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Comment by al3x | Hacker News Reader

Most coffee shops fail at their primary function: serving a quality cup of coffee.

In years and years of being cafe-obsessed, I've never seen shop fail that went the extra mile with their drinks, whether by roasting their own beans, training their baristas to competitive levels, or simply buying good beans, milk, and machines.

I read this article some time ago, and didn't see the obsession with coffee shine through. Without that passion, a cafe will be replaced by the next hip or quaint establishment that pops up to cater to idling customers.

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Actually I think the primary function of most coffee shops would be, to create a 'third place' - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place

This is the strategy that the Apple Stores, Starbucks and lots of other organisations attempt to create. If this is successfully achieved, the actual quality of the cup of coffee would be less important.

I think the majority of us, as consumers, like to think that we are completely rational and would frequent a coffee shop based upon the quality of the coffee. However the environment/branding of the shop, locality and the type of customers who are present - is in my opinion - more likely to increase sales once a minimum standard of coffee is achieved.

Intelligensia (http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/) seems to put all the focus on the product.

That focus shows too, I literally can't walk past them without stopping in for a cup. The baristas know me by name. Even after a two week absence due to traveling they still had my order brewing as I walked through the door and ready immediately after I paid.

Yes. I've always thought the advantages a local shop could use are killer product, free wifi, and great ambience (third place, friendly baristas, local art, etc). For some reason many local shops serve mediocre coffee. Now Starbucks has free wifi and by corporate mandate they work hard on ambience. Hopefully this will push the local shops to improve their coffee and barista training. The 18 cents for very good beans stat, if true, doesn't leave much room for excuses.

Most businesses "fail" at their primary function if "quality" is the measure. The exceptions are there, but the widespread rule is surprising.

I've unfortunately seen shops fail that went the extra mile, but it's always been a matter of location and marketing.

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