A café chain in the Middle East would give guests a very special experience. Their twists and turns created everything from joy to hate messages and fees.
Baby bottles with coffee and other cold drinks became super trendy at Einstein’s cafes in the Gulf. Photo: Kamran Jebreili, AP / NTB
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17. mars 2021 11:56
Last updated just now
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– Everyone wanted it, says Younes Molla. He is the head of the Einstein café chain in the United Arab Emirates.
He talks about iced coffee and other cold drinks that were no longer served in plastic or cardboard cups, but in baby bottles.
– After so many months of pandemic, with all the difficulties, people could have fun. They took pictures and remembered their childhood, Molla tells the news agency AP.
Ble supertrendy
Einstein Cafe is a chain of cafes in several countries in the Gulf.
Suddenly people stood in long queues through the cafeteria and out onto the sidewalk. Others brought their own baby bottles and asked baristas at competing cafes to refill them.
On social media, pictures with baby bottles and different content got a lot of attention.
It was clear that a trend had been born.
The baby theme is not new to Einstein Cafe either. A milkshake with the product cerelac has long been a top seller. Cerelac is a kind of thin porridge that is used as a supplement for breast milk.
– Shame on Islam
But then came the counter-wave. Not all social media users liked what they saw. And they let Einstein’s representatives hear what they thought. In capital letters.
– Some got so angry. They said horrible things to us. They said we were a disgrace to Islam and the Muslim culture, says Molla.
That was just the beginning of the problems. Authorities in several countries were very unimpressed.
– Such use of baby bottles is not only contrary to local culture and tradition. Misuse of baby bottles could also help spread covid-19, a statement from the Dubai authorities said. The claim that baby bottles helped spread the pandemic is probably a reference to those who brought their own bottles and asked baristas to refill them.
Fee bottle fee
Inspectors showed up at Einstein cafes and handed out fees.
In Kuwait, Einstein Cafe was temporarily closed by the authorities. In Bahrain, police searched for baby bottles at cafes while filming to secure evidence. People were also warned that it is against the country’s traditions to serve drinks to adults in baby bottles.
In Oman, people were encouraged to report if they saw such use. The trend was also condemned in Saudi Arabia.
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