It’s good business for coffee shops to serve food, but have they gone too far with coconut curry rice bowls and other elaborate entrees? While I love the convenience of grabbing a bagel or a sandwich at a coffee shop, I believe that coffee shops who have a full kitchen in the back are overstepping their boundaries. It takes the focus away from the coffee and gives the place a different atmosphere. So how much is too much?

For me, cold snacks, desserts and baked goods are the perfect foods to serve at a coffee shop because they are almost as quickly made as a specialty coffee drink. One of the coffee shops in town is basically a full service restaurant, and I feel like both their coffee and their food suffers because they don’t focus on one entirely. A simple bagel and cream cheese or a plate of hummus is more than enough to satisfy my appetite.

It’s interesting that corporate coffee shops seem to be best at finding a perfect balance between offering a variety of food while not crossing the line into the realm of restaurant. Starbucks does offer a few heated breakfast sandwiches, but these pre-made items only take a few moments to heat up. I find that it’s more often that local coffee shops are the most guilty of bordering on being too much like a restaurant. And I think that’s unfortunate. Local coffee shops typically have the best atmosphere, and I think they lose a bit of that artsy, local hangout-feel when they serve entrees that require a kitchen and servers.

Maybe I’m alone, but I like my coffee shops to serve coffee.