Starbucks vs Caffe Nero: who has better coffee?

Coffee is loved worldwide and research shows that it is one of the most widely consumed drinks across the nations. If there are different coffee chains near you, you may be confused about where to get your drinks. 

Being a coffee lover, I enjoy sampling drinks from different coffee chains near me to see how they compare. This article will look at two popular coffee shops, Starbucks and Caffe Nero, vying to satisfy your coffee cravings. In the end, you will determine which company has better coffee. Read on!

What are the differences between Caffe Nero Vs Starbucks?

Feature	Caffe Nero	Starbucks
Ambience	Soft leather chair, café stool or private booth, the choice is yours. It is the perfect place to meet friends, spend leisure time and work-radiates comfort, relaxation and warmth.	Has warm lighting, is more welcoming, has art on the walls, and encourages interaction.
Location	Has more than 1000 coffee houses in 11 countries	Has more than 33,833stores in over 80 countries
Menu	Its beverage menu is relatively diverse and it is possible to customize drinks to your liking. Additionally, you can customize your drinks to dietary needs.	Includes many specialty drinks and even has a secret menu The food options are somehow limited
Price range	Most products are more expensive	Most products are expensive
Beverage sizes	It ranges between 8 fl oz. and 16 fl oz.	It ranges between 8 fl oz. and 31 fl oz.
Environmental consciousness	Reusable cups and paper cup recovery.	Recycles cups and uses dishwashers to minimize water usage.

Caffe Nero Vs Starbucks – How they compare

Ambience

Starbucks stores have a welcoming environment, warm lighting, working desks, charging outlets, strong Wi-Fi, and a seating arrangement that encourages interaction. 

On the other hand, Caffe Nero invests more in ensuring that its stores are located in places that radiate warmth and character. Additionally, its stores boast soft leather chairs, café stools, and private booths. Caffe Nero locations are perfect places to meet friends, spend leisure time and work.

Caffè Nero wins this category because its locations are more ambient than Starbucks stores. 

Location

Starbucks has more stores; the company has more than 33833 locations in over 80 countries worldwide. 

On the other hand, Caffe Nero has fewer stores; the company has more than 1000 locations in 11 countries worldwide.

Starbucks wins in this category because it has more locations than Caffe Nero; Starbucks has 30 times more stores than Caffe Nero. 

Menu

Starbucks has a more diverse beverage menu. Starbucks’ menu features many specialty drinks and even has a secret menu. Additionally, many of its beverages are customizable to customers’ liking. You can choose the flavor, milk option, and add-ins the Starbucks barista uses when preparing your beverage. 

Apart from drinks, Starbucks offers its customers limited food options such as hot breakfast, bakery, lunch, snacks and sweets, oatmeal, and yogurt. 

On the other hand, Caffe Nero’s beverage menu is relatively diverse, and it is possible to customize drinks to your liking. Additionally, it has many options for people with different dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, and nut-free options are available on the menu).

Additionally, Caffe Nero boasts a relatively wide range of food items which include; sandwiches and Panini, all-day breakfast, salads, soaps & meal pots, a Deli menu, cakes & muffins, and snacks. 

Caffe Nero wins in this category because its menu items are relatively diverse and better than Starbucks’. 

Price range 

Price is determined by the ambience and quality of beverages, food items and other products that a coffeehouse chain offers its customer base. Starbucks products are cheaper than Caffe Nero products. 

Starbucks wins in this category because it has cheaper products than Caffe Nero. 

Beverage sizes 

Starbucks offers its customers beverages in small (8 oz.), tall (12 oz.), grande (16 oz.), venti (20 oz.), or a tenta (31 oz.) cups. 

On the other hand, Caffe Nero offers its customers beverages in regular (12 oz.) and grande (16 oz.) cups.

Starbucks wins in this category because it has more beverage sizes than Caffe Nero. 

Environmental consciousness

Both companies show environmental consciousness by embracing recycling to reduce their footprints on the environment and other environment-friendly practices unique to each company. 

Therefore, this category is a draw. 

Caffe Nero vs. Starbucks – A Comparison Overview

Caffe Nero Overview

Caffe Nero’s story goes back a little over 20 years ago to 1997. The founder, Gerry Ford, who is also the current CEO has a great passion for coffee and aspired to design conventional Italian cafes across Europe, environments that would serve high-quality coffee and act as local meeting spots. The company is headquartered in London, England, and has reinvested in the business over the years to stay true to Gerry’s vision with determination and resilience. 

Caffe Nero, a family-owned and operated business, has expanded significantly to over 800 coffee houses across Europe. Worldwide, the company operates over 1000 outlets in 11 countries, including the United Kingdom, Turkey, Ireland, Poland, the United States, Croatia, Oman, the UAE, Cyprus, and Sweden. Caffe Nero primarily specializes in coffee, and also has other drinks and food selections on its menu. Caffe Nero offers high-quality coffee and services that it has several awards to show for it. 

Starbucks Overview

Starbucks the story began a little bit over 50 years ago, way back in 1971 when the three founders Zev Siegl, Jerry Baldwin, and Gordon Bowker came together to actualize their vision. The current Starbucks CEO is Howard Schultz.

The first Starbucks store was in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. The company has grown significantly over the years from its first store and now has over 33,000 outlets across the world. 

Starbucks is famously known as a coffee chain but it specializes in other beverages and products, including chocolate and tea, food, at-home coffees, and Starbucks merchandise. Starbucks keeps things interesting by having seasonal drinks and secret menus. Seasonal drinks come at different times, such as famous holidays, including Halloween and Christmas, and the fall season. One of the interesting facts about Starbucks is that it did not begin as a coffee chain, but the first store offered spices, teas, and fresh-roasted coffee beans, from around the world that customers could use at home. 

Final Verdict: So, Which is Better? – Caffe Nero vs. Starbucks

Caffe Nero is better than Starbucks. The company has invested significantly in ensuring that its stores are located in places with character and warmth. Consequently, the outlets have leather chairs, café stools, and private booths, to ensure top-notch comfort. Additionally, Caffe Nero has a unique feature in its menu where it provides dietary requirement options for its customers to choose from, including vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. While Starbucks has these options, they are not well outlined in the menu. Therefore, the company understands the dietary requirements of its customers well and makes it a priority. 

FAQ Section

Is Caffe Nero Coffee stronger than Starbucks coffee?

Starbucks coffee is stronger with approximately 20.6 mg/fl oz while Caffe Nero contains about 13.33 mg of caffeine per fl oz.

Does Starbucks sell more coffee than Caffe Nero?

Starbucks sells more coffee than Caffe Nero since it has a wider variety.

Do people prefer Caffe Nero over Starbucks?

Starbucks remains the most popular coffee chain and people prefer it more since it has more locations, and thus, is easily accessible.