Starbucks in Ajijic
Starbucks Rebellion in My Little Mexican Village
by Kerry Watson, Inexpensive Living in Mexico
2026-08-08
A Starbucks is coming to my town, and some people are NOT happy about it.
I live in a town that has traditionally had mostly slow food, and very few chain restaurants. There is a Subway, a Domino's, and a new Popeyes with a drive-through. Of course, these chains and many more are only 30 minutes away in Guadalajara, so we it's not like we are insulated.
I remember when Walmart came to town 20 years ago. Before Walmart, that location was just a big pasture with horses. I can still remember their tails swishing in the sun. People thought this would end the world as we know it.
Well, guess who you can see in the Walmart parking lot today? An equal smattering of locals and foreigners. I find it amusing how foreigners love to hate on the chains they had the privilege to escape, all while continuing to heavily patronize them.
Now we have a Starbucks opening, and some foreign residents are outraged. They just left that behind. They don't want to sully "their" Mexican village.
But here is the thing that seems to be getting lost in all the outrage: Starbucks in Mexico is NOT an American company swooping into town and telling Mexicans what they should drink. The franchises are owned by Mexicans, and by law they must employ Mexicans! The people working there will be Mexican. The people deciding whether the business succeeds or fails will largely be Mexican customers.
Maybe the locals will go for a special occasion. Maybe they will take their children. They have the right to decide if an overpriced Venti is exactly the special thing they want that day.
Mexicans have the right to decide what businesses they want in their own community and whether they want to spend their money there. As foreign residents, we don't get to decide that for them.
If you don't like Starbucks, don't go in. It's that simple. I might go there once a year. I have a great coffee shop a block from my house, I don't need to travel to a Starbucks.
Do you think foreigners should be able to block Mexicans from patronizing international companies? Whose village is it, anyway? And would you look forward to a Starbucks, be annoyed by it, or just amused by the rebellion?