When it comes to New York City coffee shops, the stakes are high. From opulent Ralph’s Coffee on the Upper East Side to contemporary general store Regular Visitors in Boerum Hill, there is plenty to admire and debate.
Joe Coffee CEO Jonathan Rubinstein notes that footfall is recovering at neighbourhood stores, driven by remote working and unfamiliar dayparts. But how will the industry evolve?
1. The Coffee Shop as a Meeting Place
New York City is home to some of the best coffee shops in the world. These unique spaces offer a quiet space to get work done and meet with locals. You can enjoy a delicious cup of coffee while you work and even find a tasty snack or dessert to go with it. The options are endless!
New York is famous for its coffee culture. In fact, the first American coffee house was a New York establishment called the King’s Arms. It was built on what is now Cedar Street and was considered a model for the style of future American coffee houses. These early coffee houses were a place where people of all social classes met and talked. They were also an important place for business and trade.
Many New Yorkers still use coffee shops as a meeting place. The high rents in the city make it hard for most small businesses to survive, so many coffee shops are now a combination of a coffee shop and a workspace. These spaces are usually clean and comfortable, and they often have outlets for you to plug in your computer. They may also have a kitchen where they serve food, or they may have an outdoor area for you to enjoy the weather.
Some coffee shops have a more unique and quirky atmosphere. For example, you can check out the Black Fox on Pine Street in Brooklyn. This spot is very popular with NYU students who like to sit and study together. The interior of the coffee shop is cozy, and it has plenty of tables and seating. The Black Fox also offers a variety of coffees from around the world. Their iced matcha latte is particularly delicious.
Other spots have a more modern and minimalist style. For example, the Ground Central location in the Lower East Side is a good place to go for a quick meeting. The interior of the shop is very clean and minimal, and it has a nice open feel to it. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the coffee is excellent.
2. The Coffee Shop as a Place of Work
Many of the coffee shops in NYC, particularly those that cater to a work crowd, offer internet access and a space for laptops. This makes them a great place to get some work done or catch up with friends. Many of these places also serve food and drink. Some of the best options include Caffe Reggio in Greenwich Village, Maman in SoHo and IXV in Boerum Hill.
With high rents, it’s difficult for cafes to make a profit on just coffee alone. So to boost sales, some cafes are starting to offer food. The idea is that people will come in for a quick lunch or snack and stay to work, creating a more balanced revenue stream. It’s a strategy that has worked for some businesses, including Two Hands in Brooklyn. This coffee shop sells delicious baked goods and a range of coffees but what really sets it apart is its cosy atmosphere, friendly service and great location.
In a city as big as New York, it’s important for locals to be able to find a comfortable, quiet spot to work. There are plenty of coffee shops in the city that fit the bill, but the ones that stand out from the crowd usually focus on specific aesthetics or a dedication to quality.
A minimalist aesthetic has become a popular look for contemporary cafes in recent years. This style is often paired with quality ingredients to create the ultimate working experience. For example, Felix Roasting Company has built their reputation on an upscale coffee shop experience, with velvet lined booths and colorful ceiling tiles. The menu is also unique, with drinks like the hickory smoked smores latte proving popular.
The pandemic has altered the way people use coffee shops, with remote working impacting footfall patterns. However, Joe Coffee’s Rubinstein suggests that the overall trading environment is improving, with neighbourhood stores gaining momentum and city centre locations stabilising. He believes that a return to pre-pandemic numbers is inevitable, although some retailers will have to shift their operating hours to suit changing patterns. This could mean adjusting to a European style of lunching, with longer opening hours and more flexibility in dayparts.
3. The Coffee Shop as a Place of Socialization
New York is one of the few cities in America that still has a vibrant coffee shop culture, but it has evolved over the years. Coffee shops in NYC are more than just a place to get some caffeine and chat. They are a part of the city’s identity and a vital community gathering space. In this week’s edition of Time Machine, we go back to 1964 to see what New York City was like when it came to coffee houses and the people who frequented them.
Back then, coffee houses were the center of socialization and a hub of cultural activity. People met with friends and coworkers to discuss business, politics, and even play cards. It’s no wonder that two of the most famous TV shows set in NYC were Friends and Seinfeld, both of which featured a coffee-loving crowd of characters that frequently visited their local cafes to meet up and have some conversations.
In the early 1600s, when New York was a Dutch colony, coffee drinking started to catch on in the city. By the mid-1600s, New York City was a major center of coffee roasting. In fact, the first espresso machine imported from Italy can be found in a Greenwich Village coffee shop that opened in 1902.
Today, NYC is one of the world’s most important centers of coffee culture. You can walk around Manhattan any day of the week and find countless coffee shops filled with hard-working New Yorkers. In many cases, the city’s coffee houses have become gathering spaces for poets, writers, and artists. They are also a great place to sit and watch the hustle and bustle of life in NYC.
With the pandemic well in the rear view, there are some signs that New York’s cafe culture will be able to rebound quickly. Some coffee shops have already seen a return to pre-pandemic footfall, while others are still struggling to stay open. Some have been forced to close completely, but others have been able to adapt by offering delivery service or renting out spaces to other businesses that have shut down.
4. The Coffee Shop as a Place of Entertainment
Coffee shops have always served as a place of entertainment and this is one of the main functions they still serve today. New York City has a vast array of cafes that offer everything from an immersive experience to a calming environment where you can get work done. Many of these coffee houses also have a strong focus on giving back to the community. For example, Daughter in Crown Heights has a goal of bringing together locals with their unique blends and atmosphere. They also use the space to host events such as poetry readings and concerts. This is a great way to promote their business and also help their community grow.
The Covid-19 pandemic radically changed how people work and this has had a significant impact on the coffee shop industry. Remote working has significantly lowered footfall for traditional high-traffic locations and has shifted the customer base towards neighborhood cafés.
As a result, many coffee shops have had to reinvent themselves in order to survive. Whether it is by catering to remote workers or changing their decor to appeal to the younger generation, these changes have allowed many coffee shops to thrive during this time of change.
Among the most popular and trending of these newer coffee shops are those that are designed with an aesthetically pleasing vibe. This style of coffee shop typically uses a lot of natural light and has a modern and minimalist design. One of the first places to set this trend was AP Cafe in Brooklyn which opened in 2013 and featured a very minimal aesthetic. This paved the way for other Brooklyn coffee shops to follow suit and use this design approach in their venues.
Amano Cafe in the West Village is another aesthetically appealing coffee shop that has a reputation for being an excellent work environment. They have a spacious and clean interior that is usually filled with laptops and work-focused New Yorkers. Their coffee is also quite good and their food menu is a great choice as well.
Other coffee shops that use an aesthetically pleasing design are Remi Flower and Coffee, The Daily Dose and Ground Central. The coffee at these places is of high quality and they use reusable utensils as well which is something that all consumers should appreciate.
