Starbucks coffee lounge at Fleet Northbound, located near the shops and entrance, separate from the food court eateries. At the time of my visit (July 2023) there was a Starbucks Kiosk opposite customer seating, essentially used as an overflow when this lounge gets too busy, however, since my visit this additional Starbucks has been replaced by Pret A Manger. Starbucks would have opened here around 2009/2010 replacing the Coffee Primo lounge. Starbucks has its own large seating area, again keeping it separate from other food outlets, which all share seating. Starbucks also has a modern feel, contemporary, and very 2020s. Starbucks is possibly Welcome Break’s best-known brand & does a vital job at providing tired motorists coffee, 24 hours a day. It was studied that when Welcome Break rolled Starbucks out across their sites, sales increased betweeen 20-40%. One major disadvantage of Starbucks is their price inflation. Due to high demand, the likes of Starbucks/Costa on high streets rapidly inflate their prices, putting customers off generally. As well as motorway inflation, Starbucks is extortionately priced and terrible value for money. Coffee lounges at motorway services were definitely a concept of the 90s as, before this, customers would get coffee from restaurants and buffets. This Starbucks lounge also appears to be a built extension to the site, but I cannot confirm this. This pic also evidences the small, cramped and low-down roofs at Fleet North. Starbucks was quite busy during my visit as this was during the summer period, where most motorists are heading between the South-West and London. Starbucks is signposted from the M3 North (as a drive thru) with plenty of advertisement for Starbucks across the site.

Photo taken on 22/07/2023 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Fleet, Welcome Break, Starbucks, M3