Coffee shops have long been social hubs, whether for connecting with friends, meeting on a first date, or simply watching people. But with the pace of modern life, are coffee shops still the hotspots they once were?
Freshly brewed CivicScience data show, 26% of Americans typically stay in the coffee shop after making a purchase. Given that the overwhelming majority typically leave with a to-go order, it’s clear that those who choose to spend time in a coffee shop are in a class of their own.
Keep reading to see what sets these coffee shop visitors apart.
Where Young and Old Overlap: Gen Z and Baby Boomers are equally as likely to say they stay in the coffee shop with their order. Millennials do both regularly, while Gen X is most likely to take their coffee to go.
A Taste for Design: Those who prefer to stay and enjoy the coffee shop ambiance are four times as likely to follow interior design trends ‘very’ closely. So they may be sticking around purely for the vibes.
Social Time: Those who stay at a coffee shop are 9 percentage points more likely to live alone than those who take their coffee orders to go. This may be one of the reasons they spend more time there–to be around other people.
Iced Coffee Fans: In the ever present battle of iced coffee versus hot coffee, coffee shop fans are 5 percentage points more likely than those who depart to switch to iced coffee in the summer.
Getting Outside: While 41% of those who prefer to stay at the coffee shop have noticed an increased desire to leave the house in the past month, just 19% of those who do not stay have reported the same. This suggests that for this demographic, the coffee shop isn’t just about the coffee but about establishing a connection to the outside world.
Given the characteristics that those who enjoy spending time in a coffee shop display, it could be said that coffee shop lovers embody the true spirit of the coffee culture: community-oriented, with a love of caffeine.
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This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.