I'm glad that you turned to coffee to take away your misery!
Caffe Nero was my go-to place when I lived here full-time. I haven't been in a while though.
Yeah, I like chalk-written menu boards for it's personal touch... Maybe that's one of the reasons why it's always full.
Thanks for sharing this with us, man!
Thanks for the kind words. in my city, there are only 3 Caffe Nero shops whilst Starbucks has about 7 in the centre and another 2-3 drive-through style shops on the edge of town. The same goes for Costa who also have their own portable coffee machines in 9 out of 10 petrol stations.
As for independent coffee shops there aren't too many (maybe 4 off the top of my head) but I would like to visit them regardless.