Third Places: Why your favorite coffee shop has uncomfortable chairs
Image courtesy: Stella Turner
If you’re anything like me, your ideal conditions for productivity are as follows: headphones on, iced coffee in hand and curled up in a coffee shop armchair. In recent years, however, I’ve increasingly found myself feeling less welcomed by these age-old havens of good vibes. Cushy chairs have been traded for rigid metal ones, and my computer hardly fits on the wobbly tables. So, what happened to coffee shops?
Image courtesy: Stella Turner
Effective January 27th, 2025, Starbucks Coffee reversed what was referred to as their “open-door policy,” limiting the use of their amenities to paying customers only. They’re not the only ones; local coffee shops around the country have implemented these requirements to curb overuse and unwanted loitering. While I understand this is meant to incentivize and encourage café-goers to make a purchase while they utilize the facility, policies like these are also likely to discourage gathering and lingering in coffee shops. I suspect that the change in furniture I have noticed in many of my favorite coffee shops goes hand in hand with these sorts of policies. The more uncomfortable the seating, the less you want to hang around without buying anything.
Image courtesy: Stella Turner
It’s no secret that in-person gatherings and interactions have decreased startling amounts in recent years. COVID restrictions simply hammered home what had been coming our way since the rise of personal technology: working and socializing from the comfort of our own homes. A Stanford University study showed that 39% of heterosexual American couples met online, making the Internet the number one place to meet people.
This has led to a stark decrease in the public’s attendance at third places. “Third place” refers to gathering places apart from work and home. Think community centers, clubs and other social groups, brick and mortar stores and of course, coffee shops. The spaces that these locations provided for people to socialize and build relationships have moved onto our computers, from online dating to gaming platforms to video calling. While many extenuating circumstances such as COVID have certainly perpetuated this change, I would argue that the implementation of policies discouraging gathering in coffee shops, stores, et cetera has driven the nail into the coffin.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be financially supporting these places - they need money to stay in business. There are ways to caffeinate or make a purchase that won’t break the bank, like my usual $7 iced oat milk latte. I recommend adjusting your pallet to black coffee if you haven’t already and trying the different house roasts at your local café. You might be surprised at what you like!
Image Courtesy: Stella Turner
Whether anti-open door policies and adjustments to café furniture encourage purchases or not remains to be determined. It is certain, however, that we as consumers must continue to support our locally owned third places so that in-person interaction doesn’t die out entirely. I can think of at least one local coffee shop with a really, really comfy chair - and that’s where you’ll find me for the foreseeable future.
Strike out,
Stella Turner
Editor: McKenna Edwards
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