[ceejayoz]

Honestly, it's not even about the coffee. The lady working there would see me, greet me by name, ask after my kids, and start making my drink without me having to tell her my order. That was part of the Wegmans magic for a long, long time.

(Same reason closing the seafood counter got a big backlash. There's a similarly awesome guy working there. For now.)

[dredmorbius]

One of my favourite cafes ... thirty years ago now ... the barista would set up my drink when she saw me walk through the door, by the time I'd reached the counter she was handing it to me with a big smile.

Tipped her generously on her last day there, got a big hug for it.

There's something no machines can replace.