- Offices, once known for dull coffee, now serve up premium brews and perks
- Coworking spaces, thriving in the remote work era, use premium coffee as a key draw for clients
- Yet, 60% of survey respondents still favour coffee shops over offices for remote work
AT WeWork’s Paddington location, a fully automated coffee machine dispenses complimentary espresso, cappuccinos, and oat milk lattes to freelancers and entrepreneurs.
Just downstairs, however, a small independent café still draws customers willing to pay for their coffee. Why would anyone pay for something available for free?
The answer lies in the persistent value people place on human interaction, routine, and quality in an increasingly automated world.
WeWork’s business model has long relied on providing an enticing office experience – one that attracts people looking for community and a reprieve from the isolation of remote work. Part of that allure is that office coffee, once drab, is now elevated to the standard of “barista-quality” thanks to coworking companies using sleek, bean-to-cup machines or even hiring their own baristas.
This trend is transforming the modern workplace, as businesses and coworking spaces alike look to offer employees the perfect balance of flexibility, comfort, and caffeine.
But even in the face of such convenience, many still opt for the small coffee shop downstairs. For many, the morning coffee ritual is as much about connection as it is about caffeine. People are willing to wait a few extra minutes for the chance to chat with a barista, exchange pleasantries, and enjoy a “hand-crafted” cup that’s slightly more customisable than any fully-automated machine could ever provide.
These spaces became a haven for freelancers and creative workers who were tired of the loneliness of working from home and sought a blend of flexibility and community. They weren’t just renting desks; they were selling the promise of human connection – networking opportunities, spontaneous collaboration, and, of course, amenities like free coffee.
“With the shift towards working from home that came from the lockdowns, a problem arose – working from home is lonely,” says Kieran MacRae, founder of online work space Slow Writers Club.
“So more people are seeking out community spaces to work in to combat that loneliness while also creating a clear boundary between working and home.”
But while coworking spaces have thrived by tapping into the desire for community, they’ve also begun to blur the lines between the workplace and the café. The traditional coffee shop, once a go-to spot for freelancers, is now competing with offices that offer not only free coffee but also similar environments – casual, social, and filled with independent workers.
It’s not hard to see why. Coffee shops offer something intangible: an atmosphere of creativity and leisure that contrasts with the professional pressures of an office-like space.
It’s a space where caffeine and community are intertwined in a way that coworking spaces, with their hyper-focus on productivity, may struggle to authentically replicate.
The coffee break: A symbol of work-life blurring
Coffee has a long history as a workplace stimulant. In the mid-20th century, the “coffee break” became a fixture of American corporate life.
It was first used in American factories as a way to increase productivity by almost 20% while giving workers a brief pause from their tasks. Today, with the rise of remote working, with the liberty to work almost anywhere, many digital nomads have gravitated towards coffee shops as a familiar third space, securing productivity for themselves.
“Coffee shops are comfortable places where you can linger without guilt making them perfect to work in,” says Kieran. “Compare that to restaurants or cafes, which turn over tables to get more customers, and you feel rude taking up a table after you’ve finished eating.”
According to Dr. David Grazian, in his article “The culture of coworking spaces,” remote workers who have the chance to work almost anywhere in the world craved a space that looked and felt like an office space.
“I think it’s the buzz of being around others, while also having an environment that’s relaxing enough to concentrate and work in,” says anonymous.
“When you’re working alone at home five days a week, you get little to no social interaction outside of Zoom calls, which are likely to be work-related anyway. But in a coffee shop, those interactions with the barista or others working around you can go a long way to bring a touch of the social into the working day.”
Coworking spaces have updated that idea, offering unlimited coffee as part of the package to attract remote workers seeking both comfort and efficiency.
At the same time, companies have a fiduciary incentive to keep workers, including hybrid and remote, in the office without wandering out around the corner to their favourite coffee escape.
One survey reveals that Britons spend 18 hours a year leaving the office just to grab a decent cappuccino or latte from a coffee shop. That has led to a loss of £250 a year per employee or 8 billion-a-year – roughly 0.4 per cent of the UK’s GDP.
But with more companies investing in high-end coffee solutions for their offices, specialty roasters are seeing a new opportunity. Increasingly, they are targeting coworking spaces and with wholesale models, selling beans and leasing out bean-to-cup machines, turning offices into mini coffee shops.
Roasters now hope to capitalise on the growing demand of good coffee becoming more accessible through technological innovations. This wholesale model promises to be potentially lucrative for roasters, but it raises a troubling question: can coworking spaces capture café culture?
As roasters shift focus to corporate clients, coffee brewing in the workplace is becoming more sophisticated. Aeropress, for example, released a model in 2019, the Aeropress Go, designed for travel and office use, targeting workers who want to brew high-quality coffee at their desks.
The convenience of these office-friendly setups is undeniable, but it may also be contributing to the homogenisation of the coffee experience.
Specialty coffee, once defined by its uniqueness and artisanal flair, risks becoming just another office perk.
The corporate takeover of specialty coffee – can it really work?
The transformation of coffee from café culture to corporate amenity reflects a broader shift in how we think about work and leisure.
Offices that once relied on quick and cheap coffee have upped their game, installing state of the art machines and signing deals with specialty roasters in hopes of enticing employees to never leave the building.
For time-starved office professionals, companies and coworking spaces, this should be a win.
Coworking spaces do not seem to be going away anytime soon and are now set to undergo a significant transformation, prioritising hospitality and enhancing the overall member experience.
They are hoping to attract new customers and keep existing ones hoping to create an environment that fosters an authentic sense of community so many are looking for.
By targeting coworking spaces, specialty roasters and coffee equipment brands are diversifying their business models, but are they also undermining specialty coffee’s original value proposition?
“I don’t think so,” says Kieran. “Coffee shops offer a more relaxed atmosphere compared to co-working spaces, which can feel quiet and stuffy or filled with the chatter of people on work calls.”
“After working in a co-working space, listening to two people talking to clients at once was hugely distracting compared to the almost white noise-like quality of being in a coffee shop. Plus, the coffee will always be better in a coffee shop!”
Coffee shops offer more than just a beverage; they offer an escape, a moment of peace, a small indulgence in an otherwise hectic day.
And, importantly, they offer human connection – something offices or coffee alone can’t replicate. Some things can’t be automated, no matter how good the coffee upstairs might be.
Coffee Intelligence
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