☕ What happened to the Third Space? And why aren’t we talking about it anymore?
This is my Starbucks experience.
I started consulting for Starbucks in 2018, working on the digital gifting team across WeChat and Alipay — and it truly felt like a golden age. We were building online gaming, AR through Alipay, and experimenting with some of the first TikTok companies in Shanghai.
At the same time, I supported other teams on delivery cup workshops and menu experience design, right as the Shanghai Reserve Roastery opened — one of the most immersive café experiences in the world.
And the results showed it:
❤️ Valentine’s Day 520 → 2× YoY
🎓 College Exam Season (May 6) → 2× YoY
🌸 Women’s Day → 3× YoY
But the market shifted with the rise of Luckin. Inside Starbucks, you could feel the shake-up. Luckin brought cheap pricing, inflated numbers, and a pure digital model — while Starbucks focused on experience, quality, consistency, and the idea of the Third Space.
And that’s what matters most to me.
The Third Space — a concept born in the ’80s — should matter even more in a post-COVID world. But somewhere along the way, the industry conversation became all about discounts, downloads, and daily active users.
The real question is this:
What is the future of the Third Space?
And what will define success for food and beverage brands going forward?
From everything I’ve seen across markets and brands, the answer hasn’t changed:
👉 Purpose
👉 Storytelling
👉 Technology — used to elevate human connection, not replace it
When these three work together, that’s when long-term success is created.
Maybe it’s time we bring the Third Space back into the conversation.
This is my Starbucks experience.
I started consulting for Starbucks in 2018, working on the digital gifting team across WeChat and Alipay — and it truly felt like a golden age. We were building online gaming, AR through Alipay, and experimenting with some of the first TikTok companies in Shanghai.
At the same time, I supported other teams on delivery cup workshops and menu experience design, right as the Shanghai Reserve Roastery opened — one of the most immersive café experiences in the world.
And the results showed it:
❤️ Valentine’s Day 520 → 2× YoY
🎓 College Exam Season (May 6) → 2× YoY
🌸 Women’s Day → 3× YoY
But the market shifted with the rise of Luckin. Inside Starbucks, you could feel the shake-up. Luckin brought cheap pricing, inflated numbers, and a pure digital model — while Starbucks focused on experience, quality, consistency, and the idea of the Third Space.
And that’s what matters most to me.
The Third Space — a concept born in the ’80s — should matter even more in a post-COVID world. But somewhere along the way, the industry conversation became all about discounts, downloads, and daily active users.
The real question is this:
What is the future of the Third Space?
And what will define success for food and beverage brands going forward?
From everything I’ve seen across markets and brands, the answer hasn’t changed:
👉 Purpose
👉 Storytelling
👉 Technology — used to elevate human connection, not replace it
When these three work together, that’s when long-term success is created.
Maybe it’s time we bring the Third Space back into the conversation.