But if there's no seats, it's the same issue. The customers who want somewhere to sit briefly to drink and snack are still going to be turned off from entering.

I can’t believe we’ve reached a point in society where asking to have a damn seat after you bought a coffee for $10+ (not including the tip you were probably asked to add at checkout) is considered wholly unreasonable.

Some coffee shops I’ve enjoyed: Any Tatte

Baker’s Daughter

Le Pain Quotidien or Peregrine Espresso in Eastern Market - right around the corner from East City Bookshop, one of my fave bookstores :-)

Penn Social - now converted into a coffee shop during the day

Call Your Mother West End - attached to a hotel with ample lobby seating

Dolcezza in the Hirshorn - outdoor terrace is super nice to sit at, weather permitting

Albi/Yellow (Navy Yard), although I think they are is relocating so I’m not quite certain

The new-ish Tatte near Tenleytown always has so much space!

Zoning delenda est

Clearly people don’t know that the innovation of Starbucks is the creation of the experience of sitting and staying in a coffee shop. I’m not talking about their current controversies. Do your homework.

This isn’t Europe, it’s America. Two different cultures re: coffee drinking and cafes.

It’s not some monumental ask for one to be able to sit and enjoy a latte or some other filter coffee drink (as opposed to an espresso) while reading a book or chatting with friends. Or, perhaps, just finishing the drink you just bought - which was probably $8-14 in this city.

I understand what you’re saying, but “camping out” is on the extreme end of things.

First, would love to hear some of your favorite spots with seating!

Second, yeah I agree there's a lot of great spots that have like just the minimum amount of seating and it's not cozy. But there's certainly plenty I love for their ambience and seating as well! For the most part I won't go if the coffee isn't good too, but here's some of the examples that come to mind:

The Coffee Bar on a nice day is so nice outside. La Colombe in Blagden Alley is lovely. Dolcezza at the Hirshorn lacks real people usually because it's a museum (like it's mostly museum goers, not like the romantic version of a coffee patron) but the setting is cool. I think it's Peregrine at Union Market? But that area has a nice vibe. Sweet Science was pretty cool. Compass Coffees 7th st. Roastery location is great.

One place I desperately miss is this little cafe in Chinatown (might have been called Chinatown cafe?) In a skinny brick building that always felt like what I wanted a downtown cafe to feel like. Rip to that shop.

I spend most of my time in VA these days but I definitely love a lot of DC coffee spots.

yes this! most of my gay male friends met other gay men through a sport. A lot met through a queer religious community too.

I wasn't trying to camp out for hours but it would've been nice to have been able to sit at a table to eat instead of walking around in the rain. Folks are acting like people are going to start camping out if a coffee shop has a few more tables/benches

If you enjoy board games/RPGs, I know there are some “gaymer” groups around here on Meetup.

Every coffee shop I’ve been to in DC has seating. If seats are in short supply, it’s because the coffee shop is very popular or people have been taking up tables for hours.

Totally. But in Europe, a lot of coffee shops want you to sit and enjoy your espresso, and then leave. Then the table is there for other people. Not to camp out all day off of a single coffee.

I think that vibe is a relic of like, 2004. Now everyone has laptops and wi-fi and so can entertain themselves all day puttering around online.

I don’t think it’s any different in other American cities honestly. The era of bringing your laptop and sitting there for hours taking up tables off of a $8 bill is over it seems, and I think that’s a good thing.(Maman in Georgetown is a notable exception, I guess because of GU students.) The tables should be taken up for a shorter period of time so others can use them.

If you want to camp out for hours, there are many Starbucks around DC that will let you do that.

It doesn’t take an hour to drink a coffee. That coffee is gonna be cold as a stone after 20 minutes.

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Kafe Leopold in Georgetown has great seating.

The hilarity 😅

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They still have seating to do that

Every coffeeshop has seating for the most part

If they’re busy, then get there earlier and not at 10AM when everyone else gets the same idea

Also crazy aunt Helens on 8th (I’m not a young gay man, but that is the vibe there)

No, but assuming everyone in those cars is capable of walking is equally implausible. I have a mother who's wheelchair bound and wanted to see the cherry blossoms so I drove her around. Does that make me a carbrain?

Kinda strange a fancy place like Tatte would be serving natural light. I’d have thought they’d go with something more hipster like PBR

Volunteer at the DC Center https://thedccenter.org