The car ofc 😂. Air conditioned, my own music, private space, no waiting for a table, no listening to other conversations. But this is a stupid comparison altogether. I wouldn't go to the drive thru for a social coffee and I wouldn't go to the cafe for a quick coffee.
I don’t like waiting in my car, but I fucking hate packed restaurants/cafes where I have to scoot my chair in extra tight so people don’t keep having to rub their junk on me every time they squeeze behind me.
I choose option 3: make my coffee/tea at home because I’m poor asf.
I don't think the problem with cars is that they aren't comfortable. Unfortunately they are too comfortable. You get to sit in an air conditioned box with leather seats, no external noise while listening to an audiobook. Then your coffee just shows up.
The people lining up, instead of parking and taking 5 mins to go inside, are terminally stupid. I encountered this the other day, and I was out the door with my coffee before the line had even moved.
All you car haters, I'd like to see you sitting outside, having a coffee, in Arizona during the summer where it is 56°C during most hours on a daily basis.
If I am to answer honestly, the car. But only because it's like a little fortress of solitude and separates me from the public where I would otherwise be an anxious mess. But to be fair, you did only ask what looks more comfortable. I still don't want cars to be the main mode of transportation.
The silver lining is I can nip inside to the almost empty coffee shop and leave with my order before two cars have been served. No idea why these people would rather sit in their car for twenty minutes than walk for twenty seconds.
Honestly traffic laws should still be enforced for those situations. Cars can't just sit in the lane or intersection, so either pull into the parking lot or drive on
Fuck, yeah I'll take the air-conditioned recliner with a sound system that plays exactly what I want and doesn't require me to walk 4 blocks to get a cup of coffee.
In CA, my rent is close to $2k a month, but I can walk to basically everything I need to. In MI, my rent is $650 a month, but the closest coffee shop is miles away.
Why yes I would rather sit in my comfy padded chair in the AC where I can listen to my own music and charge my cell phone rather than sitting on a metal chair listening to 20 other people's conversations in 100 degree weather.
There are many arguments against drive-thru restaurants. This is a stupid ass one.
On a personal level, I'd realistically pass on both of these places. But the nice thing with the bottom option? 9/10 times there's another place with what I'd want within a reasonable walking distance, along with other options. Even in a small European village I've observed several places to eat within walking distance of each other.
My absolute disdain for traffic overpowers my disdain for crowds by far.
in the US, there’s another side that makes it even more frustrating – not only is turning every square foot into road or parking being actively rewarded – but any attempt in the other direction is actively punished – reams of legislation against medium density housing, open patio seating, mixed use zoning, walkable cities, bike-friendly roads, …
i don't drive, so it would have to be #2 (otherwise no coffee for me).
tbh i feel bad for the people living above the restaurant. i used to live above an italian restaurant and the patrons were so loud that we'd receive love letters from the landlord saying things like "do not throw milk in the courtyard".
I'd much rather make my own coffee at home. It's pennies on the dollar compared to this shit, and I'm not spending an extra half hour or more out of my day for something I'll consume in minutes once it reaches optimal drinking temperature.
I use an aeropress, which allows me to make concentrated coffee that I can store in the fridge. I pour a little into an insulated travel cup and just add hot water when I want to drink it - either just before going on a drive, or after I get to work. I take a proper mug with me to work along with it and pour into it out of the travel cup. It's one of the highlights of my day.
I hate drive-through culture and am glad to not have anything to do with it, but I'm also not a big fan of sitting in public spaces amongst a bunch of strangers who actually like slurping down sugary caffeine drinks out of paper cups.
The top one. I’m tired and I’d rather rest on my car seat in the warm interior than on one of those wooden chairs. I ride bikes a lot, 5000 km per year and I advocate for walk ability but nothing beats a coffee in my warm car on a 6am commute where it’s 6°c outside