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Numerous coffee shop chains have already become a characteristic feature of Kyiv’s restaurant scene. Judging by their growing number, it’s possible to deduce that the business is going well. The question is: are they any good?

Generally all eatery chains, whether it’s McDonald’s or Puzata Khata, are based on the same principle: People who like the quality of one of the outfits expect to get the same quality at any other. That’s exactly why they go back to the chain again and again.

In Ukraine, this principle is not always applicable, and the coffee shops are a great example of the latter – it seems like most of such chains suffer from the same kind of “virus.” The symptoms are: overpriced mediocre food, slow and indifferent service and cold coffee.

Probably the most notorious place of the kind is Double Coffee, located right by the entrance to Passage on Khreshchatyk. It’s always full of foreign tourists. Perhaps, they are to blame for the fact that cafe management doesn’t care at all about the horrible impression it makes on visitors. There are always more tourists to come.

The reputations of Coffee House and Shokoladnitsa are so well-known by now that I wouldn’t attempt testing them. At Kafka on Shevchenka, I remember watching my coffee cool down on the counter, while the waiters lazily chatted with the bartender. My latest great disappointment was Coffee Time on Obolon quay. For about Hr 30 they brought me a tiny insipid sandwich – they didn’t even bother to toast the bread and an espresso without any sugar to ad in. I know that possibly there are cafes within the same chain that boast much better quality, but what is the point of having a franchise if some of your outfits are OK and others are awful? Why not call all coffee shops different names instead and stop confusing people?

That’s the reason I still like places like McDonald’s, even after watching “Supersize Me.” At least there you always know what you’re getting.