A plethora of Starbucks, Costa Cafes, Barnies and Dr. Cafes have mushroomed up all over Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.

RIYADH, 18 May 2005 — Ubiquitous on every major street corner are men dressed in color-coded uniforms frantically flagging down passing traffic. Drivers are not being chided for speeding, nor being advised to belt up, but instead are being enticed into stopping for a break at one of the innumerable coffee joints pervading our cities. The culture of coffee has, quite literally, taken the Kingdom by storm.

Although conventionally a tea-drinking nation, most young Saudis are forsaking this time-honored brew in favor of its caffeine-laden counterpart. Cafes have become trendy hang-outs each competing with the other to lure customers into their sophisticated premises. So lucrative is the business of selling a cup of coffee, some retailing at the cost of a full meal, that many venues have been lavishly designed with striking interiors ranging from recreations of the swinging sixties to more futuristic settings in order to draw in the punters.

And then of course there are those famous chains that have replicated themselves in much the same way as fast-food outlets the world over. A plethora of Starbucks, Costa Cafes, Barnies and Dr. Cafes have mushroomed up all over Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam. Even though the signs may not be as instantly recognizable as the golden arches of a McDonald’s, the lines of luxury cars outside are unmistakable.

Having a coffee is synonymous with a much-needed form of light entertainment. People can come together to sit and discuss issues, show off their new set of wheels, unwind in a comfortable environment or just savor their favorite drink in solitude.

So what is it about coffee that has generated such mass appeal in this part of the world? Is it the drink itself or the atmosphere of urban chic that accompanies it?

We asked some young men who regularly frequent such establishments why they think the innocent coffee bean has so seamlessly integrated itself into our otherwise traditional culture.

“I love coffee!” gushed Sal Kurdi, an editorial support manager based in Riyadh. “I brew Brazilian brands at home because they are very smooth and tangy. I picked up the hobby while I lived in the States, but it has really caught on here. It’s also a great way of meeting people. Once I met a friend of mine who had just landed up from the States. Imagine meeting someone from Washington in a Starbucks cafe in Riyadh!”

Fahd Al Sulaiman, an IT specialist,couldn’t agree more. “It’s so nice to take your newspaper to your favorite cafe and start your day over a cup of coffee. Sometimes I meet up with friends before work and it really brightens things up for me. I even stop by to pick up a take-away on my way in if I don’t have time to sit.”

Many executives now schedule early morning meetings in coffee shops finding that this out of office situation relaxes people and facilitates in making discussions more open and hence more productive.

Women have also taken to meeting each other at coffee shops and several ladies’ centers and shopping malls have places that cater to more feminine tastes providing the perfect ambience for socializing away from the house.

If you don’t have friends to join you for a coffee, but are still in the mood for a chat then where do you go? Combining technology with relaxation, slick operators have capitalized on a spectacular niche market. So if you want to enjoy your latte or mochaccino with virtual friends in cyberspace visit your local Internet cafe.