Coffee Shop Musings

I feel invigorated after I drop off my daughter at school on weekday mornings and then head out to the nearby Starbucks for my coffee (and some writing). That’s good, because I usually spend most of the time at home before my habitual daily sojourn struggling to wake up!

The Starbucks I go to tends to give me a positive feeling about people in general. The workers here are friendly, informal, and efficient at their jobs. The customers are all early-risers and well-dressed, usually heading out to their jobs or school. The overwhelming majority of them are in good spirits like me and see this “pit stop” to the coffee shop as a welcome, happy treat. However…

If I go across the street to Donut Connection, they have a completely different kind of clientele. The folks going there tend to be more blue collar or retired, and those regular sitting customers tend to have a decidedly more political and conservative streak to their conversation. In other words, that place tends to be a conservative social hangout, kind of like a bar without the booze.

And I like that setup. People there don’t feel quite as stuffy about their private space (well, some do). In Starbucks, on the other hand, every table is like a private little world for each set of customers. We chat amicably but tend to keep to ourselves, else we “offend” by crossing lines. This doesn’t always have to be this way (although I like my own space, too).

Back in 2000, when this Starbucks first opened, they had a manager who was charming, professional, and engaging. He got to know the regular customers by name as well as finding out a little about each one. And if he felt that you may have had to wait a little too long in line that day, he often simply gave you your drink without charging you. But sadly, this manager tends to be the exception to the rule of more detached managers who keep their distance from the customers. That first manager played a very important social role, what I would term as a “facilitator”: someone who creates a sense of community in a place by emphasizing each individual’s personal interests and then bringing them together through respectful, friendly conversation. This guy so impressed me that I try to model my own often misanthropic behavior after his example. It never fails: simple, engaging friendliness rocks!