- 74% of Gen Z value real-world experiences over digital ones
- As such, “influencer cafés” are emerging as new social hubs
- Gen Z is flocking to these curated and reimagined “third places” – part coffee shop, part content studio
INFLUENCERS are turning online clout into offline coffee spaces – and Gen Z is showing up.
In a surprising shift, influencer-led coffee brands that once thrived entirely online are moving into brick-and-mortar territory.
The latest example? Chamberlain Coffee, the brainchild of YouTuber Emma Chamberlain, opened its first permanent café in Los Angeles this January.
After launching as a mail-order coffee brand in 2019 and experimenting with pop-ups and online hype, Chamberlain’s move into a physical storefront suggests a new strategy that reflects a shift in Gen Z’s consumption habits and mindset.
“From the start, Chamberlain Coffee has been rooted in self-expression, creativity, and connection – and while we’ve built a strong community online, we always knew we wanted to create a physical space that brings the brand to life in a tangible way,” says Jeumana Jaber, CMO of Chamberlain Coffee.
“Launching our first café felt like a natural next step. It’s a place where people can experience the product, the vibe, and the energy of Chamberlain Coffee in real life. We’ve grown rapidly in retail, and this was our opportunity to create our own world – one that’s as aesthetic, welcoming, and fun as the brand itself.”
And indeed, the shop serves up more than flat whites, matcha green lattes, and mochas – it offers Gen Z customers a real-world extension of the digital lifestyle they’ve long engaged with online. The space is carefully curated: matcha options, minimalist branding, and an Instagram-ready aesthetic, complete with branded merchandise and soft lighting.
It’s not so much a café as a physical manifestation of a personal brand.
Chamberlain Coffee plans to reach $33 million in revenue in 2025, up more than 50% from the previous year, despite experiencing growing pains in 2024, including supplier and stocking issues. The brand expanded from being a direct-to-consumer product to being sold in 10,000 stores including Target, Whole Foods, and Walmart – up from 500 stores just a year earlier.
Now, the company has shifted its focus from aggressive growth to profitability, and that’s where the cafe (with more locations to come) comes in. According to a source, it’s already profitable in the first two months of 2025 and expects to stay that way through the year. The café was launched in collaboration with UTA Ventures, the venture arm of Chamberlain’s Los Angeles-based talent agency. UTA Ventures specialises in building talent-led businesses and backing high-potential startups.
Emma is not alone. Pop star Sabrina Carpenter recently partnered with Verve Coffee Roasters to host her “Short n’ Sweet” pop-up in Los Angeles, inspired by her latest album. For three days, the space was transformed into a powder-blue haven adorned with heart motifs, themed drinks, and influencer-approved photo opportunities. Though fleeting, the café’s draw was real: queues down the block, hundreds of tagged photos, and caffeine-fuelled fandom.
J.Crew teamed up with influencer Lizzy Hadfield – known for her popular online and in-person NYC book club, Buffy’s – for the sold-out Buffy’s and J.Crew Literary Salon, an in-person gathering featuring books curated by Hadfield herself.
As more people, especially Gen Z, seek meaningful real-world connections and gravitate toward “third spaces” beyond home and work, we’re likely to see more of these experiential activations. Not every influencer needs to open a permanent café; even short-term, in-person events can deepen community ties and create memorable shared experiences.
These aren’t isolated events. The influencer-to-café pipeline is quickly taking shape – creators with robust digital followings are planting flags in the physical world.
And while influencer marketing is a $24 billion industry, the physical footprint of these brands is what’s catching analysts by surprise. After all, these are the same influencers who built empires without ever signing a lease.
“As a futurist, we look at long term megatrends that shape our future with a time horizon of 10 years plus – we also look at the past to see what is likely to remain constant, and the need for social connection will always be present,” says Sabine Lehmann, Founder and CEO of Curiositas.
“There has been a massive swing to virtual connections but, as with all technology, there is likely to be a pendulum swing that is less extreme. People will choose what suits them, and this may change according to different phases of their life and with their own personal preferences. Physical spaces that are able to respond to their needs will be increasingly important.”
Cafés, community, and the “cosification” of Gen Z
Why this sudden interest in physical space? The answer lies in Gen Z’s complex relationship with connection.
Despite being hyperconnected online, Gen Z has been labelled the “loneliest generation” – with a 2023 study by Cigna reporting that 73% of Gen Z adults in the U.S. say they feel lonely sometimes or always.
It comes then as no surprise that 74% of Gen Z believe in-person experiences matter more than digital ones. And when it comes to shopping, 73% of Gen Z prefer buying in-store, while only 27% say they’d rather make a purchase via social media – and it looks like Emma Chamberlain is well-aware of these statistics.
The digital-first world isn’t enough anymore; what this generation craves is a place to belong – offline.
“In 10 years’ time Gen Z will range in age from 23 to 38,” says Sabine. “Having grown up in a world where almost all retail, work and play can happen online, analogue experiences are likely to be placed in the box of ‘out of home experiences.’”
“The question will be – and this may change for each individual – will out of home experiences require courage to leave the home, or will we leave home to be comforted by analogue experiences?”
Cafés, historically the “third place” between work and home, are being reimagined to meet this need. The traditional coffeehouse has always been a social anchor, but now it’s being optimised for social media and emotional connection alike.
“Digital spaces are powerful for discovery and connection, but there’s something irreplaceable about in-person moments – especially for Gen Z and younger millennials who value authenticity and shared experiences,” says Jeumana.
“A café offers that real-world connection: the chance to hang out with friends, try something new, snap a photo, and be part of a scene. It gives the community a home base, and it gives the brand new layers of meaning you can’t always capture through a screen.”
Influencer cafés aren’t just selling beverages – they’re selling belonging, familiarity, and analogue community in a digital age.
Starbucks, for instance, has caught wind of the shift and is doubling down on what it calls the “cosification” of its stores.
The coffee giant is redesigning hundreds of locations with softer lighting, more warm-tone woods, and inviting furniture – an aesthetic not unlike that of influencer spaces. “We’re getting back to Starbucks. We’re refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart – a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee,” said Brian Niccol in an open letter when he took over as CEO.
It’s not just about design; it’s about presence. Influencer cafés offer real-time interaction, the rare opportunity to “be where it’s happening.”
They bridge the digital parasocial relationship with something tactile – a latte, a sticker, a snapshot. For Gen Z, who grew up on YouTube vlogs and TikTok duets, sipping coffee in an influencer’s branded space is a powerful, almost intimate act.
For every tribe, a shareable third place
These new influencer cafés aren’t your classic bohemian hangouts, they are reimagined third spaces. Smartphones are as integral to the experience as the espresso machine.
Walk into Chamberlain Coffee or any other influencer-branded café and you’ll see it: Ring lights, curated backdrops, and QR codes for exclusive digital content. These spaces function as both community hubs and content studios – blending analogue ambiance with digital reach.
In that sense, the influencer café is a hybrid model for the modern third place. It caters to the Gen Z desire for social connection while embracing their digital fluency.
“The café becomes a content engine, a community hub, and a brand expression all in one,” says Jeumana. “It’s a place where people don’t just consume coffee – they participate in the brand.”
“Every visit can turn into a story shared online, a moment captured in a photo or video, or even a deeper emotional connection to the product. For us, it’s about creating a feedback loop: the in-person experience fuels digital storytelling, and our online world invites more people into the physical one. It’s not about digital or physical – it’s about creating something cohesive and connected across both.”
Gen Z is a generation at the intersection of community and technology – so it stands to reason that they would expect the physical spaces they choose to spend time in to have qualities they’d want to share with their online communities. But like any other generation, Gen Z cannot be painted with one brush – it is made up of many “tribes,” each with its own expectations.
According to a report by Accenture, 65% of Gen Z consumers globally feel that brands should offer a personalised experience, and social media allows brands to tailor their messaging and engage with consumers on a more personal level.
“Connecting has always been about finding one’s tribe,” says Sabine. “In the past one had a few boxes to choose from. Increasingly, we don’t have to choose a box and can in fact occupy multiple spaces in multiple tribes at the same time.”
“A cat café for cat lovers, or a heavy metal alcohol bar? How about a heavy metal alcohol free bar for cat lovers that are in fact allergic to cats? It’s less about aesthetics and more about finding and connecting with your tribe.”
The strategy behind these spaces is savvy. Start online, build a loyal following, then create a real-world destination to amplify brand presence and foster deeper loyalty.
The cost of entry is high – real estate in Los Angeles doesn’t come cheap – but the return is a sticky mix of foot traffic, press coverage, and Instagrammable engagement.
In turn, the physical space becomes a platform: for content creation, fan engagement, and retail sales. Merch flies off the shelves. Visitors become brand evangelists. And the café, once just a backdrop, is now an active player in brand storytelling.
For Gen Z, these cafés offer more than coffee or fancy whipped cream drinks. They offer a place to unplug, post up, and plug back into a sense of belonging. In the age of digital everything, perhaps the ultimate flex is going analogue.
And if influencers are the new architects of culture, then their cafés are the blueprints for Gen Z’s third place – part brand shrine, part living room, all vibes.
Coffee Intelligence
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