Friday, April 24, 2015

The Cafe as a Public Space



The countless cafes near Woosong University show that there is a huge demand for cafes. In recent years, cafes have become important public places that are integral to the lives of modern people. How many college students go to cafes and what are their reasons for going?

Nowadays, coffee is more popular than ever. Anyone who wants to can visit a coffee shop and coffee shops are public spaces where everyone with enough money to buy a cup of coffee is welcome. People visit coffee shops for many different reasons. Some go to study, others go to chat with their friends and some people just want a rest from their busy lives. Also, there are many different kinds of coffee shop these days.

Close to Woosong, there are a number of takeaway coffee shops. The majority of student coffee shop customers actually go to these takeaway coffee shops. Students like to buy coffee from these shops to stay awake during their long hours of study or job seeking. The problem for the coffee shops is that there are few student customers during the vacation times.

But the cafe has also transformed into a public space that the public’s diverse needs. What are the public needs that are met by all of these coffee shops?

I investigated the frequency and reasons people visit coffee shops. Please click the pie chart below.


89% of respondents (111 people) answered that they go to one or more coffee shops each month and 51% of respondents (64 people) reached said they visit a coffee shop twice or more each week. 65% of respondents (72 people) said that their main reason for visiting coffee shops was to chat with friends. Only 22% of respondents (24 people) answered that they visit coffee shops to drink coffee.

In the end, the key for coffee shops to stay in business is to understand and meet the needs of their customers.


Staff writer (Alicia) Yun Yeo-hui.

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