-Trym, 4 Canford Lane.
