You won’t be able to turn in certain places without going by yet another brand-new, little café.
The government of China says that its financial center has more coffee shops than any other city in the world.
While the city’s café culture has been growing for some time, the post-Covid opening has really helped it take off as residents are looking for outdoor spaces to gather with friends and family and embrace outdoor living.
But with so many new businesses opening, there is now intense rivalry for clients. The owners with whom we spoke don’t think all of these companies can make it.
According to Shanghai officials, the city has “more than 8,000 cafes.”
Additionally, a report published at the end of 2023 by the Shanghai International Coffee Culture Festival listed 9,553 coffee shops.
Furthermore, Shanghai stands out for reasons other than its abundance of stores.
Shanghai’s café boom is primarily being driven by independent, specialized businesses like Hidden Track, whereas other Chinese cities are still primarily controlled by giant coffee chains like Starbucks and their regional competitor Luckin.
Owner Dong Xiaoli claims that because she was so devoted to coffee, she had “no choice” but to go right into the business.
Still, it hasn’t been simple.
She laughs when asked what advice she would give to someone thinking about going into the same field as her, saying, “I’d say don’t do it.”
