Tanner Murray

UWP 001Y

22 May 2019

Peet’s Coffee, UC Davis

What’s up everybody, I’m Tanner Murray, and probably just like you, I love coffee. It

keeps me alert and keeps me awake for those early classes. Knowing our affection toward

coffee I wanted to take you inside a few hours at a college coffee house and to get a real feel

for coffee drinkers. So, to do that, I packed my notebook and pen and headed out to Peet’s

coffee over by the ARC and Pavilion, on the central, west side of campus. I wanted to put you

through a few hours of what it is like to be a student inside and out of the coffee house to give

you an understanding of how students like myself study or hang out with friends. There are

specific things that I wanted to focus on: Who uses this coffee house? Was the majority of

user’s student athletes, teachers, or just regular students? Along with the people that go there,

we would all like to know what they use the coffee house for. After my observations I came to a

conclusion, the people that show up to Peet’s coffee is literally every type of person you could

think of. Students, faculty, parents, etc.… And they use the coffee house for three main

purposes. To study or work on small assignments or projects, use it as a hangout spot to

communicate with friends in between assignments or to get a break from their studies, or to

get a bite to eat either it be in between classes or to use the food as energy for their upcoming

class or practice.

When I first arrived at Peet’s coffee, I was unsure how to go about my observations, but

I slowly got the hang of what I needed to do and jotted down some good notes. I first wanted
to take notice of who went to the coffee house. At school it is relatively easy to spot the

difference between a student athlete and a regular student. Most likely the student is wearing

an adidas backpack with his or her sport on the back. I noticed plenty of those backpacks, but I

noticed plenty of regular Jansport backpacks and briefcase bags as well. So, I got a mix of every

type of person who could come into the coffee house. There were people coming from the ARC

or coming straight from class, from all over. I saw many people with different races with

various cultural backgrounds. Peet’s coffee is really a center piece of college life which shows

why so many students, faculty, and parents come here so often. So if you’re coming to UC Davis

soon, Peet’s coffee is a great place to start your visit.

After focusing on who was going in and out of Peet’s I started looking a little harder, to

find out what exactly they were doing. While I was making observations, I saw that some

people were only coming into Peet’s coffee, waiting for their order and leaving. If they did not

leave quickly, they often waited to talk to some friends. Most student were either on a study

break or just came to Peet’s after studying at a different location on campus. As I was

observing, I notice there were plenty of people doing this, so I looked a little deeper into study

breaks and what they do during them. David Johnson Wrote an Article on developing good

study habits for college students and states, “Breaks help you relax, recharge, and approach a

situation with new eyes” (Johnson paragraph 4) Student could be using Peet’s coffee to get

their minds off class and create a healthier mindset for when they return to their work.

If the student was getting their order and leaving quickly, I believe they just got done

with studying/homework or they were using this time at Peet’s to procrastinate. Johnson also

says in his article, “The 2009 National Survey of Student Engagement found that 62% of college
students studied less than 15 hours a week while receiving As and Bs” (Johnson). Students

nowadays have more resources than in the past and have a capability of pushing certain

assignments off until late notice and still receive the grades they would like. This does not mean

every student who got their order and left was doing this, but according to these facts it could

be a decent possibility. The reason there were so many students coming in and out of Peet’s is

because of its convenience on campus, it is in a pretty popular part and brings in many

customers. Which means whoever is listening to this will be welcomed into Peet’s.

For the students, parents, and faculty that was staying in Peet’s coffee for the duration

that I was there for were either by themselves, with one other companion, or was with a group

of friends or classmates. Peet’s is structured in a way that puts certain people in sections

depending on how many people they have with them. A group usually sits and this one large

table to the left and can work on small group projects. Near the entrance and towards the left

there are many small tables with only two seats which could be good for small interviews or

collaborative assignments. Then, the largest part of the coffee shop to the right of the entrance

has many stools where students who come alone may sit in peace and work alongside other

students. With the setup came a calming back ground noise. As Heather McPherson wrote in

her article “Why do People Study at Coffee Shops,” “The noise is a steady, drone of muddled

conversations and the clinking of cups in a coffee shop. Students claim the background noise

isn’t distracting since its volume remains at a consistent level while they do their work.” While I

was in there, I was drawn into the noise of the espresso machines and the music the employees

were playing. They noises were very calming and made the area seem safe. It seemed like it did
the same for everyone in the coffee shop as well, everyone seemed calm and had a good vibe

with them even if they were doing schoolwork they did not want to do.

Near the end of my observations I realized everything kind of came full circle, “The main

reason why people study in coffee shops, however, is that they enjoy running into people they

know.” (Heather McPherson) No matter who was there, even me had someone that they knew

come by and say hello. Yes, they could be distractions to someone who is working, but that is

what coffee places are known for. Interaction between human beings. That is why Peet’s

attracts so many different groups and individuals. I saw student X come into the shop, sort of

timid and not know where she could sit. After a few moments of looing around student Y

offered a seat next to her, student X accepted the offer and started working alongside student

Y. This shows how acceptable and caring students can be and how a coffee shop can change

someone’s day.

Overall, from my research and observations, there are three main reasons we go to the

coffee house. One reason is to study/do small homework assignments (not many big projects).

Two, to get their mind off school and take a quick study break, or three, to use it as a quick pit

stop and get some food in before a practice, lift, or next class. So, if we are in need of a place to

rest, study, or fill up, Peet’s coffee is the place to go. They are open every school day and on

weekends, thanks you for listening and I hope to see you hitting the books along with me at

Peet’s coffee! Goodbye!

Sources:

McPherson, Heather. “Why Do People Study At Coffee Shops?” The Odyssey Online, 26 Aug.
2017, www.theodysseyonline.com/why-do-people-study-at-coffeeshops.

wikiHow. “How to Develop Good Study Habits for College.” WikiHow, WikiHow, 29 Mar.
2019, www.wikihow.com/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College.