Is there no café culture in the U.S?

[oplawlz]

In Europe people have better public places to hang out, in the US we hang out privately. People have larger homes and have easier access to outdoor areas with plenty of space. You're much more likely to have tea at a friends house with a few people or more than to find a cafe.

In some areas we still have diners and cafes that people go and sit down at, but lounges/bars/restaurants are more popular.

This sums it up nicely. While the United States has a huge variety of cultures, the folks who can afford it tend to have gatherings at home rather than cafes or other public venues.

[ChampionChains]

I worked in a cafe shortly after high school and we always had regulars who would stay for hours. Most of the people in American cafes who spend a lot of time in cafes use them for free wifi and business. People basically come in who need a temporary office. They'll get a table near an outlet, hook up their laptop, get a coffee, sometimes have business meetings and work for 4-8 hours. The cafe I worked in was attached to a book store so it was probably a slightly different customer than a standalone cafe, but probably not too different. From my understanding, in Europe many people treat cafes almost like taverns/bars which simply serve non-alcoholic beverages. Not so much in the US, people tend to use them more for business than socializing.

[Elim Garak]

Sitting in a cafe for hours alone and just ordering two coffees is plain RUDE. Regardless of where you are geographically.

[God Save The King]

Generally speaking, America does not have a strong café culture. In more liberal areas, such as large urban centers, such cultures can exist. I know that in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco (at least the cafés I've been to), this is not unheard of. More over, if you go to a one-off, small shop, such culture is much more likely to exist.

That being said, if the place is busy and table/seats are full, it is respectful to both the staff and other customers to leave once you are done. I've personally stayed at restaurants for hours at a time, enjoying myself with friends, but if the place is packed, we try to leave early and move to another establishment, such as a bar or someone's home.

[Stormcall]

Yeah, I know of tipping and I did tip 20% in all those places. I even tend to tip here in Europe so that would not really be the issue here, I think :/

You don't understand how it works. You take up that table for 2 hours. Let's say you had a $10 bill, and tipped 20%, that means in 2 hours, the server made a whole $2 off your table. Now, let's say the other server, who had a table where 4 customers come in, each spend half an hour, and they each spent and tipped the same as you did. That server got $8 in the same amount of time that your server only got $2.

As for cafe culture, it really depends on the area. In much of the US, we do not. Cafes, for much of the US, are places where you go in, eat your meal, then leave. If you want to go somewhere and hang out with friends for a couple of hours, you go to a bar, you go to a park, you get together and have a cookout in your backyard, you sit around at the house of the friend with the biggest TV and watch a football game or something.

[Deleted]

Meh, it depends on where you are. There are a lot of coffee shops around my college campus where students go and work on homework on their computers for hours on end.

This. We have our university scattered all over the city and on "my" regular campus which is located more outside than others we have a very nice cafe with very comfortable chairs. It was the best place to get some things done or bridge time till the next lecture started. Coffee itself is far tastier than the shitty stuff that the campus machines produce and not that much more expansive - also someone would bring it to you. Oh and toilets are cleaner.

[Acidbaron]

You do not start or take over a café here to make a lot of money, you do it because you enjoy the social interactions it brings forth and you like to function as a meeting place for local people.

There used to be more money in it, but you also need to accept you are often working 7 days a week with maybe one closing day and are present there from often 7 in the morning, italian cafe's open even a whole lot sooner like 5 in the morning here. And you close the earliest around 12 to 1 at night during the week-end. Week-ends it goes far longer.

I go to one at least once per week to catch up and get a few beers, it's also really not that expensive i think including that you give rounds and are giving drinks back you spend around maybe 20 to 30 euros.

I find it interesting that americans are really considering leaving some place earlier where they are having fun just to make room. That is something i never heard of here.

[Elim Garak]

You don't understand how it works. You take up that table for 2 hours. Let's say you had a $10 bill, and tipped 20%, that means in 2 hours, the server made a whole $2 off your table. Now, let's say the other server, who had a table where 4 customers come in, each spend half an hour, and they each spent and tipped the same as you did. That server got $8 in the same amount of time that your server only got $2.

It's not about the tips. The servers in US will be pissed about the tips but who cares about them? But the CAFE that has less sales because of people who occupy a table for two hours to drink 2 coffee - will be pissed EVERYWHERE across the globe. Servers in EU will be "whatevah" about it cause they get paid jsut as much and it's less work. But their managers will be furious.

[ButterBeast]

Who the fuck would want to spend 2 hours in a cafe

non weeaboos.

[Xandrigity]

Also, in the US people go to bars to socialize. The more I thought about it the coffee type cafes in the US sell expensive coffee sold per cup and provide free WiFi. The ones are more like a sandwich shop and cater to a fast turn over rate of tables typically don’t provide WiFi so folks don’t stay there all day. They usually sell basic coffee and free refills.

[Kellhound]

If you are a regular and you tip very well, the staff will gladly let you stay longer, even if crowded.

[Zelk]

Who the fuck would want to spend 2 hours in a cafe

normal, well adjusted people

[Elim Garak]

normal, well adjusted people

With empty life.

[Dwarfhamster]

A few different points:

Cafe culture in Europe isn't only about "hanging out" in a coffeehouse. It's also about the discussion of politics and society in Europe since the 1500s. The vaunted "third space." Society and political discussions have changed since then of course, and that's shifted now to chat rooms and Reddit and whatever else, but that life style of hanging out in a cafe is still strong in parts of continental Europe.

In the States, it entirely depends on the city. Large cities that are spread out are too hustle and bustle. Smaller, more dense cities are more prone to have a coffee culture. You can almost see a correlation between a coffee culture and a micro-brewry culture. San Diego, a rather spread out city with a dense urban core, has both. Portland, Seattle, Sacramento, San Francisco all have great coffee culture in the West/Left Coast. College towns too.

That said, who the hell has time to sit in a coffeehouse or a bar for more than two hours at a time? I appreciate spending time with friends and all, but after a while, it's just time to move on to the next activity. Like eating.

[Strawberry]

In Thailand, there's a service cost in many restaurants which is usually about 10%. That's added to your meal cost. It goes to the employees and if it's included you don't need to tip if you don't feel to. I prefer this system very much versus normal tipping.
Thais appreaciate tipping but don't get upset if you don't tip them. Not a bad bunch of people actually, outside of it being a trap land

[Twix]

More like Starbucks culture.. get anally fucked with expensive coffee but WiFi is free at least!

[Deleted]

Who the fuck would want to spend 2 hours in a cafe

People with friends but I can understand this sounds alien to you

- - - Updated - - -

With empty life.

2hrs in a bar normal
2hrs in a cafe weird

logic

[Strawberry]

Sitting in a cafe for hours alone and just ordering two coffees is plain RUDE. Regardless of where you are geographically.

I don't think so. I could see myself sitting in a coffee shop with my laptop studying or doing some work.
A lot of digital nomads work that way. On the contruary, I think it's rude to attempt to shoo away those people if they have bought their coffee.
If the coffee shop doesn't like that kind of behavior, they should make a rule about it.

[Deleted]

Yea in the US we don’t take 2 hour lunches like they do in Europe. However, we do have Saturday and Sunday off on the weekend. Where in Europe the typical work week includes Saturday. Just a different way of doing the work week. There are plenty of coffee houses in the US. The US is also less densely populated so maybe you are feeling that as well.

wot matey?

[GreenJesus]

Why would I literally sit somewhere surrounded by strangers with nothing to do? Obviously I would just get my coffee and go back home.