Cafes have become a go-to place for Pinoys, offering not only a cozy ambiance and aromatic coffee but also a solution for those working and studying, creating a vibrant social hub where individuals can connect.
However, a popular Scottish vlogger Dale Philip posted a video on his TikTok, on November 5, 2023, where he complained about Filipinos who spend hours studying or working in coffee shops in the Philippines.
In the video, Philip zoomed in on a group of customers who appeared to be students, occupying a space inside the Starbucks, and he complained about not understanding why people treat coffee shops like their personal offices.
“I would hate to have a business where people just come and use it as their personal office, use your WiFi and electricity, and buy like one coffee,” he said, adding, “Look at all these guys with their laptops just sitting, using it as their personal office. I would hate that.”
Now the video went viral and online communities quickly reacted towards the vlogger about the Starbucks issue. Numerous content creators and influencers took to social media platforms to voice their concerns.
Dave Villanueva, a content creator, reposted the video on social media, which earned more than 122k views as of writing, and wrote of his outrage towards Dale.
“Pati ba naman ‘yong mga nakaupo sa Starbucks ginawan niyo ng issue? Kita niyo naman halos lahat sila may order and for me, Starbucks is designed to be like that. Kung tatanungin mo ako, dahil may business ako ha. Ang market kasi ng Starbucks ay corporate at mga estudiyante na naghahanap ng place nila where they can relax, where they can do what they want to do,” Dave said. “Na-o-off lang ako na kapwa pinoy natin di-no-down natin, where in fact ‘yong nag-vlog kasi niyan ay dayuhan lang sa bansa natin,” he added.
On a different note, Toni Morales, with more than 520k views shared her opinion about the said issue. “Siguro kung ako ‘yong nag-aaral, mag-o-order ako from time to time para ma-justify ‘yong pag-stay ko. Kasi mahirap naman kung lahat ng tao roon nag-aaral at nagtatrabaho tapos isang drink lang ‘yong in-order, parang lugi naman ‘yong business. Pero ang take away ko rito, makiramdam na lang talaga,” Toni said.
Daniel Laudit, with over 410k views on TikTok, also expresses similar sentiments about the issue. He shared, “Siguro kung worker ka and you chose to stay in a Starbucks, siguro kapag lumagpas ka ng nga two hours or one hour, mag-order ka na lang from time to time. So I guess the point here is mahiya na lang tayo.”
The Starbucks issue is still being debated, with many Filipinos suggesting that the vlogger's critics were simply "overreacting."