Pump it up: The use of music at coffee shops

At the coffee shop I work at we don’t play music in any form, which is very different from most coffee shops in the US. I tend to appreciate this because if I am in a particular mood I have the option of singing while making drinks or completing the latest crossword puzzle. In comparison, Starbucks always has music on. Usually I appreciate their selection or I can ignore it as background music. The other day I ventured to Espresso Royale in order to complete a paper and the experience was nothing short of horrible.

I suppose if I had been in the mood for angry rock music it would have been the perfect location. This, of course, wasn’t the case. The building was packed with college students, like myself, in between studying and writing final papers. I had trouble finding a seat and even then I was stuck between a sea of bodies huddled over laptops and textbooks. But what really stood out to me was the music, the angry rock music blaring at top volume. I felt like I was at a concert rather than at a coffee shop.

“Excuse me, but can you turn down that racket?” I wanted to ask the barista. I didn’t get around to saying this because if I moved I feared my seat would be taken, or I would miss the end of the enlightening conversation between the two male students sitting near me.

“Dude, she’s 27? She’s soo old. You’re gross.”

“I don’t care. If she’s hot, I’d do her.”

“Dude, I bet you’d do a 40 year old. You’d so do a 40 year old. That’s disgusting.”

This conversation lasted for about a half hour. The two went back and forth, debating if a 27 year old girl was too old and if one of them was in fact disgusting. It was a very passionate debate, which made it even more difficult for me to focus on my paper. I kept thinking the debate would end or they would stumble upon a new topic for conversation but no, they recited the same material over and over and over. The rock music did not lessen, either, and I eventually gave up any idea I had of quiet concentration. I returned to my apartment, making a mental note that ERC is not a worthwhile study location.

Aunt Barista

In September I spent some time with my niece and nephew, two little people I rarely get the chance to see but should probably see more often before they pass through childhood and morph into grown-ups. My eight-year-old niece was making a joke using the words bored and board games, which phonetically sound identical but here she is, at eight, recognizing linguistic properties in order to create humor. Such wit! Such cunning! Perhaps she is on her way to becoming a stand up comedian? The fact she is already making sophisticated connections about her language is fantastic but on the same hand, terrifying for those who don’t want her to grow up.

Because I was in charge of overseeing two children, we ended up at a coffee shop. (My nephew took all the photos in this post.)



No, I didn’t give them espresso shots or introduce them to their first cappuccino. As a general rule, children don’t need caffeine. So what can a child order at a coffee shop? Here are a few popular choices: Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Milk, Regular Milk, Italian Sodas and French Sodas. Also, many coffee shops have Juice as an option. I would add Tea to the list but can’t imagine being able to convince an American child to drink tea.



Are there things for children to do at coffee shops? Not really. But I needed caffeine and I made it into an “exciting” adventure because it turns out their parents never take them to coffee shops. (Shocking, I know.) You see, my niece and nephew have this idea of coffee shops as a “grown-up only” kind of place that is off limits to kids. Well, I made sure to show them what they have been missing out on. After staring intently at their surroundings and gulping down their drinks, I heard a mutual cry of: “We’re bored…” Followed by: “Can we go do something else now?”

As a good Aunt I said, “Okay,” and we left. After I finished my mocha.

Coffee shops in Chicago?

Also, a special note: I traveled all over Chicago and was greeted by a Starbucks on every corner but did not see a single independent coffee shop. So, my question is: do they even exist in Chicago? I will have to ask my Chicago sources...