Photo Credit: Sanjay Verma
About a week ago I found myself in Cardiff, Wales searching for a place to have a tea and scam some free internet so I could do some work. The best option to meet those specifications (in the city centre of a big UK city) is always Starbucks. It was a rare beautiful and sunny day and I was desperate to get as much time outdoors as possible. When I went up to the counter to order my chai, I asked the barista why their neatly stacked patio furniture had not been placed outside yet. “We’re not allowed,” she told me, “this is the Olympic Park area and no one is allowed to set up outdoors—we could be fined £20,000.” (On account of not giving a crap about the Olympics, I had no idea that Cardiff is apparently one of the event locations.)
Turns out, that since Starbucks isn’t an official sponsor of the 2012 London Olympic games, they could not set up tables and chairs on the lovely sunny cobblestone walkway outside of the café because this would be un-sanctioned advertisement for Starbucks. And this would make Coca Cola and McDonalds angry….and you wouldn’t like them when they’re angry…
