NYC has spilled the beans.
The city that never sleeps — perhaps due to its constant craving for joe — has been bested as the nation’s top city for coffee lovers, per a recent WalletHub analysis of the 100 largest U.S. cities.
The coffee crown also skipped Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington — two cities widely known for their thriving java joints. (Seattle was the infamous birthplace of Starbucks all the way back in 1971; it was later spoofed for its coffee snobbery in the long-running hit show “Frasier.”)
Where, now, are the country’s most lauded lattes?
The winner for America’s top destination for coffee lovers is….Orlando, Florida.
Households in Orlando spend an average of over $154 on their drink of choice every year, with the city also boasting the highest number of free-WiFi coffee and tea shops per capita. Those who like to enjoy a donut with their beverage aren’t out of luck either: Orlando has the most donut shops per capita in America.
WalletHub gave Orlando the coffee crown based on 12 key metrics, including affordability, online ratings, store hours and number of locations.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said that coffee shops increasingly double as spots where remote workers can set up shop, and where people can socialize — adding that Orlando’s tourism-heavy economy means visitors often need a place to charge their phones and use complimentary Wi-Fi, contributing to its status as the top spot for coffee lovers.
“People want to have a coffee. They may want to go in and scroll for a little while before they hit Disney World, so they want to make the rest of the experience as affordable as they can to spend more of their money on the tourist attraction,” said Lupo, adding that “broke college kids” are also heavy users of the shops’ free WiFi.
Though it’s no longer best in show, Portland ranked second on this year’s top spots for coffee lovers list, with Miami, Long Beach and Seattle following behind.
And despite ranking 44th on the WalletHub list of coffee-heavy cities, New York still takes the top prize for treating its baristas like champs: Recent findings show that Gotham joe-goers spend a combined $237 million in tips at their favorite coffee shops.
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