Why Does Every Café Look Like It Knows About Seed Funding?

At some point, coffee shops stopped looking like places where people drink coffee and started resembling the headquarters of extremely calm technology companies.

There are sculptural chairs, strategically distressed walls, carefully positioned plants, and lighting designed to make an oat milk latte appear professionally accomplished.

The furniture looks uncomfortable in a very expensive way.

The menu has fewer words than the brand manifesto.

Somewhere, a ceramic cup is being described as an experience.