The Barista’s Perspective
I work at a coffee shop that is built to be trending. It has everything a company needs to attract customers in the digital age: catchy slogans, Instagrammable decor, excessive amounts of pendant light bulbs, a focus on latte art, cold brew on tap, and the option to throw avocado on nearly everything. And the strategy works. Every day, customers from near and far flock through the tasteful patio into the shop, gawk at the high ceilings, snap some pics, and order their $7 drinks. Customers excitedly tell me at the register that their best friend, dentist, or second cousin once removed told them that they just have to try our coffee when they visit. They order their cleverly-named drink, grab an $18 branded onesie for the nephew, and fly back home to Boston, Charlotte, or Seattle.
Which is all great! I too love the high ceilings and avocado-stuffed food options. But there comes a point where coffee is coffee, and no amount of social media marketing can improve the taste of ours compared to the several options just down the street.
On a late summer Saturday at around 10 a.m., I told a customer it may be a bit of a wait before they got their iced vanilla latte with almond milk. I set their cup down in line and counted thirty-three cups ahead of it. Including the time it took to even get to the register, the customer waited around twenty-five minutes to receive one drink. I cannot say why customers keep on coming. Perhaps to some, the quality of the drink is really worth the wait. But I can’t help but think that many are lured by the Instagram pictures and cute merchandise. A two-minute walk down the street could save those customers fifteen minutes and probably a bit of money too.
I love where I work. The coffee is great, as is the atmosphere, but that is true of coffee shops throughout my city. What sets us apart is our marketing. Working here has made me realize that when I visit a new city, that coffee shop or restaurant everyone is talking about probably is great, but so are several others. And if it’s going to take 25 minutes for me to get a coffee, I’ll happily go somewhere else.
The Food Writer’s Perspective
Here’s how that coffee shop got so buzzy. They created a design that worked well on Instagram–high ceilings, photogenic drinks with good enough coffee to back up the price, and cute gear. After it was photographed a few times, media took note. It appeared on one or two lists like the “10 Best Coffee Shops In the City” or “8 Instagrammable Dishes You Have to Try.”
Once it made it to one list, the work was done, It would now appear on every food list in the city, because that’s how food writing works when it comes to roundups. Writers visit a few places on the lists they’re writing, but also rely on past lists as research, meaning the same places are listed over and over and over (and over and over and over).
I’ve written plenty of lists for plenty of publications in my career. How do I determine what to include? By reading other lists, of course! Sure, there are places I know I’ll add because I’ve been and they fit the list description. But I don’t want to pick the wrong “best” places–what if that rooftop bar I was going to include really isn’t the best. I mean, my city has about 150 rooftop bars. So, I read other lists. If places show up again and again (which they do, because the author’s of those lists use the same method), it’s likely I’ll include them in my list too. Even if I haven’t been. Because what if it is really the best? I don’t want my list to be inferior. And also, to be completely honest, it’s easier this way.
And so this coffee shop gets more and more popular, while the coffee shop down the street remains less busy and cheaper because it doesn’t appear in roundups. And every one of you reading this is guilty of going somewhere because you saw it on Instagram or read it in a list.
Now, this is not always a bad thing. Some places really are worthy of appearing on every possible article because they really, truly are the best. But in general you should be wary when reading lists, and when it comes to coffee, you’re probably safe avoiding the line and going down the street. Unless you really, really need that Instagram photo. In which case, I don’t even know…we’re all complicit.
