I remember posting fairly extensively about the coffee shops in my life, and I'd happily copy and paste it if I had the patience to look for it because I doubt I could do better now without seriously starting from scratch. So, a general comment:
It's not just a coffee drinking thing, DR George. If I'm not mistaken, BK isn't a coffee drinker, either. A coffee shop is a place that's "always there" for any number of sit-down but informal food and drink needs at all, or most, hours. In NY-NJ-CT we have diners. L.A. has a rich history of independent or small chain coffee shops, similar in many ways to those. If you live in an area with only national chains, it could be a Denny's. They're perfect for going it alone or as a gathering place. A deli like this might stretch the concept very slightly, but I think Jerry's serves this purpose for BK.
I said "always there". They've been written about as an example of the "third place", or a place one frequently gravitates to apart from work and home. However you choose to think of them, it's something I grew to love at an early age.
