What's the deal with coffee shops closing wicked early?

Submitted by your_city_councilor t3_zemq35 in WorcesterMA

When i was in high school, people used to go to Coffee Kingdom in Tronic Square at the corner of Plantation and Richmond and hang out into the evening, drinking coffee and smoking cloves. All kinds of board games and free flowing conversations, sometimes even musicians.

Now, though, that's impossible. I realize times have changed, but what happened to local coffee shop culture? All of the shops (aside from Espress Yourself and InHouse) close insanely early. Fuel America, Acoustic Java all close before regular business hours are out. Brew on the Grid closes early. That coffee shop in Main South, New Tradition? I've never even been there because they close mid-day and open at the same time most offices open.

Want a copy in the afternon on a weekend, with all these coffee shops around? Sucks for you. They're closed early then, too.

People say the pandemic caused businesses to close earlier, and that is true, but I noticed the coffee shop rend before the pandemic as well.

Any idea what happened? How do they even stay in business with such short hours?

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PaulPierceBrosnan t1_iz7eozl wrote

I think people generally aren't drinking as much coffee after 4pm and hours reflect that. I'd bet the money they save from not staffing late offsets the fewer cups sold.

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outb0undflight t1_iz7itq2 wrote

>I'd bet the money they save from not staffing late offsets the fewer cups sold.

For sure. Most of Brew & Fuel's customers are people who work downtown. Aside from the places that specifically cater to an evening crowd like Beer Garden, the Common area mostly clears out once City Hall and the other offices close. Acoustic Java does great business in the morning and lunch hours too, I mean, they recently (at least relatively speaking) opened the roastery location so they're clearly doing okay.

New Tradition does open weirdly late, but they also don't really cater to an office crowd, so it probably doesn't hurt 'em too much.

Bottom line is if being open later was worth it, those places would be open, but it doesn't, so they're not.

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your_city_councilor OP t1_iz7nwmg wrote

>Acoustic Java does great business in the morning and lunch hours too

but Acoustic Java's original location is literally right next to a university, so it would be reasonable to assume that they could be doing business into the evening there.

>New Tradition does open weirdly late, but they also don't really cater to an office crowd, so it probably doesn't hurt 'em too much.

Who do they cater to? Are they a legit coffee shop? Their hours are just weird, and I have no idea who goes there.

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outb0undflight t1_iz7oelk wrote

New Tradition has more of a punk vibe. Like, it's in the same building as a barber shop and a motorcycle shop, last I heard there was a tattoo shop going in, too.

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Forgot_the_Jacobian t1_iz9a6wk wrote

> but Acoustic Java’s original location is literally right next to a university, so it would be reasonable to assume that they could be doing business into the evening there.

The university there has 2-3 coffee shops on campus, do I don't know how many go to acoustic java.

> Who do they cater to? Are they a legit coffee shop? Their hours are just weird, and I have no idea who goes there.

They are a legit third wave coffee shop. So far the best Cappucinno in the city I've had, but imo not as great for pour overs. I would just add also, I certaintly don't fit the 'punk' crowd but go there a lot, and the crowd generally looks loke one I've seen at any other 3rd wave coffee place across the country.

Also I just remembered, Bean Counter (which may get a high number of WPI students) I believe is open later in the day as well

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your_city_councilor OP t1_iza8ukz wrote

>Also I just remembered, Bean Counter (which may get a high number of WPI students) I believe is open later in the day as well

Even they close earlier than they used to. :(

I'm going to have to take the recommendation and get over to New Tradition. Cappuccino might be my favorite drink aside from...well, it's my favorite, actually.

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Catesby t1_iz7mi6j wrote

I get the sense that coffee spots are more for working and less for just hanging out nowadays, which also might be a sign of the times.

In any case, Redemption Rock is open late and on weekends, too.

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This-Recording9461 t1_iz7vm9p wrote

Quick, someone open the Espresso Bar again, I could use a late night pot of coffee and a Forced Fed Shovelhead show.

Ah, the memories.

I share your dismay, I smoked many a cigarette at the coffee kingdom.

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your_city_councilor OP t1_iz7y31z wrote

Dude, I went to so many hardcore shows at the Espresso Bar. That place was awesome. Such good times back then...

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This-Recording9461 t1_iz7zavh wrote

So many, Overcast/Shadows fall, ect. Can't remember if I saw Earth Crisis and VOD there, that might have been the church gym in Clinton. Tons of shows.

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your_city_councilor OP t1_iza2p96 wrote

I think I went to all those shows. And then there were bands like Holdstrong and...something Crow Stomp, and the Psychos. Those were the days.

So, since you know what's up with good music, have you heard anything recently that's new and worthwhile?

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foredom t1_iz8e602 wrote

Oh man, I’d have placed a bet I’d never see FFSH pop up on Reddit. Good memories of the Espresso Bar, I remember somehow getting into shows there as a mohawked 13 year old - remember Eastcide?

If you want to take a trip down memory lane: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Da4Io17Rp_g

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This-Recording9461 t1_iz8htc7 wrote

Oh yeah, there were a bunch of super local bands, 7 Hills Psychos too. Some other bands from around Central Ma like Forty Days Rain, saw Fragment a ton too.

It was all ages, I was probably 14 or so when I first went. Actually had two locations on James St if I remember, way down the hallway in back, and later towards the front of the building with street access.

I actually first saw FFSH at the first Waaf local bazooka when it was at Shore Park near the Greendale Y.

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your_city_councilor OP t1_izaaccq wrote

Eastcide! I haven't thought about them in years. Actually, decades!

Ugh, I wish I could go to a show like those again. I had a friend who used to be in one of those bands, a few friends but one really close friend, and he his band had a band room in one of those old warehouses on Cambridge Street. Awesome place to hang out, too.

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epsteada t1_iz7rit2 wrote

Just clarifying that Tronic Square is Pleasant/Richmond rather than Plantation/Richmond. Signed, Tronic Square enthusiast

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universeconclusion t1_iz7s9r5 wrote

This makes me sad! When I used to live in Worcester (15 years ago?) there were a lot of open mic nights at Acoustic Java and Java Hut. RIP.

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Forgot_the_Jacobian t1_iz7slqj wrote

I haven't been there yet, but inhouse coffee is usually open late.

And Meraki is cool and opens only late, wife and I had a cappuccino and dessert down there near midnight last weekend. So there are options, but my go to for espresso is New Tradition and for Beans Acoustic Java, but I only go there in the mornings anyways so for me at least this hasn't affected much. We did have the opposite problem at one point, we wanted to check out Bedlam cafe and their coffee, but we went there and found out they were only open at 11am.

Edit: Also in addition to other options people said here, Nu Kitchen, Birch Tree etc. All have good coffee options and are open late and offer exactly what the environment are asking for

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New-Vegetable-1274 t1_iz86xpf wrote

I don't know if it was the pandemic but there has been a definite shift in all sorts of businesses that serve the public face to face. I think there was a lot of damage done to the public psyche in terms of one's comfort levels in indoor spaces with other people. It has effected the number of people who patronize a business and that tends to drop off after a certain hour. Small businesses like cafes et al have expenses beyond their inventory and payroll like heat and lights and so on. A lot of small businesses also lease rather than own and that's a huge expense. Time was when a lot of small eateries in Worcester did big business Wednesday through Saturday. They made a killing after hours when the bars closed. It was like a secondary economy and they were a secondary social venue. There were diners in Worcester that were open 24 hrs six days a week and closed on Sundays. A night out at the clubs was like the main course and the diners were desert. It was so much fun. You don't even see that as much in big cities anymore. I remember the Coffee Kingdom on Pleasant St and through at least two generations it had a real Bohemian vibe not to mention great coffee. There was restaurant on Highland St on the corner of N Ashland St, it's a Thai place now and in my time went through many incarnations, all were awesome. Every one of those businesses catered to the after hours crowd. So much has changed.

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your_city_councilor OP t1_iza8cfv wrote

>You don't even see that as much in big cities anymore.

That's definitely true. Even NYC is full of places that close early now. That has definitely happened since the pandemic; it really is a great tragedy of our world that humans now feel nervous of interacting with each other. That's going to have ramifications for decades to come.

>I remember the Coffee Kingdom on Pleasant St and through at least two generations it had a real Bohemian vibe not to mention great coffee.

Definitely. I don't even really remember their coffee, though I drank a lot of it, and also their Italian sodas, which I thought were very cosmopolitan at the time, but it was the vibe and the conversations and the people that I spent time with there that I remember.

Restaurant on Highland...was it the Mexican place?

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New-Vegetable-1274 t1_izboen6 wrote

There were actually two different Mexican restaurants at that location, I can't remember the names but the food was really good. One of them served guac, salsa and chips as an appetizer. One time a friend of mine asked for something spicier and said something like " Nothing is too hot for me". The wait staff brought a another bowl of salsa and said he should be careful but he shoveled a chipful of the salsa and immediately chugged a pitcher of water. He said he thought his heart stopped. The wait staff said " We call that one napalm". I think a lot of this social anxiety could be eased with entertaining at home with a weekly potluck dinner with a dozen or so people. I met my wife at such a dinner a long time ago. We rotated houses and the host had to provide the main course, everyone else brought something. Bringing along someone new was encouraged and it was never dull. Over time the group grew so big we had to move it to restaurants. Like anything else, people come and go and it eventually came to an end but it was fun while it lasted.

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[deleted] t1_iz9dsw7 wrote

[deleted]

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your_city_councilor OP t1_iza91qe wrote

>I’d suggest learning how to brew your own coffee?

Dude. That's not the point, man. I brew my own coffee every day. It's the coffee house vibe, you know, with lots of people talking and hanging out, that I miss. InHouse kind of fits that, but it's the only place in the city for now.

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New-Vegetable-1274 t1_iz9qe9e wrote

Could craft coffee become a thing like craft beer? Coffee that tastes like coffee, not that bitter swill from Starbucks. Offer sinful one of a kind dessert fare. You'd need morning business but run an evening shop Friday and Saturday nights and pull out all the stops. Offer your very best of everything on those nights with live entertainment. There was a dessert delivery place in Boston in the early 90's called Sweet Street that catered to coffee venues. They had a Chocolate Raspberry Black Forest cake that was just unbelievable and the best cheesecake I've ever had,

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your_city_councilor OP t1_iza9aj2 wrote

Dude, I would go to a place like you describe with my friends every night they were open.

There used to be a dessert place on Shrewsbury Street that was like that. Il Dolce?

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jpm01609 t1_iz92izj wrote

start your own coffee house if u want to change that

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your_city_councilor OP t1_iza8lpj wrote

Been considering pulling some money together and doing something like that. Need to do a lot of research, though...and I think a lot of these places could be really great if they were open later and became hangouts. Like Acoustic Java: perfect place to have a guy with a guitar and a bunch of college-and-up aged people after hours.

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