Coffee break- The lure of the coffee shop
We visit and write about coffee shops a lot on jkOnTheRun and I’ve been giving a lot of thought recently as to why that is. Let’s face it, the beverages in coffee shops vary in quality a lot and are fairly expensive so even if you are a coffee addict these shops are not really places that you just have to go regularly. I have a comfortable home office that is designed to make working much easier than working out and about so why do I go work in coffee shops so much?
After a lot of thought I’ve come to a fairly simple answer. I go because as adults there is not really anywhere else to go. Let me elaborate so you can understand what I mean. We have three teenagers at home, 14, 17 and 18 years of age, and there is a constant stream of people coming in and out of the house all the time, what with friends, boyfriends and girlfriends making the rounds. Most of the time my home office is not very quiet and there is always something going on that distracts me from working. OK, maybe I’m actively looking for distractions but the end result is the same, it’s often difficult for me to work at home, especially during the summer when all kids are out of school. I can work longer and better in those circumstances away from my office.
Once I came to terms with that fact I was confronted with the dilemma of where to go to work. When I was a kid I could go virtually anywhere, the mall, fast food restaurants, and other types of shops. Once adulthood is reached that’s not so easy, proprietors look at you with suspicion if you hang out too long and it’s just not cool to loiter in most places. You can go to places like libraries but those are likely too quiet and let’s face it, Internet connectivity is pretty important to me and others who are trying to work online. Say what you want about Starbucks they changed the way mobile workers get stuff done when they partnered with T-Mobile to put hotspots in most of their shops.
So it’s really a combination of not having anywhere else to go, needing a relatively comfortable place to work, and the critical need for Internet connectivity that makes coffee shops such a draw for me and others like me. It’s not the coffee addiction (solely) that brings me back to the coffee shop regularly, it’s because I don’t have anywhere else to go to work.
UPDATE: I missed a fourth reason I patronize coffee shops. They WANT me there. As simple as that.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
Get the real scoop on coffee at http://www.CaffeineAwareness.org
And if you drink decaf you wont want to miss this special FREE report on the Dangers of Decaf available at http://www.soyfee.com
James,
I started going to coffee shops during undergrad. My campus had four local shops, each with a different feel, coffee choices, and music. I spent most of my time in these shops, studying, meeting with friends and professors, and simply people watching. Even now, i gravitate toward the shops around where I currently work because of the sense of peace they bring to me. I’m able to concentrate better amidst the din of conversation and coffee brewing, plus I avoid the water cooler gossip that happens hourly by my cubicle.
I work at home, too, and I’m a big fan of Panera when I want to get out of the house and still work. Much more and much better food than Starbucks, unlimited soda (I’m more of a soda than a coffee person), good bread, inexpensive prices and…..free WiFi.
Panera also has booths as well as tables. Sometimes there are a few loud kids, but usually not. I find it a good place to work.
I am with you all the way, i am in the UK and love to work in my local Starbucks, its the atmosphere and smell, great connectivity and the sales guys dream beverage to keep him going what more can you ask, i do all my best deals over a triple shot non fat vanilla latte
Chris
I am with you all the way, i am in the UK and love to work in my local Starbucks, its the atmosphere and smell, great connectivity and the sales guys dream beverage to keep him going what more can you ask, i do all my best deals over a triple shot non fat vanilla latte
Chris
I am with you all the way, i am in the UK and love to work in my local Starbucks, its the atmosphere and smell, great connectivity and the sales guys dream beverage to keep him going what more can you ask, i do all my best deals over a triple shot non fat vanilla latte
Chris
I must be very, very different to your children.. :)
I go there simply because there coffee rocks (But thatsalso why I don’t go there all the time)
I go to the bar. I know everyone there and the bar stools are comfortable. The chairs at the local Starbucks are really bad.
I deal with the lack of wifi by tethering.
I second that comment about Panera Bread. I had to spend a month out of town last year on a family emergency and I was able to work all day long at a local Panera. They also welcome people to stay as long as they want. There were many days when I got to the Panera for breakfast, started work, had lunch there and finshed the work day. I would warn anyone from trying the same at an IHOP (International House of Pancakes). I tried the same routine at one of their locations and they refused to allow me to plug my laptop into one of their outlets at my table. Thank goodness for forward thinking places like Starbucks and Panera.
I agree that there aren’t many places you can go in urban areas and be inactive. In continental Europe there is, of course, a long tradition of cafes where you could sit for as long as you wanted, write, read, talk, eat, watch the world go by (and mybe these days get online, but I suspect that’s rare). The UK doesn’t really have cafes (although it has places called cafes), maybe the States too. The coffee shops are the nearest equivalent.
I’ve heard women friends say that they don’t feel comfortable going into pubs or restaurants by themselves. Among other things, coffee shops appear to be places where women feel comfortable going alone.
We have Starbucks here in the UK, but I think Costa is better.