A Coffee Shop By Any Other Name Is Still A Fun Place To Hang Out
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Coffee Shop.

If a bar and a restaurant had a child, it would be a coffee shop. Also called a coffee house, cafe, or caffe, coffee establishments are becoming increasingly popular. Most coffee stores serve hot caffeine beverages such as coffee and tea. Some offer light snacks, such as muffins, doughnuts and pastries. Others serve more substantial foods, such as soup and sandwiches, or even provide a full menu of foods and sometimes alcoholic beverages. These coffee serving shops began as important places of public gatherings and discussion, and continue that role to this day.

Coffee houses originated in the Middle East in the 16th century and migrated to Europe in the 17th century. Early coffee shops in Paris were frequented by writers, politicians, and philosophers. Shops selling coffee became hugely popular in London because anyone could enter, regardless of class. Gender was an issue, though, because women were often not allowed to enter. Fortunately, this injustice has been corrected. Meanwhile, these coffee houses and shops became news and gossip centers. Before newspapers became published and distributed, patrons gathered at the local shop to hear the news of the day.

Coffee houses and shops became associated with the rebellious youth of the 1960s. People who were too young or poor to enter a bar could sit in shops sipping a single cup of coffee for hours. These youngsters could discuss their ideas, read their poetry, and showcase their songs while slowly nursing a single cup of coffee. The counter culture of hippies and beatniks was fueled by the coffee served in these shops.

Today's coffee houses and shops serve a similar purpose, but are much more highly commercialized. The Starbucks chain of coffee houses standardized much of the business of running coffee specialty shops. The emphasis is on selling coffee, and as much of it as possible. Patrons are still free to mingle and meet in the shop, as long as they purchase a coffee, latte, or espresso first. These shops have once again become focal points for underage students who cannot legally enter a bar.

The purpose of the coffee retail shop has come full circle. People from several hundred years in the past would certainly recognize today's coffee houses, whether it is called a cafe, bistro, brasserie, coffee bar, or simply a coffee shop.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.