Coffee places and snack joints fulfill an immediate need: I need a coffee/food now. I'm rarely urgently in need of a movie. Restaurants are more comparable, I

Coffee places and snack joints fulfill an immediate need: I need a coffee/food now. I'm rarely urgently in need of a movie. Restaurants are more comparable, I suppose, but cooking a restaurant quality meal takes time, effort, and skill, turning on Netflix doesn't. You're right about the social aspects, though it's often a downside as much as an upside.