No amore for Starbucks in Milan, Preston Street predicts

Starbucks, the coffee chain that made espresso drinks with foreign-sounding names mainstream in North America, has arrived in Milan, but people in Ottawa's Little Italy are skeptical the famous brand will make its mark on the locals.

Italy's very first Starbucks opened last week in Piazza Cordusio in central Milan, the city the company's founder said inspired him to open his first store.

"Italians won't go have a brewed coffee," Tony Zacconi, owner of the Sala San Marco, told CBC Radio's Hallie Cotnam. "They won't have a frappuccino."

North American tourists may enjoy a taste of home, Zacconi said, but the coffee chain shouldn't bank on repeat business from the local population.

"[Locals will] try it for the novelty," Zacconi said. "And because the city's big enough and they have enough tourists, they'll do well."

Some regulars at Giovanni's Restaurant on Preston Street wondered whether tourists used to hanging out for hours with their laptops might be in for a culture shock when they see the way Italians grab their espresso, gulp it down and go.

"When they go for an espresso, they go for an espresso," longtime Little Italy resident Joe Cama said.

The look of the Milan location did draw praise, however.

"I'm proud Italian coffee inspired the creators," Zacconi said.

Starbucks said it plans to open more locations in Italy.