When I first heard Mcdonald would enter the city, I knew that moment that the city is thriving and soon plenty of fast food branches and even fast chain will enter the city. In our small city, it doesn’t seem that logical to have too many fast coffee chains or food in one place. But it might offer the variety that people are used to looking for in another city.

There’s about one point something million people with the average around $900-$1000/month. Such a number is quite significant compared to many small cities in the country. It’s a thriving consumer haven where from what I observed, they are mostly spending it elsewhere.

So, that creates quite an opportunity for businessmen to bring the franchises right in the city. Just like this cafe, called Kopi Kenangan, where basically it is the dupe or similar to Starbucks. The only difference is that they are from Indonesia and pay homage to the country’s coffee culture.

Kopi kenangan’s flavor is unique Indonesian, unlike its competitor like Starbucks who uses seasonal drinks and they tend to be a worldwide flavor.

In my city, the Kopi Kenangan branch is quite small. It is located in a two storey building with a very narrow entrance. When you enter the place, you might wonder why it’s small and where you could sit but actually, you can sit at the second floor of the place where it’s slightly bigger and has more room compared to the other place on the first floor.

It’s pretty roomy and cold but you’d notice something unique in the place. Kopi kenangan patrons are mostly young females. You would hardly notice any male patrons in the place and at first, I thought this was unique to the place.

Apparently, it isn’t.

After talking to some people about this phenomenon, their patrons in other cities are also mostly female. So, it would be awkward to visit the coffee shop. I even wondered why it is more appealing for women than men.

Their coffee drink selections, as I have mentioned, pay homage to Indonesian coffee culture and flavors. You would notice a lot of flavors such as aren, pandan, and even some unique ones. Meanwhile, their selection of food remains pretty much similar to Starbucks with Indonesian flavors as well.

While I do love being inside the place, It wasn’t the place that I would keep going. Perhaps, when I was there, they failed to give me a good service impression that made me want to go there. They took about 30 minutes just to make my coffee to even mess up my order.

Since they failed to actually give me a first impression and gave their coffee that was just so-so to my liking, I have never returned since. But uniquely, actually when I was in yogyakarta, their coffee was good and the service was more satisfactory. I wonder if that was the case when they just opened and that’s why their service wasn’t as smooth as any other branches. Either way, since I choose comfort lately rather than more adventure and surprises, I would have to say that it’s better for me personally to go elsewhere.