I think this is an interesting debate. I would say the differences in cafe and coffee culture (the US vs. Europe) is a cultural and historical one- and it is also an ever changing evolution that has continued from obvious beginings in Europe. Generally I enjoy the cafes of Italy- the types of pastries and food they offer as well as the quality of the coffee and service. The buzz and atmosphere of these places in the morning is amazing- but of course you have to rememember the Italians drink 43 BILLION cups of coffee a year- 30% of these in the morning orrientated cafes. The passion for coffee and the undeniably central part it plays in Italians' lives plays a huge part in the coffee industry in Italy. I agree the cafe designs are beautiful, and I actually love a lot of the design ideas that I see on my trips there.
Are the cafe designs and menu standards directly transferable to cafes operations in the USA and other countries? Not always. For instance, coffee culture has developed on very different lines in America from Italy. It was, I dare say, the norm until at least the early 1990's for coffee in dinners and restaurants around the States to be served by the cup from carafes that had been sitting on bunn warmer plates for hours. I remember a road trip I did through (the now quite coffee sophisticated) West and Mountain States of America in 1990. The coffee was, almost universally, ahhem..apallingly bad. However (before someone berates me) I would like to add coffee evolution has happened at a speed that would make Charles Darwin turn somersaults in his grave. Coffee blends, especially those used in Espresso based drinks, are now very good- albeit it different from those European counterparts.
Touching on the quality of coffee in the cup- the espresso or cappuccini/o enjoyed in the cafe in France, Italy or the USA is a different issue altogether. I really enjoy the coffee from the small roasters all over Italy...however in some respects tradition defines what you will get in the cup all over Europe. Looking at where the coffee comes from, and what type of beans are being used- means that I can pretty much second guess the cupping characters of what I will served at a bar/caffe in Italy. I am never (or at least very rarely) disappointed. However, I am also rarely pleasantly supprised by anything unique or funky in the cup. What I am saying is Italian coffee is of a good standard, but perhaps not exceptional. Conversely in the USA the traditional constrains and expectations of a coffee roaster and their client base are not so concrete or stepped in tradition. Therefore a roaster there may, and often will, experiement with a huge number of origins when blending- consequently an espresso shot you may get in a small cafe in Boulder, Colorado, roasted by a small regional roaster may be outstandingly different from anything you may experience elsewhere.
I would say, from a somewhat neutral standpoint, that globally coffee seems to be heading into two different schools of thought- the "European" way and "the American influencing the rest of the world outside of Europe" way. In Asia I would estimate nearly all cafes that I see being built- loosely, or sometimes not so loosely, mimick American cafe design, menu, coffee blends etc. Obviously the pioneering presence of Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Spinelli's etc in Asia has meant that coffee culture is somewhat following the American chain ideals of cafe design, and culture by default. In countries such as New Zealand and Australia, where coffee evolution started much earlier (after WWII immigrants from Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Austria and Holland flooded into both countries bringing European Coffee culture with them) the US style chains really struggle and the independent cafes that often reflect European design concepts do very, very well.
Anyway a waffle...a verbal one rather than you can eat! But I do think the differences in coffee culture make things interesting. I do know the SCAA and SCAE standards are not at all that far apart.
