I regularly go to a Peet’s coffee shop on Market Street in the Castro district.
This Peet’s location is very busy, probably a top earner in the chain, with a perpetual line that is very fast and a splendid staff.
Two things to report. Since I returned from Tokyo in August, Peet’s has added a whole new line of coffee drinks with chocolate in them. I am guessing that this appeals to a younger clientele.
As I see the coffee explosion, it grew out of the widespread use of cocaine during the late 1970s. Cocaine was an upper, popular among Silicon Valley types and most people who wanted to get a lot of work done. Espresso drinks were the sane sequel to cocaine. The coffee explosion started on the West Coast.
What we may have now, with the addition of chocolate, may be the next iteration of the “uppers”-for-work pattern that has been such a vital source of productivity. The age group is migrating down.
Second observation about Peet’s. The staff in the Castro, as I said, is first rate…friendly, competent with good team work. I think that a large part of this esprit d’corps is a reflection of the courtesy and camaraderie of the customers in this neighborhood. Good work gets done around favorable customers.