To judge by the number of customers at the new Starbucks store at Hooley, Surrey, when The Times visited last Thursday, it may be some time before the British public warms to the idea of a “drive-to” coffee store.

The roadside store, which sits where the M23 turns into the A23, is much larger than a standard high street outlet, yet at 9am there were just six customers.

Jim Quirk, a car dealer from Redhill who was nursing a cappuccino, said that the former Little Chef site did get busy occasionally, but it was “a bit hit or miss”.

Mr Quirk said that he popped in for a coffee at a Starbucks, whether at Hooley or near his office in Croydon, “seven days a week”, although he admitted to having an extra shot because “the coffee is very weak”.

So why Starbucks rather than Costa or Caffè Nero? “They're consistent,” he said. “Whichever Starbucks I go to it's the same coffee every time, whereas Nero and Costa are not as consistent.”

He is no admirer of the food. “I never eat here - the food is awful. Nothing seems very fresh,” he said. His friend Gary Newman, from Lower Kingswood, whose company hires out luxury cars and stretch limos, appeared to be enjoying his latte, but said that Starbucks was not his favourite coffee shop.

“I prefer independents,” he said. “They generally take a bit more care and the food is normally much better.”

Alex Cooper, a mother of two from East Grinstead, said: “I think they do a good mocha, but the rest of their coffee is not that great. The froth is not very good. Nero is much better.”

It wasn't all bad, though. “The staff here are excellent,” Mr Quirk said. “They're very friendly.”

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