Starbucks is launching a new service in which they deliver coffee directly to their consumers.
I can see the positive implications of the service: office people, too busy to grab a morning coffee, can have their order delivered to them without ever having to leave the desk.
But I think something is inherently loss when the coffee is taken away from the coffee shop.
In Downtown Toronto, there is a Starbucks situated at one of the busiest intersections in the city.
It has been dubbed the Britnell Starbucks because the space used to house a bookstore.
Inside this venerable institution, the walls are covered in old memorabilia and photographs of days gone by.
As you sit an enjoy the austere layout and décor, you can almost hear history breathing within its walls.
And although the bookstore and its contents no longer exist, save for a few keepsakes, the fact that the space has transformed into a Starbucks means that stories will continue to be crafted there.
Or so is the assumption.
Ask someone to recommend a great public place to express creativity or to meet new people, and you’d likely get the common answer of the coffee shop.
It’s where would-be authors go to pen their latest project, where wistful romantics go to chat up attractive patrons, and where coffee connoisseurs congregate to get a good cup of joe.
If you take the coffee shop out of getting coffee, you are essentially ripping the soul out of the process.
It’s like the soul gems from Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, except in reverse: where the coffee became an empty shell separated from the spirit of its physical establishment.
I understand it’s just business, and that Starbucks is only trying to compete in our convenience era of Uber and mobile food delivery.
But it will be a dark day when we as a society won’t be able to even enjoy a coffee together in public.
So what do you think? Is the Starbucks coffee delivery a good idea? Am I being too melodramatic about the death of the romance of coffee shop? And do you even LIKE Starbucks? Maybe you’re more of an indie coffee shop person – if so, I’d love to hear your thoughts!