r/indiancoffee

Why did Dunkin' flop in India while Starbucks became a status symbol?

I genuinely never understood this.Dunkin had Cheaper prices Burgers and snacks Donuts Decent locations . all the things that we want but why did they failed?

Still, most people I know would rather spend ₹400 at Starbucks than ₹150–200 at Dunkin. My personal theory says that Dunkin felt like a fast-food outlet. Starbucks feels like an experience.

But is this the only reason?? At Starbucks, people go to Hang out with friends Go on dates Study or work Take aesthetic photos Feel a little “premium”Dunkin never had that vibe. they are based on QSR does India is not ready for the take and go model. Do you agree, or am I missing something? What matters more to you when choosing a café Taste? Ambience? Privacy for couples? Brand/status? Pricing? Crowd?

And why do some brands become “cool” while others just feel irrelevant?
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I feel Starbucks in India is less about coffee and more about the social image attached to it.probably seen people who: Put the Starbucks sticker on their phone or laptop Post every visit on Instagram Treat it like a status symbol Personally, I’ve always felt that if someone is genuinely affluent, they don’t need to advertise it.
Does this kind of “showing off” strengthen the brand because people want to be associated with it?

Or does it dilute the brand over time because it starts feeling more like a symbol than a quality product?

Would love to hear your honest opinions and experiences.

Hey folks — curious to get the community’s thoughts on this.

A lot of the coffee discussion in Indian communities understandably revolves around pourovers/manual brewing, but I’m wondering whether the Indian home espresso scene is now large enough to benefit from a more espresso-focused community or ecosystem.

Not necessarily to fragment the broader coffee community, but because espresso discussions are often fundamentally different and much more equipment/workflow centric:
- grinders
- machines
- dialing in
- puck prep
- milk steaming
- espresso-focused roasts
- pressure/temp stability
- maintenance & servicing
- water chemistry
- café-style milk drinks at home

Personally, I’ve realized that most of my interest right now is almost entirely around espresso and milk-based drinks, and I suspect there may be many others in the same boat.

India is a huge market, so even if only a small fraction of coffee enthusiasts are into espresso, that could still become a pretty active and high-quality niche community.

Do you think:
- it’s better to keep everything centralized under one coffee community,
OR
- there’s now enough momentum for something more espresso-centric (subreddit/Discord/resource hub/etc.)?

Genuinely curious how others see this evolving over the next few years.