The pandemic has created a new identity for the food, entertainment, and health industries. The way that these places have tried to combat the restrictions and changes have created a new world for these owners and workers. Along with all of this change is new advertising and new methods of delivery of the product that people buy. One thing that I do not see struggling as much as other industries is the coffee industry. As a college student coffee has become a daily necessity and the way that people deliver the coffee is changing. Starbucks now is pushing online delivery. At the front of every store, they now have the words, “order ahead online.” They push this so that when you come into the store you have minimal contact. Other coffee shops around the city have changed as well. Those that don’t have the resources that Starbucks does have put ordering on their website instead of an app and have windows outside the shops to order from.  

Over the past two weeks, since I got home from school, I have been exploring the different coffee shops and roasteries around the city. I was able to see the different methods that shops have used. The coffee shop Ultimo, a neighborhood spot, has a window where you can order and pick up the coffee. They have a chalk board outside encouraging you to order online and a link. Although not as easy as the Starbucks app, they offer something that Starbucks doesn’t, something personal. Another shop has a better system online. The Rival Bros Coffee Company has a website that sends you directly to their different locations’ menus. They have a system of two windows, one for ordering and one for picking up. Unlike Starbucks where you have to go into the stores, these locations allow you to get coffee without ever stepping inside.  

The coffee industry has changed, and the change is based on the resources that each company and store have. The Starbucks app has a menu and records all of the orders that you have had so that you can go back to them easily. The new holiday cups came with an encouragement to order online and they ask your name when you come inside. Although this method is more seamless, I have to wonder if the other method of staying outside the whole time, which gives you less of a chance of contracting the virus, is more effective. In a world where the easiest method has become the optimal method, companies have begun to try to advertise their safety, that is the best method of advertising. By looking at coffee companies we can see how an industry has adapted to the new norms. How long this will last is hard to say, but I wonder if these online methods will become the more popular method even after the restrictions are lifted. Will the money being invested in these new methods of delivery change the industry forever? We will have to wait and see.