DENVER — It can be difficult to find a very early-morning cup of coffee in Denver, especially compared to the past and other cities in the country.
Denver coffee shop owners tell Denver7 that's due to a mix of customer habits, COVID-19 pandemic-era shifts and coffee shop owners attempting to protect the work-life balance of their baristas.
“We started Queen city about 10 years ago, actually in my garage,” Queen City Collective Coffee owner Scott Byington said.
Queen City Collective now operates seven locations in the Denver metro area.
“We really value the work-life balance of ours baristas," Byington said. "We find that a 6:30 open feels really good for a… barista that is a morning person without being too much of a ‘Hey, you’ve got to come in before the sun's even up.’”
Denver coffee shop owners said they were open earlier before the pandemic, but now there isn’t the customer demand that there once was.
“Pre-COVID, it did seem like people got up earlier. People were here,” Whittier Café owner Millette Birhanemaskel said.
Whittier Café in Denver’s Whittier neighborhood is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“Now we open at 7:00, and we probably don’t start getting customers until 7:30-ish, maybe 8:00,” Birhanemaskel said.
She added, people are brewing more coffee at home, as evidenced by the amount of bulk coffee beans she sells compared to before the pandemic.
“I think people are just tired. I think covid really wore us out. I don't know that we ever really recovered from that. That was exhausting,” Birhanemaskel said. “When it was time to come back to a new normal, we all came back exhausted. So, I think people are sleeping in more. They’re staying home more.”
Café demand is still concentrated in the morning, but the numbers are shifting. Birhanemaskel estimated about 75% of her business used to come before 1 p.m., though she’s seeing afternoons become busier as routines shift.
Beyond scheduling baristas, Denver’s outdoor-oriented culture plays a role in the later hours.
“There is a very strong culture in Denver that’s focused on work-life balance because of our access to the outdoors,” Byington said laughing. “I do think that like when you look at other cities, even our night life is more quiet. If you want to go to the clubs and all that, go to Miami, and if you want to stay out all night at the bars, go to New York.”
“I also think we're really good at self care [in Denver], and I think probably came out of necessity, but I think there is an element of ‘the mornings are mine,’” Birhanemaskel said. “I’m going to take my time, and my coffee is a treat, but it’s going to be a bit later in my day. I think, culturally, there’s just been a shift to what feels good and what is more restful.”
That’s not to say it’s impossible to find early-morning coffee in Denver.
Here are a few shops with early-morning hours:
Lil Coffea Shop (300 E 6th Ave) – Open 24 hours
Lil Coffea Shop (2450 S Downing St) -Open 24 hours
Lamar’s Donuts and Coffee (990 W 6th Ave) – Open at 3 a.m.
