Introduction
The concept of café is a major practice in both industrialized and emerging nations across the world. The impact of café is often ignored or downplayed, yet it is undeniable. For instance, many customers frequent coffeehouses as a reward after a long day at work, as well as part of their daily routines. Others use cafés as pick-me-up-before or after-work location. Moreover, others find it a stimulating environment for creativity and thoughts, as well as a place to spend time with friends.
The various types of cafés that will be the focus of this paper will include cyber café, coffee shops, and fast-food chains. The success of cafés as a business is evident based on different coffee bar chains such as Starbucks, Burger King, and McDonald’s among others that are present worldwide. Further, although there are no major and widespread business-operating cybercafés, they are also spread internationally, and most importantly, in the developing world, where they provide cheaper access to the Internet for millions of people. For instance, Starbucks, with more than 24,000 outlets worldwide and an average of 500 customers per shop per day is a highly profitable business.
The company has a market capitalization of $70.9 billion and profit of $2.5 billion based on the 2015 data (Dugan, 2013). With such levels of success and popularity, it is evident that cafés such as Starbucks have a great role to play in the society. In this paper, the main aim is to investigate and discuss the impact of cafés on the daily lives of people.
History of Cafés
Cafés have a long history going back to as far as 500 years ago in the Middle East. However, due to trade, the practice soon found itself in Europe where the first English cafés appeared in the 17th-century as penny houses reflecting the price of coffee at the time. Penny houses, which were established as an alternative to a harmful environment of pubs, as perceived by the society of the time, soon spread throughout Europe.
While they initially began as widespread stalls across the continent, overtime, they were majorly found in urban institutions. While there were setbacks in the growth of cafés due to World War I and II, they gained momentum and soon expanded to other continents of the world. In the United States, Starbucks is credited for the establishment and growth of the coffee culture. Started in 1971, Starbucks gradually grew in the United States up to when it went public in 1992 before exploding and expanding throughout the world to the more than 24,000 outlets in modern times.
The influence of cafés in modern populations cannot be ignored. Its social history reveals important details concerning how they came to play such critical role in the society (Manzo, 2015). Penny houses of the 17th-century began as intellectual gathering locations where customers and members of the community deliberated on important social matters. Additionally, the cafés also provided an ideal environment for fostering social ties between members of a community. At a time when social classes were emphasized, penny houses provided a neutral ground where services were offered to all people equally regardless of the class.
Consequently, customers found the coffee bars as safe places where they would interact with others without being discriminated. Indeed, the first coffee shops were focused on advancing and promoting art, equality, social integration, and political discussions (Currie, DellaVigna, Moretti, and Pathania, 2010). The penny houses laid the socio-cultural foundations of the café’s that are evident in the 21st-century (Manzo, 2015). In this case, the modern café provides a good environment for customers to meet and socialize with others among other activities.
Types of Cafés
Due to the different services and populations that cafés serve, various types have emerged. The different typologies of cafés are guided by various factors such as the location of the shop and the complexity of the drinks served. Additionally, the seasonality of the location of the location is also a major factor that determines where a café will be located, either outdoor, sidewalks, or indoors. The other important factor for the typology of café is the target market, which differentiates between traditional and modern categories.
Sidewalk cafés provide one of the widespread typologies of coffee shops in the world. Sidewalk snack bars are characterized by their location outdoors and near busy streets and pathways where customers can sit as they enjoy various offerings from the outlet. It is one of the oldest types of cafés that remain as a link to the past and history of coffee bars. Sidewalks seek to maintain the atmosphere and the culture of traditional cafés where their structures are modest and conventional since most establishments occur along the streets. Sidewalks majorly appeal to the older generation, although they are gaining popularity in the young population of less than 35 years. The main attraction or appeal of the sidewalks is that patrons can enjoy coffee with friends while seated at the facility.
Another category of cafés is the coffeehouses and lounges, which represent the most popular typology. Unlike sidewalks, coffeehouses do not seek to maintain a traditional outlook. Instead, they strive to remain relevant through their ability to change and/or adapt to the changing trends. Unlike the sidewalks that are very open, coffeehouses are less social. Individuals who want privacy can enjoy it since the outlets have varying seating arrangements.
However, some coffeehouses combine some features of sidewalks where some of their sections are located in the outdoor. However, unlike the sidewalks whose designs are modest, coffeehouses feature modern designs such as sound systems, art, mirrors, and chrome fixtures among others that are absent in the traditional cafés. Despite their differences, sidewalks and coffeehouses remain persistent in the modern times since one tries to remain traditional while the other seeks to evolve and remain relevant by adapting to the changing times. Coffeehouses and lounges are the most popular areas and the inspiration behind major coffee chains such as Starbucks.
Cyber or Internet cafés present the modernity of this form of business. These cafés are common in the 21st-century in the fast-paced technological society. In this category, drinks are served fast to match the needs of the users while at the same time providing an opportunity for them (users) to deploy computers to surf the Internet at a fee (Castells, 2015). Further, due to the kind of services they offer, including access to the Internet, cyber cafés are designed in a manner that makes the experience less social as compared to sidewalks and coffeehouses (Bringula, Bonifacio, Natanauan, Manuel, & Panganiban, 2012).
Unlike other cafés where people meet majorly for social reasons, people who come for working purposes, playing games, chatting, and the social media characterize cyber cafés. According to Bringula et al. (2012), the only link between the cyber cafés and others of the past is that the conventional ones serve coffee. However, while they (cyber cafés) appear to focus on communication and information needs of the clients, they play the same role as the cafés of the past by providing a social place for communities.
The emergence of cyber cafés can be traced back to the early 1990s and the invention of the Internet when they were used to provide online services for people who could not afford or did not have access to computers. Among the first cyber cafés is the Cyberia that was opened in London in 1994. Since then, numerous Internet cafés have emerged worldwide and most rigorously in developing nations where people lack the resources to buy a computer or access the Internet.
Although they may not appear as cafés, fast-food chains present an important segment that serves a similar role as coffee bars in the modern society. Fast-food restaurants provide a variety of foodstuffs and products to customers who would like to have fast meals for eating in the establishment or as takeaways. Additionally, fast-food joints provide an important location for social gatherings among other activities.
Some of the biggest chains in this category include McDonald’s and Burger King among others, which serve millions of customers worldwide. The fast-food outlets present more than 50% of all restaurant sales in the world. Further, a lean menu characterizes them where foodstuffs are replicated from one restaurant to another, thus ensuring that customers are familiar with the offerings wherever they go. On the other hand, they offer affordable food, often for $6 or less and hence their popularity across the world.
Statistics on Cafés
Cafés are very popular. They present an important socio-cultural segment of the modern society. The role played by cafés in the world can be well understood by analyzing critical information and data on the various typologies as discussed previously. Firstly, the coffeehouses and sidewalks business, collectively referred to as the coffee chain industry, is a major sector of the economy and the society globally. According to Dugan (2013), the United States coffee chain industry constitutes more than 30,000 stores with combined sales of approximately $20 billion. Starbucks dominates the market at 39.8% while Dunkin’s Brands Inc. takes 21.9%. Other smaller chains account for 38.3% (Dugan, 2013).
In terms of customers, coffeehouses serve a wide range of customers, majorly between 18-75 years. However, the target groups for major coffee restaurant chains can be categorized into three groups, namely, adults, young adults, and teens. In this case, the customer profile of Starbucks, the world’s largest chain, constitutes adult customers between 25-40 years who represent 49% of all clientele and almost half of the total business.
On the other hand, young adults of 18-24 years account for 40% of the total sales of Starbucks. Lastly, the kids and teens of 13-17 years represent only 2% of the sales of the company (Dugan, 2013). Based on the above analysis, it can be argued that the average age of the clients of coffee chain house is predominantly adult of 18-40 years who represent a combined 89% of all the customers and sales (Dugan, 2013).
The average coffeehouse customer visits 6 times per month, mostly after work in the evening or over the weekends. However, the most loyal customers can visit a coffeehouse for as many as 18 times per month. Additionally, most customers across the age groups prefer to visit Starbucks in the afternoon and after work.
The second category of cafés, the cyber café, presents a recent yet an important entry into the industry. Since its introduction in 1994, cyber cafés have spread worldwide where all people of different occupations use them to access information, social media, and/or printing services among others (Dugan, 2013). Further, cyber cafés are viewed as techno-social spaces where they represent a major avenue through which many people, especially in developing countries, can access the Internet (Castells, 2015). For example, in Turkey, in 2010, more than a fifth of the Internet access was via cyber cafés.
The characteristic of the typical cyber café user is majorly young, with more than half of them in Turkey being teenagers. A study by Bringula et al. (2012) on the Internet usage in Manila, Philippines, found that majority of the cyber café users in the city were 29 years and below (60%), pursuing or having attained a college degree (72%), males (68%), singles (90%), and/or belonging to the middle class (94%).
Additionally, the study found that the users visited a cyber café once to twice per week at 36.9%, three to four times a week at 28.5%, five to six times at 8.4%, and daily at 26.2% (Bringula et al., 2012). Additionally, majority of the Internet café users visited in the afternoon at 52.4%, morning at 14.3%, and evening at 33.3%, regardless of their age (Bringula et al., 2012). Fast-food chains present a major industry that serves many people annually.
According to a study by Gallup as reported by Dugan (2013), more than 57% of the fast-food customers in the United States are between 18-29 years. Additionally, more men than women at 53% visit a fast-food restaurant at least once per week. Moreover, 3% visit a fast-food outlet daily, 16% several times a week, 28% at least once a week, and 33% once or twice in a month (Bringula et al., 2012).
Social Impacts of Cafés
As previously discussed, cafés are important socio-cultural spaces that play an important role in the society. Cafés have both positive and negative social impacts on the society (Bringula et al., 2012). Firstly, cafés provided important avenues where people meet and interact with each other, thus helping to advance social cohesion and solidarity. Further, cafés are prime locations for networking. They create stronger and social communities in the process. Cafés also present an important avenue of creating employment in the world, thus positively impacting societies and economies (Bringula, et al., 2012).
For instance, Starbucks employs more than 200,000 people while McDonald’s employs more than 2 million individuals across the world. In terms of health, fast-food outlets have negative consequences. They have been linked to the increasing number overweight and obese people in the population. Such impact leads to unhealthy society and hence increased healthcare costs for households since they have to address lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension among others.
The Internet cafés have both positive and negative effects on the society. As an information and communication technology-focused segment, cyber cafés positively affect the society by increasing its access to local and global information (Solomon, 2014). In this case, most people who visit cyber cafés seek to access information such as news and/or read online magazines among others to make them aware of trends in the society.
Secondly, cyber cafés provide important avenues for students to learn and/or enhance their study outcomes (Bashir, Mahmood, & Shafique, 2016). It is undoubted that many people to access learning materials that are helpful in their education, thus creating a positive social impact in terms of enhancing education use cyber cafés. On the other hand, cyber cafés help in socialization and networking in two ways.
Firstly, they provide an opportunity for individuals to meet, interact, and/or share information while discussing various issues as they surf the Internet. On the other hand, the most significant way through which cyber cafés contribute to networking and socializing is through social media and chatting with other individuals over the Internet. People can access social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram among others, which allow them to meet and/or interact with people over long distances and across the world (Bringula et al., 2012).
However, cafés have negative consequences on the society in different ways. Through the Internet, the predominantly young users face major risks related to cyber crimes (Castells, 2015). Firstly, the risk of accessing pornographic materials is very high. This situation predisposes youthful individuals to sexual disorders, a situation that increases their likelihood of teenage sex. Other negative risks include radicalization, especially at a time when groups such as the ISIS have focused on recruiting young people who may not understand the consequences of their (groups) actions (Bringula et al., 2012).
On the other hand, the risk of Internet addiction is high. As a result, those who use it frequently, especially from a young age, are likely to develop negative habits that are related to Internet usage. For students, the Internet can act as an interruption to studies since they may spend a lot of time on unproductive activities instead of learning.
Conclusion
Cafés are important social and networking spaces for the modern-day society. Tracing their origins to more than 500 years in the Middle East, cafés were popularized by Europeans before reaching America from where they further spread worldwide. The spaces provided by cafés play an important socio-cultural role that cannot be ignored as discussed above. For instance, coffeehouses, led by companies such as Starbucks and Dunkin’s Brands Inc. allow people to meet and socialize. Fast-food chains provide another important avenue for meeting and accessing cheap food.
Combined, fast-food chains and coffeehouses such as McDonald’s and Starbucks offer employment to millions of people locally and internationally, a situation, which contributes to the economic wellbeing of families and households. On the other hand, cyber cafés present a unique kind of coffee shops that integrate drinks and access to the Internet for customers. In this case, cyber cafés provide an easy and cheap access to the Internet for individuals who cannot afford or do not have access to computers. The advantage of the cyber cafés is that they facilitate communication and access to information over the Internet.
Further, students use them to access learning materials. On the downside, cyber cafés can be misused where people access pornographic materials, which can lead to negative sexual behaviors. Additionally, they can lead to Internet addiction, which is also negative to the society. Consequently, while cafés are important in modern societies, there is a need to provide avenues for increasing their positive impact while reducing the associated negative consequences.
References
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Bringula, R., Bonifacio, J., Natanauan, A., Manuel, M., & Panganiban, K. (2012). Pattern of internet usage in cyber cafés in Manila: An exploratory study. International Journal of Cyber Society and Education, 5(2), 149-150.
Castells, M. (2015). Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the internet age. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Dugan, A. (2013). Fast food still major part of U.S diet. Web.
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Solomon, M. R. (2014). Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.