Starbucks has done very well in China and continues to do so despite the unfairness with which they were treated over their shop in the Forbidden City. (I guess Starbucks is offensive to the traditional surrounding, but the other crappy coffee chains arent?")  Two were added to Ningbo within the last year and probably many more to come.

One area where I wish some of these American franchises would make sure to retain the same service that they do back home regards bathrooms. None have in-house bathrooms.

but they are all very comfortable places to have a drink and rest.

I never went to Starbucks in the USA and when I came here I was adverse to going. In the USA and maybe other countires, starbucks is criticized for unfair business practices that put independent ma 'n' pa run stores out of business.
But after looking around Ningbo for a while I realized there is acutally no competition for Starbucks! All the other 'cafes' are actually full-service restaurants that play crappy pop music, these 4 Starbucks (and the new French one, too) are the only real cafes in Ningbo, so the situation is quite different. And for a normal cup of coffee Starbucks is actually the cheapest place, other than KFC and McD's.

I totally agree. Starbucks is one of the few places to actually sit down and have a nice cup and chat downtown. The seating is comfortable and the atmoshpere good. Very different from the E-cafes and Dio coffees who sell dinner and nescafe.

well, getting complaints about alleged "unfair business practices" is an increasingly common side-effect of being a successful business. That argument against Starbucks is even more ridiculous because they are far from a discount, price-cutting coffee retailer

But they're not cheapest: McD's sells a cup of coffee here for 7rmb, the cheapest/smallest cup of Starbucks anything coffee is 12rmb.

Hm, but if my memory serves me right, the one in McD's is quite small compared to the 12rmb 10oz coffee at starbucks... Anyway, the lattes and more complex coffees here are just as expensive as in the states, but the brewed coffe is still the best deal! I bring my own cup and never pay more than 10rmb for it.

Well, the idea was that cafes should be quirky, peaceful places.  And along comes Starbucks and turns the whole idea into a McDonald's.  I'm not a coffee drinker myself, so I really have no opinion, but that's why Starbucks gets so much crap for being a large "doesn't care" chain. 

Culturally, coffee houses in Ningbo feel more like teahouses to me.  The actual coffee beverage seems to be an afterthought. 

So does anyone know of any other more cafe-like places in Ningbo other than the Starbucks quartet and the French cafe? I heard there was one by ximenkou a while ago, but I never went...

well, i agree. Starbucks CEO has even admitted that as Starbucks has gone global it has lost it's personality. But Starbucks started as just another quirky coffee house, but its model was good enough to be replicated over and over. As it expands it does become more boring and "cookie cutter" and loses a bit of soul. But the idea that they have unfair practices is unfounded.

I typically prefer a good, unique spot to a good franchised one, but certainly prefer a good franchise to a mediocre "mom and pop" alternative. I don't really like McD's, but I know that no matter which one i go into, the food/drink is gonna be consistent. And you're right, the local "coffee houses" are more teahouses, and have far more teas than coffees on the menu. 

so there is a discount for bringing your own mug? is it a percent?

and yes, McD's coffee cannot compare with Starbucks coffee of the day 

you get 2rmb off with your own cup. It adds up after a while! they used to let us store our own mugs there too, but no longer...

I am sorry to say but Starbucks coffee sucks. But, hey, its me! Whenever I drank a cup of coffee at starbucks in the past I ended up in toilet with pain in the stomach. It is a general fact that starbucks is not for true coffee addicts. Now, I only order fruit juice to protest! (I am not sure if my message is received) Anyway, the chairs and the atmosphere is great and that's the only reason I go there.

I never visit Starbucks when I am back in my home country (Singapore) - there are too many pop-n-mom coffee shops serving expresso-like stuff at less than 5RMB (equivalent) per beer-mug! But in China, I feel that Starbucks serves the cheapest yet acceptable coffee, not to mention in an alfresco style (well, almost, sigh!) which is common in many coffee-drinking cultures.

I still remember my painful (on my wallet, LOL!) withdrawal syndrome before Starbucks arrived in China many years ago....