Starbucks is a coffeehouse. There are coffeehouses filled with smoke and people read poetry many people call dark or depressing. While each church that has a coffeehouse is unique unto its own, all subscribe to this style of coffeehouse. Let's not kid ourselves, there are not many youth or young adults at church on Sunday morning. Maybe this is because they feel they are walking into a board meeting at a Fortune 500 company.
Well coffeehouses meet people where they are.
Coffeehouses go to the unchurched. It goes to people who would never consider darkening the door of your church. The metropolitan area is full of talented bands. Without asking for demos, I have received over 40 CD's from nine different states by bands that want to play at my church. Finding bands is probably the easiest aspect of doing a coffeehouse.