Money down the brew

Glasgow University have completed a three-year study of people’s behaviour in cafes and concluded people go in, order a coffee, sit there drinking it and leave. They spent £140,000 of taxpayers’ money finding out what we all know anyway. University staff spent more than a year visiting a range of outlets including Starbucks, Caffe Nero and out-of-town greasy spoons. They admitted the results were hardly groundbreaking. The Economic and Social Research Council defended the funding of the project, calling it “socially relevant”. The Times 19/11/05 page 14