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Now I like coffee as much as the next person but in my little village there are six cafés, with two more planned, I hear. That’s one café for every 1,800 of the population. Surely, that can’t be sustainable even if it does give diversity of choice.
Personally, I prefer the privately owned small outlets rather than the larger chains but the very reasons I like them, might be a cause of their possible demise. They are less busy, so quieter; the Yummy Mummy brigade with their pushchairs and wailing kids seem to prefer the chains (thank god), but they are regular spenders that the small cafés miss out on. Often, the smaller places don’t have wi-fi and that’s a major deficiency now, especially for a writer.
On the other hand, sometimes it’s good to frequent the multiples just to people watch. What is that meeting all about, are they plotting against someone; why does the man of that couple keep looking over his shoulder, are they married but not to each other; that lady looks lonely and sad, I wonder if she’s recently bereaved?
So, what’s the verdict, large or small, private or corporate, or do both have their place in our time? Probably, but eight in one small village?
Ken Balneaves wrote, The Greatest Gift, available at http://amzn.to/QF7RLd (US), http://amzn.to/O12kgX (UK)
Ken Balneaves 
That’s really interesting Ken. I don’t think that I could write in a café myself (too many distractions) but I think that it is a good place to observe people, as is a pub.
I sometimes start writing in an empty café and look up three hours later, surprised to find it full. I seem to be able to shut out everything and focus. I’ve been told it’s a form of self-hypnosis, strange relly as hypnosis features in my book, The Greatest Gift.
I’m one of those weirdos that doesn’t like coffee. And since every time I try to get tea or apple cider or hot chocolate, I’m disappointed, I’ve gotten to the point I don’t bother anymore. There’s only so many times you can get burned (and sometimes literally – why can’t they leave a little room in the cup for ice cubes or milk?) before moving on.
That said, I find cafes to be a good place to meet people (mostly because that’s where everyone else wants to meet). When I go to a cafe, I usually spent most of my time with my head buried in something (e.g. book, iPad, laptop) or focused (at least trying to be) on the person I’m meeting. So I don’t do much writing or people watching there. But, I use every opportunity outside of my house to people watch, so it’s all good.
The big chains have their advantage in uniformity (I can go to one anywhere and probably find the same thing), but service and “normal” drinks are easier to find in the small joints. For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone would want to drink perfumed green tea.
I sometimes start writing in an empty café and look up three hours later, surprised to find it full. I seem to be able to shut out everything and focus. I’ve been told it’s a form of self-hypnosis, strange realy as hypnosis features in my book, The Greatest Gift.
All the best.