From Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #001, “New Moon”

Art by Alessandro Cappuccio and Rachelle Rosenberg

The rapid rise of kiosk coffee sellers poses a threat to the business model behind the ultimate American third place—the cafe. Communities and nonprofits may have to take a larger role.

I’m worried about our third places.

To those unfamiliar, third places are those venues, other than home and work, where people head for conversation, connection and belonging. Every culture (and subculture) has its own version. Well-known (albeit fictional) ones in ours include Fell's Point Diner (Diner), Cheers (Cheers), Central Perk (Friends), Cafe Nervosa (Frazier), My-T-Sharp Barbershop (Coming to America) and Calvin's Barbershop (Barbershop franchise), among many others.

Largely through the rapid expansion and near-ubiquity of Starbucks Coffee, the coffeehouse has established itself in recent decades as North America's preeminent third place, with a business model in which high margins on the coffee and espresso-based beverages effectively cross-subsidize the social function.  

Its success might lead some to take such gathering places for granted. For the last five years or so, however, I've noticed a looming threat on the horizon. And especially amidst the pandemic, it has been approaching ever closer.

It's what I call the “utilitarian caffeine dispenser,” or UCD, which casts aside the social function and focuses primarily if not solely on the high-margin transaction.