> People are bored, insecure, or just looking for something to latch onto. So we pay more for a label that makes us feel seen. It’s not about taste—it’s about signaling. And cafés know that. They exploit it. Ruthlessly.
This is a poor take on what's actually a rich cultural shift towards variety seeking. What's wrong with that? The author could go to a regular cafe and have the regular coffee they want, but some people want trying new things.
It can be frustrating for people that simply don't care for the variety and now have to make choices in a place where they used to be fine with an order of "one coffee, please".
Personally (quantity over quality when it comes to coffee), as long as I can still do that and get a hot, caffeinated, sugar-free (in regions where that's the default) beverage, I don't mind.
> ... now have to make choices in a place where they used to be fine ...
That seems to be the customer's problem though, not the business owner. The cafe owner has no obligation to stick to the old way of doing things forever. Companies change all the time and if customers aren't happy about it they should move on to other options.
Sure, just like I (or actually TFA's author; I really don't care that much) can scoff at these businesses, and be annoyed if more and more places become like that.
Ironically, that’s exactly how I feel going to a pub. I don’t really care for beer so anything works for me but I’m often expected to choose from many.
Oh, it is a cultural shift, but not simply towards variety. It feels like it's towards just making a scene of everything, and then selling the scene to you once you're deep in. You'd very commonly find items titled:
"deep loneliness", "caramel kiss", "essence of isolation", "burning blooms", "memories of early morning Paris", "rise of the Persian kingdom" "the battle of joys", "a millennium of bliss", "sausage party", "kiss of the dune", and my favorite: "call it whatever you want".
Yes, those are [roughly translated] titles in a cafe menu(!?) The point is to "have" a variety of options, not to be overwhelmed by the abundance of choices. I'm just ranting since I feel like I have no choice, other than to have too many choices. I want the simple, generic boring stuff, "too". Isn't the lack of that very "generic" option against variety itself? I'm a potential consumer too, but I'm deprived of my choice since I'm not planning to pay 3x for an unnecessarily weird name.
There's a strong force in humans, an instinct against anything new or unfamiliar. It manifests as conservatism, and it comes out even against insignificant shifts.
This is a poor take on what's actually a rich cultural shift towards variety seeking. What's wrong with that? The author could go to a regular cafe and have the regular coffee they want, but some people want trying new things.