| “Let’s go for coffee!” |
| All over North America friends like to meet at the coffee shop. |
| Here people sit and talk about the day’s business, news and sports, |
| personal concerns, shop talk, or simply gossip. |
| Coffee shops have an informal atmosphere that encourages conversation. |
| You don’t have to dress up either! |
| Students drop in wearing T-shirts and blue jeans, and sit beside businessmen wearing suits and ties. |
| Many coffee shops are open 24 hours a day, including Sundays and holidays. |
| That way, people who work at night or who have trouble sleeping can drop in at any time. |
| Because coffee and donuts are relatively inexpensive, |
| people feel comfortable sitting for a while, knowing that they are not spending a lot of money. |
| Although coffee and donuts are the main items sold at coffee shops, |
| many also serve other beverages and desserts, and sometimes a light lunch. |
| Many patrons have a favorite kind of coffee or other drink |
| and will drive past other coffee shops to go to one that serves the flavor they like. |
| Visitors from other countries are often surprised at how roomy these coffee shops can be. |
| Some are as large as regular restaurants. |
| Having a nice bit of space around them encourages people to relax. |
| Some people arrange regular dates and meet every day, or every week, at the same time. |
| For example, retired friends may get together every weekday morning at 10 a.m. |
| Others stop every morning at the drive-in line to get their coffee for work. |
| Even people who have coffee machines at home or at work |
| like to go to coffee shops to get a special kind of coffee or a favorite treat. |
| It might seem that the business owners would not make much money just selling a few items, |
| but in fact, many coffee shops do extremely well, |
| especially if they are located in a busy traffic area. |
| Then business tends to be steady all through the day. |
| Not only do people come in and sit down, but there is usually a lot of take-out business as well. |
| People go to coffee shops not only to socialize with family and friends, |
| but also to discuss business or treat their employees to a snack. |
| Others go there to read the newspaper or a favorite magazine. |
| Some people even go there to do work. |
| This article was written in a coffee shop! |
| Of course, people who come here usually like coffee and donuts. |
| Coffee is the favorite hot drink in North America, but most shops also serve tea, |
| hot chocolate and cappuccino, as well as some other cold beverages. |
| Donuts are usually round, and are small deep-fried breads with various toppings. |
| Most donuts have a hole in the middle. |
| Even these “holes”, which are punched out of the donut, can be sold separately, as a kind of mini-donut. |
| Everywhere you go in North America, you will see coffee shops. |
| So take half an hour to stop in and relax. |
| You’ll enjoy the great North American “coffee break”! |
