Coffeeshops are centuries old phenomenon, and history shows there is great room for expansion.

The typical cup of coffee served in a 17th-century London coffee house was described as tasting of “syrup of soot”. It was thick, smoky and strong. Today the preference is for sweeter drinks. Bulletproof coffee made with liquid butter, say. Or syrupy lattes and cold brew coffee, steeped in room-temperature water for hours.

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Others used the phrase “essence of old shoes.” Yet despite this, coffeeshops were even more commonplace back in the 1700s than today's London:

There are about 600 coffee drive-throughs. Do not expect the expansion to stop. By 1739 there were more than 550 coffee houses in London, according to Jonathan Morris, professor of history at the University of Hertfordshire. That equals about one per thousand residents. Today, London is estimated to have more than 3,000 cafés — about one per 2,000 residents. Coffee chains may feel ubiquitous but history suggests there is room for more.

In a substantially poorer London with much fewer options, there were twice as many coffeeshops per person as there are today. They were certainly a gathering-place for the elite bankers, but clearly coffeeshops appealed to a broader class of people to be so commonplace.

The trend is moving back to its historical roots:

Regardless, demand for coffee is still rising. Pubs still outnumber coffee shops in the UK. But while pubs are disappearing from high streets, more cafés are appearing each year. In the UK, the number of coffee shops doubled between 2009 and 2019 to almost 26,000, according to Allegra World Coffee Portal.

Today's shops offer WiFi, heating/AC, public bathrooms (well, maybe not SBUX soon), drive-thru options, mobile pre-ordering, 21st century disposable income, snacks, dozens of twisted flavors, and even pre-loaded coffee 'bank accounts.' Over 1.4 billion dollars rested as “Starbucks customer prepaid balance” in October of 2020.

That said, expansion of SBUX in UK is at risk, with them looking to sell off their holdings. Regardless, the history of London shows that coffee shops are here to stay, no matter the worries about unionization, inflation eating away at income, or worries about crime. Come get your syrup of soot chilled and infused with CBD oil and pumpkin spice.