The Social Evolution of the Coffeehouse

Posted on: 2013-02-10 12:00 AM

For centuries, the coffeehouse has been one of the most vibrant social arenas around.  Hundreds of millions of coffee lovers congregate in shops around the world to have a cup of this energizing beverage and to socialize, talk politics, play and listen to music, and relieve the stress of the day.  In the past decade, however, the role and character of the coffeehouse have both dramatically changed.

The coffeehouse originated in the Middle East in the 16th century as a social outlet for men.  Coffee was developed in southern Arabia, first appearing in historical records in the late 15th century.  By 1550, the beverage had become so popular in the region for its stimulating properties that coffee-serving establishments were thriving in the major cities of Damascus and Cairo.  The drink had already suffered a religious ban instituted by conservative imams in Mecca who were concerned about the emergence of coffeehouses as centers of political discussion and dissent.  The new beverage survived in the face of this short-lived ban, however, and Muslim traders soon thereafter brought samples of coffee across the Mediterranean.  The new drink immediately took hold of Christian Europe, and by the 17th century, coffeehouses lined the streets of Paris, Amsterdam, and London.

The traditional coffeehouse was a place to meet, to talk, to debate, and to express oneself.  From Baghdad to London, men of varying means and social statures met in these establishments to escape the bustle of the day and relax with friends, and sometimes to converse about important issues.  Coffee was used both as a social drug and as a stimulant for the mind: coffeehouses were hotbeds of political, economic, social, and scientific thought and discourse.  From the 17th century on, coffee became a mainstay of western social life.

The reign of coffee continued into the 19th century in America, as Italian immigrants brought their strong, black espresso across the Atlantic to their new homes in the United States.  As a result, American cafés were based on the Italian model, and espresso, cappuccino, and other Italian coffees became the standard.  The traditional American coffeehouse, much like its older European and Middle Eastern counterparts, was a social gathering place and a center of intellectual discussion.

Not until the 1980’s and the advent of Starbucks, however, did the face of the modern coffeehouse change to become what it is today.  Starbucks operated upon a simple principle: that of making coffeehouse-style coffee available to anyone and everyone.  The first Starbucks opened in Seattle in 1971, and for several years afterwards it was just like any other urban coffee shop.  Cafés existed almost exclusively in city environments; people who lived outside the city had to either make their coffee at home or make do with the brew at the local diner.  When Starbucks initiated its explosion of growth in the late 1980’s, it began to bring espresso-based drinks to locations all over America.  Suburban and rural Americans could now get a taste of the urban coffeehouse experience without going to the city.

While the rapid worldwide expansion of coffeehouse chains such as Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, and Gloria Jean’s, it might be expected that the face of the coffeehouse itself would change to meet the demands of a more diverse customer base.  And it certainly has changed – although not necessarily for that reason.  While some urban coffee shops still have a social atmosphere, and while traditional coffeehouses in regions such as the Middle East still play the role they once did, the character of café as meeting place has fallen off in the past decade.  What could have effected such a change in so short a time?

The change in the role and character of the coffeehouse is almost certainly an effect of the growth of wireless internet access.  Up until the turn of the century, internet connections were strictly an indoors, wired affair.  Around 2000, however, wireless service began to spread across the world.  Starbucks started offering paid wireless service at their American locations in 2002, with other coffee chains quickly following suit.  It was not until coffeehouses finally made their wireless services free, however, that their use really took off.  A patron of Starbucks or Caribou Coffee can, depending upon the country, sit at a table from opening to closing time with his laptop and work on the internet without having to pay a cent for the service.

This new form of service has had a dramatic effect on the character of western coffee shops.  Before, customers would come to have a cup of the mentally stimulating beverage, meet with friends, and talk.  While that is still a common occurrence in a Starbucks or a Caribou, most of the tables are now taken up by people fixed upon their laptops, taking advantage of the free wireless and the easy access to coffee to get their work done.  A natural decrease in turnover has followed, but there has been no clear effect on the coffeehouses’ sales, since many of the patrons who camp at their tables for hours continue to buy coffee and tea throughout the day.

While the change in the role of the modern café may not have hurt the coffee shop chains’ sales, it has created something of a hole in western cultural and social life.  The coffeehouse is now largely an extension of the living room – a public place to do private work.  The new kind of coffeehouse may not necessarily be worse than its predecessor, but it is undeniably different.