# What % of your town’s economic energies are devoted to the making and drinking of coffee? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683 "2021-05-08T22:31:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/21 "2021-05-09T11:31:30Z")
We’ve currently have 4 Dunkin’s here in town plus a Honey Dew, McDonalds, a Mary Lou’s, and every mini-mart sells coffee, and there are several breakfast restaurants too. Fresh coffee is also served at at least 2 grocery stores. I don’t drink coffee so there may be more places I don’t know about. I’m not sure how to turn that into a percentage, but over the past 20 years coffee has definitely grown to exceed alcohol sales. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/22 "2021-05-09T11:38:44Z")
Town of 1400. Everyone pretty much has theirs before leaving the house. I guess gas stations have coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/23 "2021-05-09T12:21:22Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > As a percentage of the economy though, perhaps a few micro-percent? (10^-6)% OK, this WAG turns out to have been quite an underestimate. For China as a whole, coffee imports exports and production, surprisingly, account for 0.1% of GDP (14 billion USD / 14 trillion USD). In Shanghai it should be an even larger proportion, but I can’t find comprehensive and up to date figures. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/24 "2021-05-09T12:45:50Z")
Just an FYI. We could argue at length about the validity of their methodology, but – as first-pass evaluations go – I found it interesting: **[WalletHub - Best Coffee Cities in America](https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-coffee-lovers/23739)** Drinking a cup of French Press La Colombe Nizza as we speak. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/25 "2021-05-09T14:09:11Z")
Self-serve coffee at our town’s one gas station, and then we kind of have a restaurant that’s basically open whenever the manager feels like it, probably not on Sunday if she has religion that week. They’ll pour the coffee for you there. So maybe 1-2 percent? ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2021, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/26 "2021-05-10T08:17:21Z")
Massive here in Bristol, UK. We have a huge independent restaurant and cafe scene, so it’s less about Starbucks and more about Aunt Jillie’s mean beans and the like. Including lots of independent roasteries. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2021, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/27 "2021-05-10T09:06:01Z")
Starbucks failed to take a substantial hold\* here in Australia due to its pre-existing coffee culture fending it off. I don’t think coffee dominates all that much more here than anywhere, but it’s comfortably prevalent. \*_You might find one or two scattered about a bit, mainly for tourists who like to play safe._ ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/28 "2021-05-10T21:33:17Z")
In my town of Hoboken, NJ, (pop 53,000 1.5 area sq mi) there are 3 Starbucks, 7 Dunkin’s, 2 Choc o’ pains, 2 bwè kafes, and at least a dozen other coffee shops. That doesn’t include all the bars and restaurants that also serve coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2021, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/29 "2021-05-12T10:23:16Z")
Coffee is a not-insignificant part of the Las Vegas economy; it often seems that is difficult to be anywhere that you cannot see a coffee shop. Heck, a good friend of mine owned one here for a few years. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2021, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683/30 "2021-05-12T12:53:14Z")
My town has about 25K residents. We have a Starbucks and 2 Dunkin Donuts. I don’t count gas station/7 11 coffee since it’s not the main product of those fine establishments. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-your-town-s-economic-energies-are-devoted-to-the-making-and-drinking-of-coffee/941683.md?page=1)