An anonymous survey was conducted to determine the best places to get coffee in the Pottstown area and uncover the reasons for why that coffee place stands out. I wanted to collectively see each age group’s favorite coffee place (and why) to determine which coffee place would best satisfy others in that age group, so I can point them in the right direction. The survey was sent to 111 Pottsgrove High School students, staff, and faculty members. Out of those 111 respondents, 27% were 9th graders, 0.9% were 10th graders, 30.6% were 11th graders, 5.4% were 12th graders, and 36% were staff or faculty members.

To start out the survey, respondents had to choose their favorite place to get coffee. The lone 10th grader chose Starbucks. 50% of the seniors also chose Starbucks, which was surprising because a higher percentage of seniors chose Starbucks compared to the percentage of freshmen, who can always be seen there. 21.6% of respondents chose Dunkin’ and 29.7% chose Wawa. Almost 30% of every age category chose Wawa, which makes sense because of the numerous Wawas available in the Pottstown area. Only three respondents who picked “other” specified their favorite place to buy coffee. These places included Red Door Coffee Roaster, Java’s Brewing, and Brakeman’s Cafe. When the respondents were asked how far they lived from the place that they chose, everyone who chose “other” either picked 11-20 minutes or 31+ minutes, which corresponds to why it was not as popular as Starbucks, Wawa, and Dunkin’ (common places in Pottstown). Almost all of the other respondents said that they live either less than five minutes away or 5-10 minutes away from their favorite coffee place. 

Respondents were also asked why they drink coffee. More than half of the juniors, seniors, freshmen, and staff and faculty members said that they drank coffee for the taste of it. This was the highest-picked reason for drinking coffee among staff, which is surprising due to the fact that adults usually drink coffee for the caffeine. Only 27% of respondents said that they drink coffee for energy. Some staff and faculty members said that they drink coffee because it is a part of their morning routine. Although only some staff and faculty members said that they drink coffee because it is a part of their morning routine, about half of them said they drink it very early in the morning (before 8 AM) when asked about when they usually go to the coffee place they previously chose. The juniors’ answers were divided evenly among three choices, which were that they get coffee very early in the morning (before 8AM), around the time for brunch (8 AM-12 PM), or in the afternoon (12:01 PM-6 PM). Almost 100% of seniors said that they go to their favorite coffee place in the afternoon.

Towards the end of the survey respondents were asked, “What made the coffee place you chose earlier stand out?” The highest chosen answer among staff and faculty members was the quality of the coffee. The highest-picked answer among the juniors was either the quality of the coffee or the range and types of flavors of coffee because 35% of juniors chose the former and 35% chose the latter. The answer that included the range and types of flavors of coffee was the highest-picked reason among the freshmen. The seniors’ answers were evenly divided. Their answers consisted of the aesthetic of the place, the range and types of flavors of coffee, and the price. The lone 10th grader chose “the quality of the coffee” as their answer. Despite these differences among why respondents chose their preferred coffee shop, almost everyone chose the same answer for the last question. When asked whether the price of coffee mattered to them, almost every respondent chose that it mattered a little bit, and if they did not choose that, they chose that the price matters a lot.

If you are a Pottsgrove student looking for a place to get coffee in Pottstown, then Starbucks is the place you want to check out because those who chose it said that it was less than 10 minutes away, and that its quality of coffee and range and types of flavors of coffee make it stand out. The highest percentage of people in every grade picked Starbucks as their favorite place and said that they drink coffee for the taste of it, so Starbucks is also the place to go if you like good tasting coffee. If you are a staff or faculty member, then Wawa is the place you want to check out because more than half of the staff drinks coffee for its taste and they drink it in the morning, so Wawa is a convenient coffee place that sells quality cups of coffee, according to those who work at Pottsgrove. Whether it be Starbucks or Wawa, the quality of the coffee and the convenience of the location is satisfying to Pottsgrove High School’s students, staff, and faculty, so consider them the next time you are in need of coffee.