Are Cafes Still Our Third Place? | COFFEE BREAK!
re cafes still the place where community happens, or have laptops, rising costs and grab-and-go culture completely changed the role they play?
Rohan Cooke and Ben Bicknell unpack the idea of the “third place”, the space between home and work where people can gather, connect and feel like they belong.
From regulars and barista-led connection to run clubs, book clubs, no-laptop venues and day-to-night models, we explore what cafe community looks like in 2026. Why is the traditional third-place model becoming harder to sustain? Can someone working silently on a laptop really be part of a…
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