Since the day we have covered the “Starbucks-coming-soon-to-Uzbekistan?” issue, there has been a great interest by my friends wondering if that’s for real and when it would be opened. There was some coverage by other media outlet that covers Centarl Asia.

In order to find out if the picture by an Uzbek user on Facebook was not photoshopped, I decided to visit the place located at Shevchenko street, downtown Tashkent.

I was not surprised to see that coming-soon coffee shop nearby Perfectum mobile cellular company and Nobel Pharmsanoat pharmacy factory — well-known Starbucks logo made me feel like I will get a chance to try some Caramel Frappuccino soon!

But the thing is that Starbucks is not using its old logo with Starbucks Coffee lines around the Siren. Instead, since 2011 Starbucks coprporation uses a new, redisagned logo as a primary one, which does not contain the Starbucks Coffee saying on it.

Starbucks’ Facebook moderator has not responded to Uzbek user’s picture. But a discussion started by an American user on ridiculous prices clarified some parts of how Starbucks may be represented in Uzbekistan:

James Marker: The only thing I remember about Starbucks from my deployment was after leaving Iraq back to Kuwait to process for home we had to pay $7 for a cup of regular black coffee. They may give out a few samples but they’re also making money hand over fist because they know the GI has no where else to go!

Amanda Rhodes: The “Starbucks” you went to was not a real store, they are called “Licensed Retailers”. Basically, they are licensed to sell everything Starbucks, logo and recipies included, but they are not directly part of the corporation. In fact, the employees there are employees of the mall or convenience store or PX you went to…soooooo THEY were charging you $7 a cup. A real SBUX would’ve charged you $2.

Here comes another potential “Yay!” to the fans of American products. This time fast food lovers: KFC is also coming to Uzbekistan! Right on the other side of the building where Starbucks is planning to settle! Cool eh?

KFC’s Colonel Sanders sends his smiles to everyone who stands against his picture and tries to figure out what’s the trick with two world-known brands’ potential coming to Uzbekistan.

KFC’s web site says nothing about it, neither does anything on the web. According to KFC’s Wikipedia page, they are not present in any of Central Asian republics. In fact, there are KFC’s in Almaty and Astana, Kazakhstan.

As a result (see the clarification of a FB user Amanda Rhodes), the headquarters may not know about their branches in some countries, one of “Stans.” But this does not necesarily mean that there is no actual presence of the company owned by local/regional businesses.

Let’s hope it’s not going to be another fake “La Shakar” with fake coffee mugs, t-shirts, coffee beans sold under a logo a popular coffee company in Tashkent by Gulnara Karimova, daughter of the Uzbek President Islam Karimov, who accomodated the coffee shop at her compound nearby Premier hall and former Basha night club.

Not sure when the openings will take place. Let us just hope they are going to be original shops.

Photo courtesy neweurasia.