Who Do Coffeeshops Serve?

Who do coffeeshops offer great customer service to?  If they do not offer great customer service to me, a Black queer woman and many other Black and Brown folk I know, then they must only offer great customer service to you - white people.  Do coffeeshops in Austin only offer great customer service to white people?  I'd like to think this is bigger than Black, Brown or white and simply get at the root of the problem of why some people just lack kindness and probably should not be working in environments where they have to directly interact with people.  I'll save that conversation for another time.  Coffeeshops, cafe's, coffee houses - whatever you  refer to them as, should cater to everyone.

Unfortunately, this is not the case here in Austin, TX and a many other places here in the US, but I'll focus on Austin right now.

I have been interested in coffee culture for over a decade, making observations of how I am treated when I venture into them.  I have had conversations with friends and people whom I meet and casually start talking about coffee with about their treatment in these spaces.  These are people who look like me whom I am interested about their coffeeshop experience.  I am never surprised but always disappointed when I hear their experiences are similar to mine.

I have walked into coffeeshops and walked right out without ordering a single item because white people cannot even muster up a kind greeting or assist me with my order without being rude.  It's like these coffeeshops and the white folks working in them can't process how to interact with a Black person without showing some common human decency.

I'm interested in further researching the history of coffeeshops and coffee culture, the direct link between coffeeshops and gentrification, the people and racist behaviors displayed in them, and how I believe my perfect coffeeshop experience should be.  Also, how could I expect coffeeshops that pop up in gentrified spaces not to have unwelcoming racist behavior, since the people occupying these gentrified homes come into neighborhoods having attitudes as such - ie. not saying hello to your neighbor in passing who is walking directly by you.

I love working in coffeeshops so much, but I rarely do for the above reasons.  And for me, that's sad thing.  Now for those coffeeshops that show me love, I would like to show you all love back.  Sa-Ten Airport, I usually just run in to grab me a Match Latte with a shot of espresso before I head in for my evening shift at Huston-Tillotson University's library.  They are also so kind to me.  And I thank them for that.

#blackcoffee
@coffeeshop_blue