ShareWhy Israelis Didn’t Like Starbucks or Why Americans Like Bad Coffee Ten years have passed since Starbucks closed their six branches in Israel. They had been open two years. Delek Group, the Israeli corporation, managed (mismanaged?) the branches, not individual branch managers. However, Starbucks failed in the “Start-Up Nation” because of its “You don’t like […]

Ahh! That's good coffee.

Ahh! That’s good coffee.


Why Israelis Didn’t Like Starbucks or Why Americans Like Bad Coffee

Ten years have passed since Starbucks closed their six branches in Israel.

They had been open two years. Delek Group, the Israeli corporation, managed (mismanaged?) the branches, not individual branch managers.

However, Starbucks failed in the “Start-Up Nation” because of its “You don’t like the coffee? You’ll get used to it” attitude. Israelis love coffee. Starbucks, unlike MacDonald’s who changed their menu to fit Israeli taste and succeeded big-time, did not “go with the flow.”

The average Israeli consumer loves the strong, Italian-style latte or cappuccino. The watery beverage that passes for a strong brew just does not cut it here.

Not only is the Israeli style coffee big bucks (or shekels) here, Aroma, the biggest coffee giant in Israel with more than 125 branches, has opened branches in New York City.

Other honorable mentions in Israel are: Cup O ’Joe has 105 and and so does Café Café. Arcafe and Greg are galloping at full steam to cash in on the insatiable thirst for the brown ambrosia. All of the cafes have varied menus. The food is generally very good with generous portions and reasonable prices. They are found in many large cities to the smallest towns in the country.

My little town of Afula boasts 2 Aroma cafes, 2 Greg cafes, two Café Café’s. Roladin, a relative newcomer, just opened a branch, not to mention the local cafes here. And this is in a town with about forty-two thousand inhabitants. We love our coffee!

Why not Starbucks? Basically, the coffee at Starbucks, for me, has no kick. It just doesn’t do it for me. All the others do.

So when you come to Israel, prepare to have great coffee, great food, great times and a trip of your lifetime.

With froth, of course!

    Share A World-Famous Chef in Israel and the best hamburger in the world – found in Israel! As a private tour guide in Israel, I meet people from all walks of life: doctors, lawyers, business people and authors. These last ten days, I had the honor to guide Ms. Joanne Weir, host of PBS cooking […]

    burger private tour guide in Israel

    A World-Famous Chef in Israel and the best hamburger in the world – found in Israel!

    As a private tour guide in Israel, I meet people from all walks of life: doctors, lawyers, business people and authors.

    These last ten days, I had the honor to guide Ms. Joanne Weir, host of PBS cooking show and author of 17 cookbooks.  Joanne also arranges culinary tours to Italy, Spain and even Morocco.

    Now she is visiting Israel.  And she loves it.

    “The best hamburger I’ve ever had,” quips Chef Weir.

    Her husband, Mr. Joseph Ehrlich, and two very good friends, accompanied Joanne to Israel.

    Immediately, Joanne was “hungry” to taste all the great eats we have here: humus, falafel, schwarma (roast chicken or lamb akin to Greek gyros) and other delicacies.

    When on the Golan Heights, we ate at the famous “Meat Shos” restaurant.  Joanne thought this might be the best hamburger she has ever had.  Not just in Israel, anywhere!  I have to admit that Golan Heights free-range beef is indeed very, very tasty.

    I took the party to Akko (Acre) where we had humus at the El Bashar restaurant.  All agreed it was great.

    Later in the week, we hit Jerusalem.

    From the buffet breakfast at the legendary King David Hotel, to a humus joint on the Via Dolorosa in the Old City, there were smiles and more smiles on everyone’s faces.

    I suggested several restaurants for Joanne, husband and friends to try, but the Machne -Yuda restaurant next to the open air market, the Wine Bar across the street, owned by the same owners was their favorite.  Mona Restaurant in the Givat Ram neighborhood was also a winner.

    I saw Joanne Weir happiest at the Flam Winery located in the Judean Foothills, not far from where David kicked Goliath’s butt.

    Owner and California-trained winemaker Israel Flam had the right audience (the group hailed from San Francisco).  When he extolled the new wave of California wine making he was preaching to the choir.

    All the wines we tasted were first rate.  So much so, that when Barack Obama dines in Jerusalem this week, he’ll be drinking a Flam white  and red.

    Betay’avone!

      ShareEvery private tour guide in Israel has their favorite sites.  I call them “must do’s.” Here is one of them: This is the ancient boat on Kibbutz Ginnosar on the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The Sea of Galilee is not a sea, but a slightly brackish fresh-water lake, called Lake Kinneret today, but 2,000 […]

      Dr. Jerome Hall and the "Jesus Boat"

      Dr. Jerome Hall and the “Jesus Boat”

      Every private tour guide in Israel has their favorite sites.  I call them “must do’s.” Here is one of them: This is the ancient boat on Kibbutz Ginnosar on the Sea of Galilee in Israel.

      The Sea of Galilee is not a sea, but a slightly brackish fresh-water lake, called Lake Kinneret today, but 2,000 years ago, the western and northern side of the lake and the surrounding rich farmland provided a livelihood for Jewish residents here.  Among them was a rabbi well known in the area as a healer, teacher and holy man.  His name was Yeshua of Natzrat: Jesus of Nazareth.

       

      In 1986, a remarkable discovery was made by two Jewish residents of Kibbutz Ginosar, a collective Israeli farm community which is situated today on the same site as ancient Geneseret, a Jewish village well known to Jesus.

       

      While strolling alone the shore one morning, the two brothers saw something buried in the mud, the result of low waters levels from a drought that year.

       

      That something was a 2,000 year-old boat.  A fishing boat twenty-seven feet long and seven feet wide, the shallow bottom well suited to ply the waters of the lake.  We do not know if Jesus was in this particular boat, but it does match the type Jesus and his disciples would have used to fish and preach from on the waters of Galilee.

       

      As far as I know, this is the oldest original maritime vessel on display on any museum in the world.

       

      However, the boat’s attraction is not only its age, but the feelings aroused when seen.  Jews, as well as Christian visitors look at awe upon this find.  We must remember that the rustic villagers who lived on this side of the lake were Jews, eking out a very precarious existence until Roman rule.

       

      Pictured with the boat is Professor Jerome Hall of San Diego University, who will be publishing the final report on the vessel in the near future.

       

      I invite you to come to Israel to the Yigal Allon Museum and visit this spectacular archaeological find.

       

       

        ShareAs a private tour guide in Israel, I am often asked, “Where should we visit?”  Akko is way up there. Akko is one of the oldest cities in the world. Situated on the Mediterranean, it connects Europe with Asia; in ancient times Egypt with Mesopotamia and Rome with Palestine. Now a United Nations World Heritage […]

        As a private tour guide in Israel, I am often asked, “Where should we visit?”  Akko is way up there.

        Akko is one of the oldest cities in the world. Situated on the Mediterranean, it connects Europe with Asia; in ancient times Egypt with Mesopotamia and Rome with Palestine.

        Now a United Nations World Heritage site, Akko (sometimes spelled “Acre”) is most known for its Crusader ruins.

        The Old City today is mostly Ottoman, that is most of what we see is later than 1850, but it’s what is underneath the ground that is so fascinating: buried by time, this ancient Crusader city is now open for business.

        Mentioned in Egyptian annals and Roman histories, Akko came into its own with the Crusaders in the Holy Land.

        Though Jerusalem falls to the European knights in July, 1099, it will take five more years for the invaders to subdue Akko. When the First Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem falls to Saladin in 1187, four years later Akko will be the new capital of the kingdom – and it will become the richest city in the world at that time.

        Everybody wanted a piece of Akko. Split up into separate quarters; each with its own courts, administration and army, Akko was definitely a house divided. Though the king ruled on paper, the military orders of the Knights of the Hospital (the Hospitalers) and the Knights of the Temple (the Templars) were the main brawn of the kingdom. The Italian city states of Genoa, Venice, Pisa and Amalfi were the economic and naval superpowers of the day.

        All of the wealth of the East funneled through Akko on its way west; but not only wealth made its way there: knowledge and learning, especially mathematics, astronomy and medicine reached Europe.

        Today, Akko is a must on any itinerary. Be sure to see the Knights’ Halls, the Templar’s Tunnels, (you can pass the bathhouse, this is mainly for Israelis), and the port. Make sure to eat maybe the best humus you’ve ever had. My favorite is Shamsei’s, but Sayeed is only nothing to sneeze at.
        Enjoy!