A small everyday moment that didn't feel quite right.
While visiting branches of international coffee chains in several countries, I repeatedly encountered versions of the same small loop: I had time to wait in line, but no stable way to use that time to choose.
At some locations, digital screens above the counter showed drinks, prices, or sizes, but the content kept changing between menu categories and advertisements. Sometimes a screen seemed to change in about a second or less. No single screen showed the full range of products, prices, and sizes at the same time.
I sometimes tried taking a photograph so that I could read the screen afterward, but the content could change before I captured it.
Many cafés provide a paper menu near the entrance or along the queue. When that is available, the moving screen is less of a problem because there is still something stable to read. The difficulty is at locations where there is no paper menu before the register.
Then I stand in line thinking:
What do I feel like today?
What are the options?
…but I cannot see enough to decide. The complete paper menu becomes visible for the first time only when I reach the register and it is already my turn to order.
The response from staff varies by location. Some give more time than others. But the situation still contains the same pressure:
- A line of people is waiting behind me
- The barista is ready to take my order
- I am seeing the complete menu for the first time
In practice, I try to decide quickly where I am. Almost every time, I end up going with a safe, familiar choice:
Okay… I'll just get the usual.
In cafés with many drinks, sizes, and customisations, choosing can be part of the experience. But the waiting time and the choosing time are separated: there is time to stand in line, yet the information needed to choose arrives only when an answer is expected.
