Starbucks | 13129 S Tryon St

Description: A standard Starbucks coffee shop in the Steele Creek area serving espresso drinks, brewed coffee, cold brew, teas, refreshers, Frappuccinos, breakfast sandwiches, pastries, snacks, and packaged drinks. The space has a typical chain café setup with counter ordering, indoor seating, mobile order pickup, and a familiar menu for quick coffee, light food, and casual sit-down visits. This location is part of a retail center with surface parking and nearby everyday services.

Comments: I don’t like this location, but I hung out here one Sunday morning before a meeting I had nearby and witnessed it function as a third place for those in the area.

I sat next to an older couple that ostensibly comes in every Sunday morning to do the crossword from the newspaper together, and while they were doing it, a lady sitting next to them jumped in to help them get a particularly hard word. I saw a family come in, take the big table, and catch up with each other while drinking iced coffees. I saw a pair of older dudes who, from the way they talked, seemed like they’d been friends for decades, come in and discuss the latest world news while munching on croissants and drinking black coffee.

So, while I don’t particularly like the layout of this store, I concede it is undoubtedly a third place, and thus I’ve listed it. The seating just feels awkward to me. Most of it either faces the checkout counter, which means you’re constantly looking at everything happening in the store, or it puts your back to the whole room, which means everything is happening behind you. Neither option is great.