{"id":312,"date":"2025-04-10T12:00:42","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T12:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/?p=312"},"modified":"2025-05-22T14:06:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T14:06:38","slug":"how-millennial-cafes-are-fueling-nyc-gentrification-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/10\/how-millennial-cafes-are-fueling-nyc-gentrification-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How millennial cafes are fueling NYC gentrification"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Any New Yorker who has explored the city\u2019s plethora of coffee shops has undoubtedly encountered a pattern of homogenization. Many cafes that follow the formula of a single brick wall, polished hardwood floors and chalkboards with lighthearted jokes about caffeine addiction have been labeled by the internet as <\/span>millennial coffee shops<\/span><\/a>. While these coffee shops largely cater to the minimalist millennial aesthetic, this year, many in New York City have attempted to distinguish themselves by catering to the more daring preferences of Gen Z \u2014 think Blank Street Coffee\u2019s new Iced Strawberry Shortcake Matcha or Enly\u2019s tiramisu latte. Though a major aspect of New York City\u2019s contemporary food culture, the coffee shop industry\u2019s role in rising rents and spurring gentrification persists, especially as rapidly changing consumer tastes and incessant advertising drive competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

At a <\/span>millennial coffee shop<\/span><\/a>, you can expect industrial pipes holding up wooden shelves, walls painted matte black and marquee signs with slogans like \u201cIt\u2019s Coffee O\u2019Clock\u201d pinned up. Cafes like Cha Cha Matcha, a matcha chain created in 2016 by two NYU students, use neon signs to attract customers. This emphasis on interior design is a testament to millennials\u2019 preference for social media-friendly cafes \u2014 a trait that they share with Gen Z. Fueled by early 2010s hipster culture \u2014 which popularized the quintessential image of the craft beer-drinking, flannel and beanie-wearing millennial \u2014 these shops often aim to evoke a <\/span>now-homogeneous<\/span><\/a> artisanal feeling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New-wave coffee shops are somewhat more modern and sleek. Cafes like the Japanese-based % Arabica, which has locations in SoHo and Dumbo, pull younger crowds based on its minimalistic environments. These shops\u2019 ambient overhead lighting, long coffee bars and minimalist furniture can feel sterile, but their tasteful design helps to create a highly curated atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For some newer cafes, the act of serving coffee and tea is not a lighthearted task but a scientific process. Baristas at La Cabra, who emulate chemists with their crisp white button-ups and wide collars, draw many NYU students to its two locations in lower Manhattan. Furthermore, its creations push the limits of the classic latte, championing an extensive lineup of flavored syrups, desserts-turned-drinks and <\/span>untraditional flavor pairings<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the line of distinction between so-called millennial and Gen Z cafes is murky \u2014 not only in aesthetic, but also in economic impact. Whether or not new coffee shops choose to break away from the brick wall and chalkboard menu formula, they remain in line with existing trendy cafes, many of which fuel gentrification in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

When crowds of young adults with higher income moved to Williamsburg in the \u201990s and early 2000s, the historic Brooklyn neighborhood saw a whopping <\/span>78.7% increase<\/span><\/a> in average rent between 1990 and 2014. Williamsburg became one of the most prominent modern <\/span>examples of gentrification<\/span><\/a>, as the area\u2019s higher cost of living pushed out many local businesses and <\/span>residents of color seeking employment<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Simultaneously, businesses made these neighborhoods <\/span>more digestible for the younger population<\/span><\/a>. Millennials didn\u2019t want the old existing coffee shop on the corner \u2014 they wanted a clean, fresh spot that flourished into the homogenous millennial cafe. Now, millennials are met with a place true to them<\/span>, <\/span><\/i>not to the history of their neighborhood \u2014 what some describe as a <\/span>colonial-adjacent<\/span><\/a> reality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While gentrification is the product of factors larger and more complex than merely millennial or Gen Z preferences, the role of food service establishments in gentrification is prominent. In February, Rachel Nieves, who owns a Puerto Rican coffee shop in Williamsburg, posted on TikTok that her cafe\u2019s <\/span>lease would expire by September<\/span><\/a> due to a rent hike in the area. Nieves also discovered that a nearby condo was planning on opening its own coffee shop \u2014 just one example of how corporations, particularly in the food market, uproot local businesses in the historically Puerto Rican neighborhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eye-catching, trendy cafes will continue to draw large crowds of customers to the city. But oftentimes, these businesses didn\u2019t just hit a stroke of market luck. They are deliberately designed and marketed to appeal to the next generation of customers \u2014\u00a0a reality that exacerbates the ongoing issue of gentrification in New York City and the displacement of its preexisting residents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact George Piper at culture@nyunews.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

This story How millennial cafes are fueling NYC gentrification<\/a> appeared first on Washington Square News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Any New Yorker who has explored the city\u2019s plethora of coffee shops has undoubtedly encountered a pattern of homogenization. Many cafes that follow the formula of a single brick wall, polished hardwood floors and chalkboards with lighthearted jokes about caffeine addiction have been labeled by the internet as millennial coffee shops. While these coffee shops largely cater to the minimalist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":323,"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312\/revisions\/323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rodneysalterart.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}