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The Disappearing Third Place this is commentary from James Brown.
¶ The Concept of the Third Place
No one wants to be stuck in the middle, especially if you're a restaurant. That's why the closures are coming fast and furious. Not fast food, not fine dining, but that sweet spot in between. These weren't just places to grab a meal. They were our third places. Not work, not home, but where life happened. The spot where you'd clink glasses after a promotion, linger over pie, or bump into an old friend.
Both mom and pop shops and your TGA Fridays and Denny's and Applebee's of the world have all suffered from this post.
¶ The Disappearance of Third Places
Covid19 now the booths and bar stools sit empty, the neon signs are dark, and the middle is disappearing and with it, a piece of our social fabric. Without these third places, what's left? For most people, it's a quick bite in our cars. That's why most McDonald's designate parking spots for drive thru customers, by the way.
¶ The Importance of In-Between Spaces
And here's the thing. We need those in between spaces. They're where you could just be. They're where connections form. A laugh with a server, a nod to a regular, a first date that leads to forever. When we lose them, we lose more than just convenience. We lose community. Boy, that's important.
¶ The Struggle of the Community
So why is the middle struggling? Rising costs? Changing habits? Or have we just forgotten how good it feel feels to sit at a sticky table with a basket of fries and talk with a friend till they kick us out?
¶ Nostalgia for Good Times
Boy, those were the days. What's your take? Are you still going out or have these places price themselves out of your routine? Let me know in the comments and support my work@jamesbrowntv substack.com on that note, I'm James Brown and as always, be well.