[theF00l]

It would be nice to have a modern version of this imo. We are more aware as a society of the many disadvantages of alcohol. Granted, alcohol free alternatives exist but they may create a social dissonance with the rest of the patrons.

Plus alcohol is (perhaps understandably) taxed so heavily.

[ljf]

When I lived in London a bottle shop/bar/coffee shop opened in a railway arch near my house.

In the day it was mainly parents with children or the occasional remote worker, and as it hit 5pm more people would come in for beers - though they served coffee and snacks all night.

One time we were in there having a couple of coffees and chatting while my son was tiny and sleeping - I apologised to the owner that we were having another round of coffee and not drinking beer. He said not to worry - for every coffee we drank he made about £2.50 profit, for every beer it was about 50p.

Really opened my eyes to the potential profit margins at various businesses, especially those that can cater to very different customers at different times of the day.

[bobthepanda]

Beverages are usually the money maker at restaurants.

IIRC, Coca Cola syrup for fast food restaurants is on the order of pennies for a gallon of soda.

[supertofu]

There is a totally nonalcoholic kava bar where I live.

Kava is a nonintoxicating plant with alkaloids that improve mood and enhance sociability.

The kava bar a fantastic place to sit by yourself and easily fall into a conversation with other people at the bar or the kava-tender.

I do think kava is illegal in some countries, which is unfortunate, and being that it grows on pacific islands, it's probably rather hard to import for most places. But a wonderful plant and wonderful concept.

[mytailorisrich]

Milkshakes per se are a bit out of fashion but nowadays the fashion is "coffee shops" like Starbucks that are similar if more coffee-based.

[thomc]

Agree, coffee shops are the modern version. Only 25 years ago as a student in Manchester pubs were everywhere, and we often used to go to the pub at lunch time. Went back there recently and all the pubs we used to frequent were gone, replaced by coffee shops and people with laptops and smart phones :)

[bluGill]

Coffee shops have been around for centuries. How popular they are varies as fads come and go, but they have been there.

[mytailorisrich]

Yes, but coffee shops a la Starbucks are a relatively recent thing, and they sell "coffee" that looks more like a milkshake than a cup of coffee...

[thaumasiotes]

> Milkshakes per se are a bit out of fashion but nowadays the fashion is "coffee shops" like Starbucks

Milkshakes are one of the most popular things Starbucks sells.

Though for unfathomable reasons they insist on adding coffee to almost all of them, as if that were the reason people buy milkshakes.

[mytailorisrich]

Yeah they are not milkshakes they are coffee! ;)

[thaumasiotes]

They appear to offer "creme frappuccinos" in a section of the menu that in at least some Starbucks is labeled "non-coffee". I can't actually tell whether those frappuccinos are also coffee, or not. The official ingredients are things like "Frappuccino Chips" and "Mocha Sauce", preventing you from knowing what's in them.

[nemo44x]

Starbucks has pivoted from coffee shop to desert beverages, pretty much. They still will sell you a coffee but they feature a variety of desert drinks.