What a Greggs Flat White taught me about hospitality.
A simple flat white from Greggs probably wasn’t the coffee I expected to still be thinking about days later. But it got me reflecting on something quietly happening across the hospitality industry: some of the best everyday coffees are no longer coming from traditional coffee shops. More and more, 'food first' businesses are recognising the power of a really good cuppa, not just as an add-on, but as part of the overall experience.
The coffees you remember most
I’ve always believed you can tell a lot about a place by its coffee. Not the big, showy kind. Just the everyday cup. The one someone grabs without thinking too much about it.
I was reminded of that last week while I was away. I tried a fair few coffees: some lovely, some forgettable, but what stayed with me wasn’t necessarily the ‘best’ one. It was the ones that surprised me.
Places where coffee clearly isn’t the main event… but it’s still done really well. And the flat white I keep thinking about?
Greggs! Yes, really. The sausage roll people!
It was just a simple flat white, but it was really good. Smooth, consistent, exactly what you want. And it got me thinking about something we’re seeing more and more of: businesses that are food first, coffee second are quietly becoming some of the most reliable places to get a good cuppa.
You’re not walking into Greggs for the coffee. But if you know you can grab a quality one alongside your sausage roll or a yum yum, that changes things. It becomes part of the routine.
Same with McDonald’s. A decent cappuccino with your Big Mac? Well… no wonder you’re lovin’ it.
The quiet shift in coffee culture
For a long time, coffee felt owned by the big names like Costa and Starbucks. But quietly, things have shifted.
Greggs is now the largest branded coffee operator in the UK overtaking both Costa and Starbucks*. Not because they set out to be a coffee destination, but because they made it good enough, consistently enough, that people started to trust it.
And once that trust is there, everything else follows.
More than just margins
There’s also a practical side to it too, of course.
Drinks are where margins tend to sit. They’re often the part of the menu that allows a business to breathe a little. But I don’t think that’s the whole story. If it was just about margins, people would notice.
What makes it work is that it feels natural. You’re already there, already ordering, and the coffee simply fits. It complements what the business is known for rather than competing with it.
What we’re seeing here in Shetland
We’ve seen this ourselves here in Shetland. Recently, we’ve been delivering Refresher Barista Training to local businesses that people already love for their food.
And it’s been really interesting to watch what happens with a few tweaks. Nothing dramatic; just small but consistent changes: better extraction, better milk texturing, a bit more care. The difference it makes is immediate.
People linger. They order differently. They come back, not necessarily for the coffee, but because of how the whole experience felt.
It’s not about becoming a coffee shop
None of this means every business needs to become a ‘coffee shop’. It’s actually the opposite.
The strongest examples, Greggs, McDonald’s, our local favourites, aren’t trying to be something they’re not. They’re simply recognising that if you’re serving coffee, or tea, it should be worth drinking.
That’s the difference.
The Blyde Welcome perspective
At Blyde Welcome, coffee and tea will always be at the heart of what we do. It’s what we care deeply about, and it’s what we’ve built everything around.
But it’s been fascinating to watch how that same care is starting to show up in places you might not expect. Because when drinks are well made., wherever you are, it doesn’t just add to the experience. It changes it.
And more often than not, it’s the places you least expect that leave the biggest impression.
* Allegra World Coffee Portal’s market report, Project Café UK 2026, shows that Greggs is now the largest overall branded chain, with 2,737 outlets, having overtaken Costa Coffee, with 2,707. Starbucks remains the UK’s third largest operator, with 1,424 outlets, while US-based Blank Street is the fastest-growing major player after surpassing 50 outlets.
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