Indie Coffee Shops Are Losing Their Unique Flavor—Here’s Why
Listen up: The coffee shop you love might look exactly like the one down the street. A new study reveals that independent U.S. and Canadian cafes have become so visually uniform that their interiors now function as a single, unifying brand—eroding the very authenticity they’re supposed to represent. Researchers from the University at Buffalo, the University of New Orleans, and Washington University in St. Louis analyzed over 500 design elements across hundreds of third-wave cafes, uncovering a striking pattern: the same aesthetic cues repeat everywhere, from Cincinnati to Toronto. The findings? Baristas with tattoos (66%), reclaimed wood accents (56%), and…