I agree. Bars around me also play loud music and/or have sports on TVs all the time, and quickly get too loud to have a coherent and comfortable conversation. P

I agree. Bars around me also play loud music and/or have sports on TVs all the time, and quickly get too loud to have a coherent and comfortable conversation. Places quiet enough are not set up to have tables pushed together and a longer dwell time as people come in and out. As a kid I joined my dad at a regular stammtisch that met at a Starbucks in the evening. That worked well, but I do think it would have benefited not just by having typical Starbucks drinks but also a few beers (giving the choice to the patrons). As noted in the article, a coffee shop works well. But it can be tough to find a place where again it’s possible to pull a big table together. So many cafes now cater to laptop users plugging in for hours, but not necessarily for getting groups together who want to talk.