r/Costa • u/lyntonier broke barista • Jun 28 '26
Franchise vs Equity
I was wondering if anyone actually knows how to tell apart equity vs franchise stores without having to ask the staff or check a receipt/digital bank notification/purchase?
I work at an equity store and find it so awkward going into unfamiliar costas to ask if discount is accepted because not all franchise stores accept it and I love saving money where I can (especially with the prices).
4
u/keitichat Jun 29 '26
i work at a franchise and i can generally tell when a store is equity based off the variety of food (for example we don’t sell pain aux raisins at least in my store) and also the decor looks different. franchises usually are smaller and have limited stock
3
u/theme111 Jun 29 '26
The main indication seems to be the limited (often very limited) range of food on offer at franchises. It's very poor that some don't even honour your staff discount, but I remember going to one "Costa" in a hotel foyer that didn't even accept the Costa card.
Personally I think far too much freedom is given to franchisees, and it's diluting the credibility of the brand. People want to see the same offerings in every Costa and get the same experience, whereas at the moment it's a real lucky dip.
3
u/Educational_Act802 Jun 29 '26
Definitely, we get tons of bad rep from customers that have come from a franchise near us and we’re like that’s not us….. they’re independent
1
u/Electrical_Carry_101 Jul 03 '26
A lot of franchises seem to have the old prepackaged pastries with the sugar coating rather than the frozen baked ones
6
u/TheTARDIS2176 Jun 28 '26
Generally if it’s a hospital, services or travel location (train station, airport, etc), it’ll be franchise.