You’re tired. It’s another Monday. You had to wake up way too early and can barely keep your eyes open. You are seriously craving a latte to get you through your day. What do you do?

It’s mid-day on a Wednesday. The students in your advisory are complaining that they are starving. You desperately need a smoothie and some banana bread to help combat your mid-week blues. Where do you go?

It’s a Thursday and your tutor wants to meet with you after school so you can study for a big test. What do you do?

For St. Paul Academy and Summit School students, the answer to these questions comes down to a fairly simple choice: take a short walk to either Caribou Coffee or Espresso Royale. Both have locations less than a block away from the Upper School. However, all coffee shops are not created equal and brand and location matter—even if the locations are less than 200 feet apart.

Caribou Coffee is a large chain with 417 locations nationwide—including 229 in Minnesota – and is known for its reliable coffees, teas, smoothies, pastries, and other snacks. To most people, Caribou feels familiar with its recognizable logo, decorated chalkboards covering the walls, and comfortable seating next to huge windows. Caribou is “rarely a let-down in terms of a delicious snack,” freshman Muneil Rizvi said.

But since Caribou is such a household name, it can be crowded, busy and impersonal. “Anybody can go to Caribou and find something they like,” senior Zoe Matticks said. “This can make the line annoyingly long and can fill up all of the chairs.”

In contrast, Espresso Royale is a relatively small coffee chain with only 23 locations in the United States, and just three locations in Minnesota. Espresso Royale has a cozier atmosphere with minimal crowds and plenty of open seating options as well as a more laid back and relaxed serving staff. “Espresso Royale is quieter and the people there are regulars,” Matticks said.

Just like Caribou, Espresso Royale serves snacks and drinks, but also has a wide variety of meal items like sandwiches. Some, like Matticks, would even argue that the coffee at Espresso Royale tastes better. However, despite a more varied menu and arguably better tasting coffee, the SPA student preference for Caribou over Espresso Royale comes down to two very simple things.

First, location. To get to Espresso Royale, students must cross both Randolph Avenue and Fairview Avenue instead of just Randolph to get to Caribou. “It makes a pretty big difference when I’m choosing a coffee place. It’s a hassle to cross [Fairview],” sophomore Andrea Olson said.

Second, brand. In addition to the extra street crossing, it appears that a national brand really does matter to SPA students. “I don’t know why I’ve never been to Espresso Royale. It seems like a cool place. But everybody just goes to Caribou. It’s what we do as a whole. I’m sure the coffees taste almost identical,” freshman Macy Blanchard said.

Matticks agrees, concluding that “I usually see more SPA kids at Caribou.”

“Espresso Royale? Hmm. Never been. I don’t know why, I just know Caribou is there, so I just go. Everyone does,” freshman Emerson Egly said.
As Rizvi puts it, “Caribou is the SPA crib.”