
Coffee houses epitomized by Starbucks and Seattle’s Best Coffee provide a complex variety of ways to have your jolt of caffeine, whether as an espresso in a small cup or a late’ with frothy and sweet milk. Coffee for itself can be purchased at fast food houses such as McDonalds at substantial savings yet few people who frequent Starbucks go there to purchase cheap coffee. They go there to hang out with their friends and business relationships instead of the families and children at fast food.
Following a niche tradition of the British and Asian communities (5% of people in USA are Asian) tea houses have started to become popular again following a socialization model of the popular coffee houses. Entertainment is often used as a draw for crowds at night and offers a distinctly non-alcoholic alternative to younger people less than 21 years old. Either Starbucks or some of the emerging tea houses invariably also offer a selection of French or Continental pastries to have with you drink. The overall cuisine is limited but distinctive and relatively expensive – but, after all, who goes to such places to just have tea, chai, or coffee?