6 ms·

Is it my skewed perception or have cafes stopped being places to drink coffee and have great discussions. They now seem to be mainly filled with people on lapto

Is it my skewed perception or have cafes stopped being places to drink coffee and have great discussions. They now seem to be mainly filled with people on laptops or on their cel phones. I also miss European cafes with waiters...

vonkow 10y ago
Just my personal observations over the past 15 years or so, but I think laptops and headphones killed the cafe.
- ethbro 10y ago
  Sounds like a business plan for Cafe Faraday. "No wireless signal, guaranteed!"
  - gardano 10y ago
    Wow, how is this not a thing? Great idea.
Matachines 10y ago
They're just another place to do homework or work now. Not sure where people discuss things in real life nowadays.
- roymurdock 10y ago
  Cigar lounges and boxing gyms.
  - ajmurmann 10y ago
    Please tell me this isn't a joke!
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- Angostura 10y ago
  Cinemas, during the film :)
CalRobert 10y ago
It's getting harder and harder to find a place for a good conversation. I thought this piece explored the idea well. It can be really frustrating if you're looking for a place for a coffee (or pint) and a chat. Bars are too loud and Cafes are too Quiet - http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/02/bars_are_too_loud_and_caf_s_are_too_quiet_it_s_ruining_america.html http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/02/bars_a...
- ghaff 10y ago
  While that's a good piece, in my experience it overstates the situation a lot. Not that I go to them a lot, but there seem to be plenty of bars/pubs where music isn't blaring. Yeah, most are probably pretty crowded and noisy on a Saturday night but not sure when this wasn't the case. As for cafes, I pretty regularly meet someone in a Starbucks or whatever to have a discussion. I'm probably not going to talk about my top secret plans for world domination there--but, again, I'm not sure at what point in time I'd be comfortable discussing something that the next someone the next table over could overhear.
lmm 10y ago
Before they were mainly filled with people reading newspapers and writing in notebooks. Discussion still happens when people find it valuable.
kleiba 10y ago
Well, come over to Europe! I share your point of view, so if you're ever in my part of the world, I'll be happy to buy you a coffee in exchange for a conversation.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- ajmurmann 10y ago
  Well, the little town in Germany I went to school in used to have four awesome family run cafes with great service and even better products. I believe there is now one left. Instead there are now self service bakeries and fake Starbucks. What country are you in?
  - kleiba 10y ago
    I'm currently in Germany, too, but the small town I live in has only one Starbucks and plenty of traditional coffee shops. The one Subway that opened here had to shut down again because locals continued to go to the hole-in-the-wall pizza slice vendor across from them. (They sell exactly one kind of pizza and about three pasta al forno dishes, but lines are huge on weekend nights.)
driverdan 10y ago
It depends on the venue. Almost every time I go to Houndstooth Coffee on Congress here in Austin I bump into someone I know and spend time catching up. The majority of people there are usually talking, not working solo. I can think of other coffee shops and cafes here that are the same.

vonkow 10y ago

Just my personal observations over the past 15 years or so, but I think laptops and headphones killed the cafe.

ethbro 10y ago
Sounds like a business plan for Cafe Faraday. "No wireless signal, guaranteed!"
- gardano 10y ago
  Wow, how is this not a thing? Great idea.

Matachines 10y ago

They're just another place to do homework or work now. Not sure where people discuss things in real life nowadays.

roymurdock 10y ago
Cigar lounges and boxing gyms.
- ajmurmann 10y ago
  Please tell me this isn't a joke!
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
Angostura 10y ago
Cinemas, during the film :)

CalRobert 10y ago

It's getting harder and harder to find a place for a good conversation. I thought this piece explored the idea well. It can be really frustrating if you're looking for a place for a coffee (or pint) and a chat. Bars are too loud and Cafes are too Quiet - http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/02/bars_are_too_loud_and_caf_s_are_too_quiet_it_s_ruining_america.html http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/02/bars_a...

ghaff 10y ago
While that's a good piece, in my experience it overstates the situation a lot. Not that I go to them a lot, but there seem to be plenty of bars/pubs where music isn't blaring. Yeah, most are probably pretty crowded and noisy on a Saturday night but not sure when this wasn't the case. As for cafes, I pretty regularly meet someone in a Starbucks or whatever to have a discussion. I'm probably not going to talk about my top secret plans for world domination there--but, again, I'm not sure at what point in time I'd be comfortable discussing something that the next someone the next table over could overhear.

lmm 10y ago

Before they were mainly filled with people reading newspapers and writing in notebooks. Discussion still happens when people find it valuable.

kleiba 10y ago

Well, come over to Europe! I share your point of view, so if you're ever in my part of the world, I'll be happy to buy you a coffee in exchange for a conversation.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
ajmurmann 10y ago
Well, the little town in Germany I went to school in used to have four awesome family run cafes with great service and even better products. I believe there is now one left. Instead there are now self service bakeries and fake Starbucks. What country are you in?
- kleiba 10y ago
  I'm currently in Germany, too, but the small town I live in has only one Starbucks and plenty of traditional coffee shops. The one Subway that opened here had to shut down again because locals continued to go to the hole-in-the-wall pizza slice vendor across from them. (They sell exactly one kind of pizza and about three pasta al forno dishes, but lines are huge on weekend nights.)

driverdan 10y ago

It depends on the venue. Almost every time I go to Houndstooth Coffee on Congress here in Austin I bump into someone I know and spend time catching up. The majority of people there are usually talking, not working solo. I can think of other coffee shops and cafes here that are the same.