Cafes play an interesting role in modern society. Their focus on aesthetically pleasing interiors draws in a very specific audience of creative and exhausted clientele. Naturally, many students and teachers alike at Antioch Community High School enjoy frequenting the local cafes in search of an interesting place to spend time with friends and sip caffeinated drinks.
Cafes are a great meeting spot for a variety of reasons. First, cafes are infamous for their unique and inviting decor. An example of this is the Little Bean Coffee Company, whose interior is meticulously designed to be cozy with a variety of antique chairs and tables. This cozy aesthetic makes Little Bean a hit amongst those seeking to pass time in a peaceful place.
Sophomores Gray Doornbos and Madeline Healy are two students familiar with visiting coffee shops with friends in search of a calming place to do homework. They find that this social opportunity makes coffee shops all the more enjoyable.
“Friends help me stay on track when I’m studying because they’re also doing their homework, which keeps me in check,” Healy said. “And having coffee gives me multiple things to focus on.”
Perhaps the most attractive element of a cafe is the coffee aspect. Why purchase a pricey cup o’ joe when spending time at the library is free? Ask Junior Mason Lobodzinski, a barista at the Starbucks located on 560 East Il Route 173 who provides an insightful take on the beverage aspect of a coffee shop.
“At Starbucks, and most coffee shops you can find a choice for everyone,” Lobodzinski said. “I think what makes a good coffee shop is the love for the art of coffee making.”
However, modernization has changed the use of coffee shops. It is not a far jump from to-go cups to drive-through windows and ordering ahead. Such changes speed up the process of ordering at a coffee shop, which helps if someone is running late but stands in the way of a Hallmark ‘meet cute’, or new people meeting within the unique parameters of a cafe.
Starbucks baristas Isa Anderson and Kyley Cooke are not directly subjected to the dangers of the Walmart-adjacent Starbucks drive thru, but they still consider it a flag for the dangers posed to modern coffee shop culture.
“Nowadays no one wants to get out of their car, it isn’t worth the smell of coffee,” Anderson said. “They just drive through the drive thru. I think it hinders society a lot.”
Still, the unique atmosphere of coffee shops, which is often ignored in the name of efficiency, does create a unique social space which combines the benefits of caffenation with the socialization of a cozy reading nook. The byproduct is a calming cafe in which all sorts of people can escape the distractions of everyday life to unwind with friends, catch up on late work or simply soak up good vibes. Whatever they may do it is made all the better by the specific cult that is a coffee shop.
