Abstract
This study explores customers’ motivations to become regulars at contemporary specialty coffee shops and identifies the features that make these places meaningful enough for repeated visits. Drawing on observations and in situ interviews with staff and regular customers in Hong Kong, Copenhagen, and Columbus, the study examines how regular destinations emerge in contemporary café culture. The analysis identifies recurring characteristics of places that individuals consider their regular spots: (1) high-quality offerings, including quality products and professional service; (2) convenient and attractive locations; (3) the resources to accommodate different types of visits; (4) connectedness, or a sense of community and shared values between regulars and the shop; and (5) deeper relationships involving subtle forms of cocreation among long-term regulars. The study identifies both similarities and contextual differences between the cities and suggests directions for future research.
Keywords
Belonging, Coffee Shops, Café Design, Interior Design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.587
Citation
Münster, M.B., Matheny, R., and Raahauge, K.M. (2026) Becoming a coffee shop regular: Factors shaping regularity in contemporary coffee shops, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.587
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Becoming a coffee shop regular: Factors shaping regularity in contemporary coffee shops
This study explores customers’ motivations to become regulars at contemporary specialty coffee shops and identifies the features that make these places meaningful enough for repeated visits. Drawing on observations and in situ interviews with staff and regular customers in Hong Kong, Copenhagen, and Columbus, the study examines how regular destinations emerge in contemporary café culture. The analysis identifies recurring characteristics of places that individuals consider their regular spots: (1) high-quality offerings, including quality products and professional service; (2) convenient and attractive locations; (3) the resources to accommodate different types of visits; (4) connectedness, or a sense of community and shared values between regulars and the shop; and (5) deeper relationships involving subtle forms of cocreation among long-term regulars. The study identifies both similarities and contextual differences between the cities and suggests directions for future research.