Coffee Shop Observation

Starbucks Coffee Shop and Universal Restroom

This Site Observation was a first for me. To sit down and really look at what is going on in a space, whether it be the layout or the people using the space, there was quite a bit to unpack.

I went to a Starbucks location on a Tuesday, from about 2-4:30 pm. Strategically I chose this time because I knew there was a higher possibility of a change in users between those times. I studied the circulation of the space, the layout of the furniture, finishing’s, and equipment, aka: FF&E, the people using the space, as well as the universal restrooms within the location.

Coffee Shop Summary:

When walking in and looking for a good spot to sit and observe I chose the furthest point from other seats in a corner, yet closest to the restroom.

I first studied how the furniture was set up and where people were sitting, There were different zones of seating; comfy lounge chairs near the windows, a few separated tables which lined the perimeter next to windows as well, and two large booth style islands with seating and tables on both sides. The layout was open, and in no way felt cluttered, though the circulation that led someone from one of the two entrances to the patron line was a bit confusing, with a break between the booth seating, it made that area feel like a walkway when in reality that did not guide you to the correct area to order your drinks or snacks.

I studied my other surroundings as well, the people and the sorts of tasks they were doing, which contained anything from reading, studying, meetings, or any other kind of socialization. Since I arrived at around 2pm their were not too many people there, the only ones being mostly to themselves and not much talking between customers. I also realized the music was quite loud, the playlist was playing instrumental versions of Taylor Swift and the entire soundtrack from the TV show Bridgerton. While the volume was quite high, it wasn’t uncomfortable, since there were no conversations happening, the only sounds you heard other than the music was the sounds of the coffee machines.

Around 3:30pm the music playlist changed and the music got quieter, more people were inside sitting and talking. the playlist now had words and the volume went down, this gave the impression of knowing the kind of sensory overload that could happen if the music was loud, with no instrumental versions, and the volume of conversation went up, it may be hard to hear people talk leading them to only yell louder when discussing.

This Starbucks location at the time of my visit had only been open for about 4 months. All of the materials were new and everything was very clean and put together. The outside as shown below is very nice, with multiple seating zones as well, being a building that changed once from a Bank of America into a Starbucks is actually a great start on the topic of Adaptive Reuse, which is the focus of my Capstone.

Coffee Shop Restroom Summary:

The main purpose of my study within the restroom of this Starbucks was to check it’s signage, and its ability to be accessible. As ADA requirements are not much to ask, it is important that anyone has the access and ability to use the restroom when coming in to a place like this.

The signage outside of the restrooms were clean and exact, one door had a sign showing the availability of a baby changing station, while the other one did not. Both restrooms had the typical signage for a unisex and accessible restroom, which were both accurate upon entering.

There was plenty of space for the old 5ft turn around as well as the new 5ft 7in turn around. The restrooms were large, with ample lighting springing from the ceiling cove down the front wall. Accurately placed grab bars including the rear, side, and the side vertical grab bars which I have only begun to see in newer remodeled public/commercial restrooms.