Switched from a booth to the counter at my local spot and it changed everything

I always grab a corner booth at Brew Lab in Portland to hide behind my laptop, but yesterday a barista convinced me to try the counter stools instead. Now I'm chatting with strangers and actually seeing how the espresso machine works, it's way more fun. Has anyone else had a seating choice totally flip your coffee shop routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

torres.grant10d ago

...and it's basically the same principle as switching from the drive-thru to eating inside at a fast food place. You're suddenly part of the room instead of just passing through it. I've noticed the same thing applies everywhere, like at the grocery store. If you rush through the self-checkout with headphones in, you're invisible. But the one time I forgot my earbuds, I ended up talking to the butcher for ten minutes about different cuts of pork shoulder. It's like we build these little forts around ourselves without even thinking about it, and then wonder why everything feels isolated. Putting yourself in the path of other people, even just by sitting at a different spot, forces the world to actually hit you. The counter is basically a social shortcut.

ivanross10d ago

Yeah, that bit about "putting yourself in the path of other people" really got me thinking. @torres.grant is that something you've had to train yourself to do on purpose or does it just happen sometimes when you forget the headphones? I've noticed that if I sit at the bar counter at a coffee shop instead of a table in the corner, it's almost like I'm broadcasting that I'm open to talking even if I don't say anything. There's something about that physical positioning that just changes the whole vibe of the interaction. Makes you wonder how many other little choices we make every day that keep us isolated without us even realizing it.