I just had this moment of clarity that there really could be a tool for this.

The corporate coffee house isn't necessarily evil, but I think supporting local businesses is inherently good.

They're all exactly the same. And I guess that's what my problem is. It's a lack of choice. The complete homogenization is bothersome.

They're corporate and they're transnational and they're aggressive.

The problem arises when people assume all cafes are like this. The more we become used to these large corporate chains telling us 'This is what life is like,' the less we become in charge of what life is like.

That will be more likely to happen at an independent cafe where you'll see art from the neighborhood on the walls or you might hear a local band play.

(It gives) a look at how many Starbucks there are versus how many local stores there are.