After Lockdowns End: Why Are Coffee Shops Closing Down in Large Numbers?!

Why Are Coffee Shops Seeing Empty Seats Even After Reopening?

Where did all the customers go? Turns out they're all home, sick! Coffee shops and bubble tea shops alike are stuck in an absurd cycle: "no customers during lockdown, no staff after reopening"!

Lately, across social media, countless people have complained that whenever they want a coffee, the shop turns out to be closed. On Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and in WeChat groups, many coffee shop owners have posted closure notices, announcing temporary shutdowns to protect customers and staff as COVID cases surged. The overwhelming majority of these closures happened because the owner or a staff member had caught COVID-19.

Since the afternoon of December 7th, when the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism released the "New Ten Measures," the once-ubiquitous scene markers disappeared almost overnight: no more QR codes to scan at store entrances, no more signage piling up at mall doors, no more health-code checks for cross-region travel. Major travel platforms, scenic spots, and restaurants sprang back to life — but only briefly. Within days, COVID case numbers began climbing exponentially.

Now that we're fully reopened and in-store dining is back, even more people are opting for takeout and delivery — with so many cases around, few dare to linger. In just a few days the situation turned tense again. How many cases are around you? Does it feel like it's getting closer?

Media reports cited one city's subway statistics: passenger flow declined in a straight line for a full week. Five days before reopening, the system logged 1.18 million passenger trips; five days later, just over 700,000. The "chosen workers" who still had to show up posted side-by-side photos of the same subway station at 8 AM before and after reopening — the difference in crowds is stark.

The Challenge for the Restaurant Industry

After full reopening, both delivery and dine-in are unimpeded. Many expected "revenge spending" — instead, business stays bleak and dining rooms sit half-empty. For the restaurant industry, this is yet another new problem.

Year-end brings next year's rent due and steadily mounting operating costs. Restaurants need to be mentally prepared: strengthen winter survival plans and contingency mechanisms, and fight through this final "transition period." The next few months will be the real test of strength.

Picture this cold-winter scenario: you crave a warm coffee, open a delivery app, find an open store with your drink in stock, and place the order eagerly — only to wait an hour while no rider ever accepts it, and you cancel in defeat. That's reality for most people right now. Over the past couple of days, in some cities residents have voluntarily joined the delivery workforce for one simple reason: huge numbers of couriers and delivery riders are out sick, and orders are piling up badly.

According to the pattern experts have outlined, the months right after reopening bring a stretch of chaos, and consumer spending will likely dip sharply. But after roughly three months, economic activity should begin to gradually recover. Get through this stretch, and things will get better.

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you're riding out the winter at home and brewing your own coffee, a bright, fruit-forward light roast is just the pick-me-up. FrontStreet Coffee recommends:

• FrontStreet Ethiopia Guji Dingding (Yirgacheffe, washed) — bright citrus, berry, and floral aromatics with a green-tea-like sweetness; gentle, luminous acidity that's approachable for anyone new to pour-over.
• FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui (Sidama, natural) — intense tropical fruit: strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, lychee. Silky and juicy with barely any bitterness — "the coffee that doesn't taste like coffee."
• FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato (washed, Thika, 1550–1750m, SL28 & SL34) — 72-hour double-washed fermentation for vivid cherry tomato and dried plum acidity, with snow pear, black plum, and yellow sugar sweetness; light-roasted to keep that lively, juice-like character intact.