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2bean are always the first to admit that we love a coffee. We’re slaves to it, almost. But even we would draw the line at leaving the warmths of home on the 25th of December to struggle down a wind-battered, rainy Queen Street to get our hands on a hit of caffeine.

25 years ago it would have been unusual for services other than those absolutely essential to the ticking over of society to operate on Christmas Day.

Doctors, nurses, roadside assistants and a limited number of catering staff would have been among those gearing up for work on the 25th.

Fast forward a quarter of a century and the scene is incredibly different, not least in the coffee industry. 2013 saw over 50 Starbucks stores open their doors on Christmas Day, 40 were in London alone.

And they join a growing number of people set to work this Christmas Day.

The numbers of working catering staff is also on the rise, according to restaurant reservation website Bookatable; who report a 150 per cent increase in Christmas Day bookings since 2011.

But does this extend to coffee shops in Cardiff?

When asked, Starbucks’ area manager for south Wales, Jennifer Scott, was reserved on whether her stores would open next year.

She said: “We have never opened before but there is a decision to make as to whether we open next Christmas.”

Starbucks’ UK head office refused to comment on whether they would be opening in Cardiff on Christmas Day 2015, after having stores open in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow last year.

Even though this trend may not be arriving in the Welsh capital this year, it may not be long before the biggest coffee chains are gearing up for Christmas Day work in Cardiff.

Currently, by contractual obligation, Starbucks staff are required to work either Christmas (Eve and Boxing Day) or New Year’s (Eve and Day); but there is nothing to say stores will not soon by opening on the 25th itself, as many other locations already do.

But do we really need a skinny vanilla latte or mocha frappe on Christmas Day? And don’t most people stay at home with family to overindulge anyway?

Perhaps companies like Starbucks are changing their mind due to Britain’s modern day multiculturalism. Although people who identify as Christians are not the only group who celebrate Christmas, the 2011 census shows a significant drop in their numbers from its 2001 counterpart: from 72% to 59%. With increasing diversity, fewer may celebrate and will be more likely to venture into the city to see friends or what is open.

However, 2bean asked the opinion of Cardiff residents, and most were against the idea of going out for coffee on the 25th of December:

And our poll of 89 people came to a similar conclusion:

Surely independent coffee shops have at least considered opening on Christmas Day?

We spoke to Ruggero, the Italian owner of previously reviewed Torre Coffee on Castle Street, who told us his view.

He said: “Everybody deserves a day with the family and I still think Christmas Day is a family day. It is fair enough to let everybody go.

“I would never even think about opening.”

Of Starbucks’ insistence of opening stores in London, he said: “It’s probably because they have more of a business necessity than us. That day can make a difference all because everybody else is closed.”

2bean tested Rugerro’s staunch position by asking him to put a price on what it would take for him to do business on the 25th. He replied: “I just wouldn’t, regardless of money. It’s the only day of the year we have free of work.

“[There is no community benefit] because you can always go to someone else’s house or even arrange to celebrate the day before or after. Who wants to celebrate Christmas in a coffee shop?”

So who might be out and about on Christmas Day and hankering for an espresso? 2bean spoke to Tom Galloway, general manager of the Mackintosh Hotel on Mundy Place, who will open.

Their hours may only be short (between 10am and 12.30pm) but this is because the numbers of customers have in the past been so low.

He told us: “The people in will mostly be male and will consist of the locals who drink in here regularly. One of the reasons the pub doesn’t open for the remainder of the day is because of how quiet the surrounding areas are.”

So, what of the bigger pub chains?

Pub Chain J.D Wetherspoon plans to open several city centre branches on the day. Central Bar on Windsor Place is one of those. It will open from 10am-4pm.

We spoke to their manager, Stewart, who took a few minutes out to explain to 2bean how Christmas works there.

“It’s a volunteer system where our staff get double time and managers get a day off of leave,” he said.

“The three of us working this year all live near the city centre, so it’s easy enough for us. Most of us are single so don’t really have any family to spend the day with.”

“We get the same five or six regulars every year who come in and have a meal. Then it’s some staff from the prison service and a few regulars who live within walking distance.”

Judging by their London counterparts, it would be no surprise if Cardiff’s big coffee chains began pursuing a Christmas Day opening, despite an apparent lack of demand from its residents.

The action would be one way of expanding; something large chains are always looking to do, even if that means depriving their employees of a work-free holiday.

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