Costa Coffee has been voted the best coffee chain by customers who rate its friendly staff and tidy stores more highly than its main rivals. Costa beat Caffè Nero into second place and Starbucks and Coffee Republic, in third and fourth respectively, to the title, as a result of consultancy firm him!’s Coffee Chain Customer Tracking Programme. This asks customers to rate their experience, after visiting a particular branch, on topics such as quality of drinks, choice of food, time spent queuing, atmosphere and overall value for money.