Since the pandemic started, Starbucks and other shops with cozy seating + WiFi have become essentially “work from home” quasi-third-spaces. I haven’t been everywhere but I noticed it was extreme when I passed through Texas and throughout the Midwest. I am pretty sure it’s an everywhere (in America) thing, plus the rising cost of coffee, and inflation in general

Faced with this, these cafes have two choices. One is to double down on laptop-free rules, either permanent or on weekends only. This can piss off customers and lose business. The other option is to double down on being an office space with a coffee bar. Starbucks and others have been moving this latter direction for years now. Drive-thru was always a ripoff, but now it is truly beyond the pale to order from these places if you aren’t planning to spend a few hours using the amenities.