Katz said, adding that on a busy weekend night, perhaps 50 or more teens visit. Susan's Coffee and Tea, on Dressler Road NW in Jackson Township, also has had a large influx of young people recently. Employee Allison Wagner said 20 teens or more visit on a busy night, depending on the featured entertainment. Both Wagner and Katz said that the rising trend of coffeehouses began about eight months ago. But the main question is why these new hangouts are more popular than the old ones, like fast-food restaurants.
Coffeehouses also offer a mature and adult-like atmosphere for teens to participate in.
Wagner feels that another reason coffee shops are so popular among teens is the relative ease with which they can go and enjoy local musicians without shelling out huge amounts of money. She added that parents don't have to worry about their kids' safety, knowing that they are at the coffeehouses and not roaming the area trying to find something to do. But probably the most popular reason for the rise in the coffeehouse trend is the chance it gives teens to simply take a break from everyday life and relax. Spalding also saw the trend continuing into the future.