Why does street coffee culture survive a typhoon in Shanghai?

Typhoon Bebinca made landfall at Lingang New City in Pudong as the strongest storm to hit Shanghai since 1949, and the flood control headquarters advised residents to stay home on September 15, 2024. Once the rain eased that afternoon, Shanghai residents headed straight for cafes, forming long lines at independent shops and chains such as Manner, Luckin, Mstand and Starbucks.

The city's high coffee shop density explains the rush: people without a coffee machine or brewing gear at home depend on cafes for a cup. Fallen leaves and broken branches covered the streets after the storm, and sanitation workers cleared roadsides while residents stepped out with umbrellas and slippers, treating the holiday coffee run as the first errand once conditions allowed.

During the 2024 Mid-Autumn Festival, "Bebinca," the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Shanghai in 75 years, struck head-on, putting the entire city into defense mode. Yet as soon as the wind and rain let up slightly, Shanghai residents couldn't wait to step outside and head for coffee shops. Whether independent cafés or chains like Manner, Luckin, Mstand, and Starbucks, long lines quickly formed. This article captures the kaleidoscope of Shanghai street coffee culture after the typhoon, showcasing the city's deep-rooted love for coffee.

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Typhoons always seem to love visiting on weekends and holidays, and this year's Mid-Autumn Festival was no exception.

Recently, Typhoon "Bebinca" made landfall along the coast of Lingang New City in Pudong, Shanghai, at severe typhoon intensity, becoming the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949. On September 15, the Shanghai Flood Control Headquarters issued a safety notice advising citizens not to go out unless necessary during the typhoon. And so, in the face of the menacing "Bebinca," everyone raced against time to complete all defensive preparations before the typhoon arrived.

After a "baby plus"-style sweep, the wind and rain finally gradually weakened in the afternoon, with some areas seeing rain stop and skies turn overcast. But the roads were strewn with devastation—fallen leaves and broken branches from the torrential rain and fierce winds covered the streets and alleys, and many plants were even uprooted. Citizens busied themselves repairing the damage caused by "Bebinca," while many sanitation workers were also out cleaning along the roadsides.

Generally speaking, when a typhoon passes through, people carefully plan their outings and try to stay safely at home, enjoying pre-prepared food. But this is Shanghai, a city with an astonishingly high coffee density. If you have a coffee machine or other brewing equipment at home, you can make a cup whenever you crave one—but those without equipment aren't so lucky. If they want coffee, they have no choice but to go out and find someone to make it.

And so, seeing the rain ease up and with it being a holiday, the first thing to do upon going out was naturally to get coffee. Shanghai residents could no longer suppress their craving for caffeine—they put on slippers, grabbed umbrellas, leashed their dogs, pocketed their keys, and briskly walked to nearby shops for a cup of freshly ground coffee.

On the other side, the owners seemed to be on the same wavelength. Although "baby plus" hadn't completely left Shanghai and light rain was still falling, faced with regulars who were dying for coffee, they arrived at their shops early, rolled up the shutters, and prepared espresso in advance to wait for everyone.

Many Shanghai locals also noticed that after the typhoon, the first to open were coffee shops, the ones packed with customers were coffee shops, and the ones with a crowd of delivery riders waiting to pick up orders were still coffee shops. Some owners hadn't even finished their morning prep before people were already obediently lining up outside.

Besides independent cafés being fully seated, Shanghai people's love for chain brands is equally not to be underestimated.

As soon as the typhoon stopped, some Manner locations already had lines of people with their own cups;

Because someone needed to use the restroom, some workers at Luckin were facing a backlog of 43 orders to report;

There were also Mstand "destined" employees holding down the fort alone, having to both brave the typhoon and take orders and make coffee;

And there were homebodies who wanted coffee so badly, with delivery unavailable, that they drove to Starbucks even in the face of force-10-plus winds;

Without a doubt, Shanghai people's love for coffee is evident for all to see. If you shout on social media, "What are you doing after the typhoon?", Shanghai people will probably either answer that they're drinking coffee or that they're out strolling and already on their way to get coffee.

Images from: Internet screenshots

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