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The Social Transformation of Coffee Houses: The Emergence of Chain Establishments and the Private Nature of Usage
International Journal of Social Science Studies
View Archive Info| Field | Value | |
| Title |
The Social Transformation of Coffee Houses: The Emergence of Chain Establishments and the Private Nature of Usage
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| Creator |
A. Woldoff, Rachael
Marie Lozzi, Dawn Dilks, Lisa M. |
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| Description |
Ray Oldenburg (1989) developed the concept of third places as environments that offer friendship and a sense of community. However, the idealized image of the coffee house may need revision. In recent decades coffee houses have transformed from small-scale businesses to corporate-owned franchises, and with the advent of personal electronic devices many people now use them to work rather than to socialize. Using unobtrusive observation data from three independently-owned and three chain-based coffee houses in the Boston area, this research examines the ways in which modern coffee houses live up to or defy Oldenburg’s social expectations of a third place. Two key findings reveal that: 1) people increasingly use coffee houses as both a social sphere and a private zone to work, read, and use electronic devices; and 2) chain coffee houses, though often criticized for their sanitized lack of character, may better meet customers’ new third place needs by providing a wider variety of amenities (e.g., types of seating, food, and media) and free services that are in high demand (e.g., Wi-Fi).
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| Publisher |
Redfame Publishing
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| Contributor |
—
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| Date |
2013-08-13
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| Type |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — |
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| Format |
application/pdf
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| Identifier |
http://redfame.com/journal/index.php/ijsss/article/view/200
10.11114/ijsss.v1i2.200 |
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| Source |
International Journal of Social Science Studies; Vol 1, No 2 (2013); 205-218
2324-8041 2324-8033 |
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| Language |
eng
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| Relation |
http://redfame.com/journal/index.php/ijsss/article/view/200/177
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