On the northwest side of the square in the "Maison du sac" (Den Sack in Dutch) of baroque style, at number 4 :

 

STARBUCKS

Website : starbucks.com

Opening : 10:30 AM-06:00 PM​

Right next to  "La Brouette" (see blog, yummy part, chapter 2) and "Roy d’Espagne" (see blog, yummy part, chapter 8).

Is the Grand-Place of Brussels becoming Americanized?

Strategic choice, not far from those of: the Charles Rogier square, the North Station and the Central Station.​

This historic square, surrounded by numerous stores and located a stone's throw from the Central Station, is one of the city's most important tourist attractions and welcomes hundreds of thousands of passers-by every year. Tourists, Brussels residents, students, passers-by....

 

STARBUCKS at BRUSSELS CENTRAL STATION (since 2011)

BRUSSELS CENTRAL STATION (in dutch : Station Brussel-Centraal) at 5 minutes walk from the ARIS GRAND-PLACE and ALMA GRAND-PLACE HOTELS ) :

Designed by the belgian architect (1861-1947) Ghent origin (he is considered one of the pioneers of the Art nouveau in architecture) Victor Horta, (his ultimate work) with :

 

  • Its elliptical façade on the esplanade. Nine high vertical glass windows represent the 9 provinces of the time.​

 Its large room bathed in natural zenithal light widely spread by the glass slabs (coffered ceiling)

 

Her bas-relief signed Elisabeth Barmarin (1915-2010). Near the access from the Cantersteen side.

In 1998, she created a patinated bronze sculpture of King Baudoin (1930-1993) in a realistic style entitled « Roi Baudoin », Roi Baudouin Metro station

Art in Brussels also goes through the metro. More than 80 works of art line the stations, platforms and corridors

  • Its large painting (fresco) by the artist Joseph Hayez depicting the archangel St. Michael and Belgian cities, above the entrance to the crossroads of Europe.

 

On September 29, the Church celebrates Saint Michael the Archangel, who is the Patron-Protector of the city of Brussels.

Michael whose name means "who is like God" (from the Hebrew el, "God" and mi cha, "who is like").

  • Not forgetting above the main staircase access to the platforms stands the monument dedicated to the railway workers(= employees of the railways) who died during the world wars, composed of a sculpture in ronde-boss (= sculpture in relief, which stands out from the background), the "Machinist" holding a rifle in one hand and the other a wrench, and two reliefs, evoking the Liberation, all of which is the work of Fernand Debonnaires (1907-1997)…

 

  • And on the exterior façade (on either side of the main entrance located at the corner of Carrefour de l'Europe and Putterie), we discover two reliefs by Charles Leplae (1903-1061/ belgian sculptor) dating from 1954. They represent the old districts of Putterie, demolished during the works of the North-South Junction. (You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs?)

 

 

* STARBUCKS PLACE CHARLES ROGIER/ MÉTRO ROGIER Charles Rogier (since 2015)

(Boulevard du Jardin Botanique)

 

The Charles Rogier Square (in Dutch: Karel Rogierplein), often abbreviated to "Rogier Square", with its esplanade has become a bold metropolitan hub that vertically links urban spaces.

 

Charles Rogier (1800-1885) was a journalist and liberal politician.

The place bears this name since 1886, shortly after his death.

The avenue Rogier in Schaerbeek and the street Rogier in Brussels-City and Schaerbeek also pay tribute to him.

 

Under the complex metal structure of a giant canopy (designed by Brussels architect Xaveer De Geyter in collaboration with Ney & Partners and Michel Desvigne), a CAFÉ STARBUCKS with a large terrace sits proudly.

Flying saucer" impression of Brussels? Just a few steps away from the commercial artery that is the rue Neuve and its shopping center CITY 2 (the largest in the center of Brussels and near the ARBANY Hotels !)

 

 

The RUE NEUVE where there used to be many cinemas: L'ASTOR (formerly CINEVOX), L'ÉTOILE (formerly LE ROXY until 1954-before it: Le RÉGENT), the MÉTROPOLE (in 1991 the complex was taken over by a Zara clothing store), the PALLADIUM and the VICTORY (specializing in war films and westerns) and formerly the LUTETIA. 

 

Looking at this "saucer" on Rogier Square, I can't help but think of the Gare de Liège-Guillemins, the work of the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava Valls. (a kind of white cathedral).

The metal parts were also produced in Spain, by the company that supplied the elements of the station structure in Liege.

Since October 2020, the glass roof of the Guillemins station is indeed dressed, for a year, transparent green, orange, red, yellow and blue vinyl to give life to a work of the French artist recognized on the international scene: Daniel Buren, (the man of the columns of the courtyard of honor of the royal palace, in Paris, the French capital).

The work is entitled  "Comme tombées du ciel, les couleurs in situ et en mouvement".

 

It is a project that was led by businessman, art collector and patron Stéphane Uhoda.

If you like Daniel Buren's work, we invite you to go to Place de la Justice in Brussels. This square is located on the path connecting the Place du Sablon and the Grand-Place (just under the bridge of the Boulevard de l'Empereur, which was built in 1955 in anticipation of the Universal Exhibition).

 

Two minutes away from the Alma Grand Place Hotel.

This work of art (inaugurated in July 2009) "Blue on Yellow" is a set of yellow poles (89). Flags, of five different shades of blue, decorate these poles.

Idea of a "forest"?

 

 

* STARBUCKS at MÉTRO GARE DU NORD (2012)

The Gare du Nord has retained its original materials and decorative elements, its original tower, atop which sits a clock.

 

Observe the grandeur of the station's hall (red, light blue and yellow ceramic tile floor, forming geometric patterns), the golden North Star (Iconic star!), the high coffered ceiling and the monumental bay windows.

 

 

This station of Brussels-North was illustrated in a comic strip:

« Tintin au pays des Soviets » by Hergé.

 

The STARBUCKS at the GRAND-PLACE, offers you gourmet pastries as well as hot or cold "original" drinks:

bagels, cake pop, cookies, croissants, loaves (pains), cakes & buns(small breads), muffins (round shaped cakes), sandwiches, smoothies, hot chocolates, steamers, many varieties of coffee, coffee travelers, teas, ....

And derived products: reusable cups, mugs, bags, Belgium tumbler,...

 

Savory meals to enjoy on site or to take away! (Salads...)

The surface of this Starbucks establishment is estimated at 133 m2 and is fitted out with about ten seats inside, to which are added another 24 seats on the outside terrace.

Convenient to have a "coffee on the go", as for "chilling" with friends...?

 

Starbucks is the largest multinational coffee chain and is one of the best known in the world.

Starbucks is an American chain of coffee shops specializing in the sale of beverages, "gourmet" pastries and sandwiches, coffee beans or ground, machines and various utensils around the preparation of coffee: cups, coffee makers, decorative objects ... (Starbucks launched the concept of the City Mug)

This company was created in 1971 in Seattle (in the middle of the hippie period) by 3 partners, Jerry Baldwin, (English teacher), Zev Siegel, (history teacher) and Gordon Bowker. They decided to play on the marine theme in the name and emblem of the company.

Designer Terry Heckler created the brand name and logo (brown in color).

 

In 1982, entrepreneur Howard Schultz joined the other members of Starbucks as Marketing Director and changed the game. The concept was created around Italian coffees: that's why the drinks have Italian names and not American ones.

 

In 1987, the founders of Starbucks sold him the company.

In 2016, he left his operational role at Starbucks. In 2018, he left Starbucks and became honorary president. He remains the main shareholder. Back in april at the helm of the group on a temporary basis, this historic boss of Starbucks, should leave the direction of the coffee chain in late March 2023.

This billionaire (head of a colossal fortune) describes himself as a long-time démocrat” and had his eye on the oval office in Washington for a while.

This 75m2 room is the symbol of the american federal power. It is located in the West wing of the White House, where the President of the United States and his staff work, he center of the building being his residence and the East Wing, the offices of the First lady.

Finally, he supported Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

This businessman has, along the way, embraced a philosophy of corporate responsibility, making Starbucks one of the first companies in the U.S. to offer stock options and health insurance, even to part-time employees, and more recently, in partnership with Arizona State University, to cover tuition for workers seeking their bachelor's degree online.

 

Starbucks' main goal is to "offer a consumer experience", by offering its customers a unique service that they will not find in any other brand's coffee shops (comfort, calm, etc.). What about the Aris Grand Place and Alma Grand-Place Hotels?

We invite you to come and live an "experience" where the customer is "King" and personalized service. And not a "consumer"! Don't forget the various offers that our customers love (attractive prices):

  • Romance offer with early check-in at 1:00 pm (upon request), late check-out at 12:00 pm (upon request), bottle of wine for two and a box of Belgian chocolate.

  • The Starbucks coffee shop chain is named after a character in Herman Melville's 1851 novel "Moby Dick or "La baleine" or "Moby Dick or "Le cachalot"). One of the officers of the Pequod, Captain Achab (a reference to the king of Israel), is called « Starback ». This word has been slightly modified, giving it a meaning: Star (star) and bucks (dollars). 

  • Hence the brown logo designed by Terry Heckler and representing a crowned mermaid with two fish tails (the Sirena) inspired by a Scandinavian woodcut of the 16th century (the mermaid of Roman art, symbolizing lust)

 

The Starbucks logo has changed over time. The mermaid was subject to controversy because of her bare breasts. Indignation of the "puritans"? So the hair was shortened to hide her chest, to finally zoom in on her face with her chest hidden by her hair, the name of the sign disappears. The green and minimalism are a tribute to the ecological direction of the company to preserve the environment. Green is also a color that represents healing, nature and protection. Often, it is also a color that is used to signify wealth and money. Starbucks coffee beckons to weary travelers in the same way that mermaids beckon to sailors. The timeless Starbucks logo is one of the most recognizable around the world at first glance (green image on a white background reminiscent of a stencil). A mermaid with a crowned head: the queen of the sea .... the brand's greatest symbol.

When you order a drink, the "baristas" write with a felt pen on the cups (since a few years reusable) your first name and misspelled on purpose: nice marketing operation (free advertising on social media: the customer may have the reflex to have fun on them, indirectly promoting the company).

The YouTuber Paul Gale proposes an explanation in a humorous short film.

Starbucks does not franchise in Belgium. the development of the brand is ensured by the Autogrill Belux group which establishes its points of sales in Belgium. Their playground: airports, freeway service areas, railway and metro stations.

 

You want to know more about Starbucks? Watch Luc Hermann and Gilles Bovon's documentary « Starbucks sans filtre » (2017) which shows the multinational from the inside.

 

What about the ARBANY HOTELS ? Just go to the websites.