We were standing in front of Mozart’s birthplace in Salzburg. To take a full-size picture, you must move away from the building into a courtyard. Far enough away I took my picture but noticed a sign on the front of a building lining the courtyard in its far back corner. Every American can recognize this sign – the green and white logo with the two-tailed Siren – originating in a nautical theme selected by one of the cofounders of Starbucks Terry Heckler in 1971. Clearly the chain had secured a very prominent spot in Salzburg right across from the Mozart Museum, which is visited by approximately 400000 visitors per year. We did not go into the coffee shop to check how it compares since we had our eyes set on Tomaselli – the coffee house the Mozart’s went to for their baked goods – founded in 1703. The question on my (still somewhat European!) mind – how can they compete in a country famous for their cafes and coffee culture? Apparently yes and pretty well! This store was opened in 2013 and I also learned subsequently that Starbucks entered Austria as early as 2001 with their first store in Vienna after opening their first international store in London in 1998. Ultimately the traditional cafes and the Starbucks stores share many common attributes – a place to relax and enjoy a coffee and to spent time – alone or with friends, reading, working or simply observing other people. The latter have a streamlined self-service – the former less of a fast and to-go culture but both serve good coffee and pastries! So perhaps the Starbucks stores are more attractive to visitors and young people with coffee being a supplement to a busy agenda.