I dunno. I no longer think of Starbucks as a place to sit and drink good coffee any more than I think of McDonald’s as a place to sit and enjoy a good hamburger. When you used the anacronym POS I did not initially think “point of sale.”

@apoorplayer I just looked it up and it appears I’ve made that comparison 4 times on my blog over the last 10 years that Starbucks is McDonalds for caffeine but I guess larger topic of fast food then. These places are big and they’re all empty. McDonalds is the same. All of the seats are empty.

@apoorplayer hahaha. that makes my post a lot funnier. POS can go both ways.

I certainly think you’re right about that. People seem to prefer eating their combo meals driving at 65MPH rather than sitting for 20 minutes to eat their food. I wonder if that’s a post-Covid effect.

@apoorplayer Looks like a new blog idea “Sitting alone at restaurants” I exclusively drink and eat meals in the spaces so when I do have fast-food, it’s just me, the staff and a bunch of Uber Eats folks running in to grab their bags. It kind of feels like eating in a kitchen.

I love doing that too, but I must admit that if I linger too long I am filled with a deep melancholy.

Yup, I swing into a Starbucks in Manchester most mornings I’m here, between 5 and 6 am (they’re one of the only places open that early). The 3 people behind the counter are ant-hill hustling, which is a very strange feeling when I am often the only customer in the entire room ordering anything — and loitering around after.

Of course the drivey-thru is going strong, and in the span of time it takes me to order my coffee, half a dozen people have walked in to grab orders that I assume were placed through an app — no human interaction required; even a thank you thrown across the counter is rare. A very sad scene.

I shall continue my loitering.

@tinyroofnail Maybe we’re getting old but I have yet to install any food apps except Uber Eats. I know there are deals in there but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I’ll order at the kiosks in the fast food joints though since most places are understaffed.

@combatdavey If I’m there too long, someone will inevitably start verbally abusing staff for many dumb reasons and that’s when you remember how tough these jobs are. If my burger doesn’t have pickles, I just let it slide.

Agree. I’ve seen it too. The way people take out their frustrations on fast food workers making minimum wage is shameful.

I won’t use apps at all to order food. It’s just another gigantic personal info grab. But honestly, I don’t eat very much fast food at all. And I brew my own coffee in the morning. These are the pleasures of being retired. And I’m already old!

@tinyroofnail I am so fortunate to have an honest-to-goodness neighborhood coffee shop nearby. Kristen and Tom, the owners, are great at remembering names and details. It’s Baby-Stroller-and-Dog Central most mornings. Good coffee (roasted in house) and breakfast tacos, to boot!

@apoorplayer The only food app I use is to order ice cream sundaes from Friendly’s! But like you, I don’t eat out much, and I make my own coffee (and breakfast, for that matter), so I never developed a taste for elaborate coffee drinks. (And I don’t like the taste of coffee enough to drink the intense ones like espressos.)

@apoorplayer Love it! You’re living the life.

@JimRain Sounds fantastic. We’ve had a few of these around here and it seems they just don’t last very long. I see a line around the block for Taco Bell but our cheap taco place (that costs less than Taco Bell) with fresh cooked chicken and chopped veggies just closed after 2 years.