All three Starbucks within easy walking distance of campus were full, and I needed to do a little coffee drinking and computering so I popped into a McDonalds.
While they are both places that serve coffee and have more people coming in to use the bathroom than actually buy anything, the entire experience couldn’t be more different. Duh, right? It’s just interesting. I think I’m the only student, it is mostly either moms/nannies with young children or really old people. There is one group of guys who clearly work construction all sitting at the same table ignoring each other (smart phones are super effective for this). It’s louder, brighter, more cheerful. The way this restaurant is set up, there are a bunch of long tables throughout the middle of the restaurant so people are forced to sit with strangers. .
At Starbucks despite the whir of the espresso machine and the intermittent blender grinding ice, the atmosphere is more hushed. It’s almost like being in a library. Most people in Starbucks are alone with their laptops, here I am the only one by myself.
