The Coffee Talk series is a unique little visual novel that puts you in control of a coffee shop owner. There isn't much gameplay outside of mixing drinks for your customers, but the stories told by the customers themselves are what truly stand out. Despite featuring a lineup of mythological beings, the game does an outstanding job of making the world feel real—so much so that it brought me back to my own young adult years. While some players might look at the stories and think, "Would this really be brought up in a coffee shop?" I'm here to tell you: yes, yes it would.
With Cat recently reviewing Coffee Talk Tokyo, I wanted to take a moment to quickly share some stories from my own crazy experiences managing the front of a coffee shop in a small town. Although it was only five short years, it taught me a lot about life and allowed me to experience things I never would have imagined.
The Beginning
Opening a bakery and coffee shop had been my uncle's lifelong dream. After working for other companies for many years, that dream finally came true in the late 2000s. The shop opened in the summer of 2008 and quickly became a hit within the community and the surrounding areas—somehow, news of it even reached other states. When travelers passed through our sleepy town, it became known as the place to stop.
As for me, I was involved from the very start. One day, while I was swimming at my grandparents' house with my cousins, my uncle stopped by and offered us all jobs, which we happily accepted. In the beginning, our role was simply to help get the building ready for the eventual grand opening, but I quickly graduated to storefront manager. My job was to open the shop—we started at 5:30 AM—make sure everything stayed stocked, and, of course, wait on customers. I had never done anything like this before, but it didn't take long to get the hang of things and help direct the other workers when needed. It was a lot of hard work, but it was also fun!
Those first paychecks are what ultimately led me to purchase an Xbox 360, and it is how I initially funded my full venture into the world of gaming. Looking back, I honestly didn't know how good I had it.
Meeting the Regulars:
As with any coffee shop, it didn't take long for us to form a group of regulars. Obviously I'll avoid sharing their names, however the main regulars were as follows:
Mr. P -
Mr. P was an older gentleman who used to be a high school football star. His wife had suffered from polio as a child, so she was unable to walk without the use of a walker, but she would often come to the shop with him. Besides those two, their children and grandchildren were also regulars, almost always stopping by on their way back from church—which was located close by. The entire family was always a pleasure to speak with, but it was Mr. P who was always the most interesting. He would sit around the store for hours, telling stories of his glory days, and he would often come by both in the morning and the afternoon. With how our shifts were scheduled, we were rarely there for both of his visits, but sometimes you'd catch him again while you were on your way out for the day. He was always one to put a smile on your face, but during the later years, things became a bit harder.
Sadly, Mr. P developed Alzheimer's disease, and his memory quickly began failing him. While he could still remember his stories, recent events and faces were often a challenge. We personally began to notice it because he would often try to pay for his food over and over again, but things took a turn for the worse shortly after our bakery's closure. We held a get-together at a local cafe so all of our regulars would have a chance to catch up, and Mr. P was mysteriously absent despite having been the most excited about it. One of the other regulars, who happened to be a friend of mine's grandfather, went out looking for him and found him sitting in his car in front of his house. Sadly, Mr. P had forgotten how to drive. The moment he sat down behind the wheel, he was completely lost and simply didn't know what to do. Thankfully, he didn't attempt to drive on his own, or this could have turned out much worse. Shortly after that incident, he had no choice but to move into assisted living.
While that cafe meetup was technically my last community encounter with Mr. P, I did run into him one more time at a doctor's office. However, by then he no longer remembered my name, and he was even unsure of who his own wife was. It was a really sad sight to see, especially after getting to know him for all those years. I didn't know it then, but it wouldn't be long before I was attending his funeral.
Mr. D -
Mr. D was our local school's football coach, and he lived right across the street from our store! This meant the bakery became a part of his daily routine, and his family would often join him as well. I've heard interesting stories about his days as a teacher, but from my own personal experience, he was a guy who could make friends with anyone—even if his personality came off a bit strong at times. One great thing about him was that he would make himself right at home within the shop, even brewing his own coffee if he saw we were in a bind! He'd even take the time to refill other customers' drinks, which I'm sure led to some confusion. This simple act, however, is what led to a chair getting thrown at me, which brings us to our next semi-regular!
Mrs. F -
Oh, what can I say about Mrs. F... She was someone who was very difficult to get along with, though I managed to make small talk with her each time she came in. Our first encounter wasn't the greatest, however, and it is still a memory that lives in my mind rent-free to this day.
I remember it was around 5:00 AM, and I was just beginning to prepare the storefront when a knock came at the door. It was an older lady I had never seen before, who clearly didn't understand that we opened to the public at 6:00 AM. Of course, I wasn't going to leave her standing out there, so I went ahead and unlocked the door for her. Well, after letting her in and taking her order for a doughnut and coffee, she turned her sights to the tables that were not yet set up, and then proceeded to "get them ready" herself. She did this by picking up the chairs and tossing them across the store—or at least as far as she could throw them! I honestly didn't know what to do at that point, but I simply straightened the chairs back up and handed over her order. From there, I explained that I needed to run into the back real quick to bring the rest of the product up front, and she simply said, "Okay." But apparently, it wasn't okay.
Going to the back to finish prepping consisted of only two things: pushing the fully loaded bakery racks up front to stock the display case, and bagging bread. The full process usually took roughly half an hour, but with a customer in the building, I decided to only grab what was completely necessary. Upon returning to the front, however, I wasn't just met by Mrs. F—I was met by a furious version of her!
Apparently, while I was gone, Mr. D had come in and helped himself to some coffee. According to her, he had just robbed me. She then insisted I was the worst person in the world for leaving her alone, stating I needed to stay up front at all times—never mind the fact that I let her in an hour before opening. She proceeded to tell me what a dumb kid I was before finally walking out the door. Back then, I hoped that would be the last time I'd ever see her, but before I knew it, she was coming in every single day, and the complaining never stopped. She even complained about one of our employees who wore a hat to cover his bald head, which had happened because his hair fell out from stress following a tragic hunting accident that claimed the life of someone close to him. Even though I explained the situation to her, she still insisted it was wrong. Eventually, she calmed down a bit over the years, but when we finally offered her a free cinnamon roll as a kind gesture, she took offense, stormed out, and never came back. And that was the last I ever heard from her.
A -
Moving on from Mrs. F to a slightly happier story, we have someone who actually witnessed some of her antics firsthand.
A was a regular who never missed a day, often spending hours in the store talking to everyone. He was such a nice guy, always willing to help, and he became basically an unofficial employee simply due to how much he did for us. Sadly, he suffered from Parkinson's disease, but he would use that as an excuse to help us fold doughnut boxes just to keep his hands busy. I still remember one time when a group of ladies were gossiping about how "he seemed like such a nice guy" but they "never expected him to throw that coffee cup at a waitress." I couldn't help but laugh and explain the situation to them. As a symptom of his condition, he was prone to randomly throwing things, which is why we only gave him paper cups when he asked for a drink—something he explicitly requested himself.
While one could probably write a book on A alone, one of the funniest stories involving him actually came from his neighborly observations. For months, maybe even well over a year, he would come in constantly and talk about how the guy next door never left his house and made his wife do everything, while he just sat around and played video games all day. But one day, A came in to share quite the revelation. It turns out he finally caught a glimpse of the neighbor outside, and that's when he spotted the house arrest anklet. Everything finally became clear! I don't think any of us expected that outcome.
W (The Cop) -
People often joke about cops always showing up to coffee and doughnut shops, and well, in my experience, it was entirely true! In our case, it was W who came by almost every day and ultimately became a really good friend of ours. The number of things that happened while he was there was surprising, as we often had the pleasure of hearing his calls come through firsthand. Though he would eventually change districts—transferring to a town I still drive through daily, where I often see him sitting on side streets waiting for speeders—his time spent with us was incredibly eventful.
There was the time he arrived on the scene after two drunks busted out our front window, the Valentine's Day fight that led to him almost getting killed by someone wielding a sword, and who could forget the time he was pinned down by a group of people who then tried to run him over before backup arrived? The guy had it rough, but the day a call came in about an alligator takes the cake—especially considering we're in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest.
W had just sat down to eat his doughnut and started a conversation with my uncle when his radio sprung to life with a series of police codes and the mention of a gator. I think we all looked at each other in complete surprise at that one, right before W dropped an F-bomb and bolted out the door. He returned hours later laughing, but I'm sure he was a bit nervous when it first went down. It turns out a local drug dealer had purchased the alligator to protect his stash but had been locked away in jail for the previous week or so. Naturally, the gator got hungry during that wait, busted through a window, and crawled out onto the front lawn—which is when a neighbor spotted it and called it in.
In the end, everything was handled safely, and the gator was transferred out of state. Still, it was a wild story and something no one involved would ever forget.
L -
L was... someone who was a bit off, to say the least. Before A became a regular, L was the person you'd expect to see there bright and early each and every single day. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but the more I sat and listened to his stories, the more I realized something wasn't right. His comments were highly problematic, and there was even a time when he wanted to challenge another customer to a fight. However, it wasn't until talking with W that I learned the truth.
Turns out L suffered from quite a few issues, which, not too long prior to our store opening, culminated in him holding his family hostage. He locked them in their house and faced off with the police by standing stark naked on the back of his truck with a shotgun. Thankfully, they were able to resolve things peacefully, but that didn't change the fact that it happened. After learning this about him, his comments about wrapping others up in barbed wire and beating them with a sledgehammer didn't just seem like random vents of frustration; instead, they felt more like promises of what he'd do if given the chance.
Thankfully, nothing else ever happened, to my knowledge, and L passed away a few years later. I was always on edge when he came in, but knowing W was usually close by helped ease my mind. W was always looking out for us, with his favorite "hiding spot" being just a block over.
And Many More -
Honestly, I could spend all day writing about the regulars I encountered, but I'll end it here. There were so many great people I met during my time at our little bakery, and that's not even taking into consideration the staff.
One guy who came in would travel around town feeding treats to all the dogs, which included another regular's dog who actually came with his owner each and every day they stopped by. Another regular would come in each weekend with his son who had autism, and it was always a joy to see how excited the boy got when given the chance to order on his own. As someone who grew up around others with similar conditions, I've always felt a special bond with those on the spectrum, but even my coworker, who had no prior experience with it, would always get excited to see him.
Then there was the guy who would come in every morning and buy two danishes for his parents, and the old man who would always say, "Come on, legs!" as he tried to get moving again. There was the lady who had a meltdown if her cookies touched in the box, needing at least a 1/8-inch gap between them. And, of course, there was J—she was always one of my favorite customers to talk to. Her husband was sadly bedridden, meaning she had to do everything for him, but she was always so happy and upbeat, seeing the positive in everything! She'd typically stay for about an hour each day, but that hour always flew by. Finally, there were the two ladies who were in an on-again, off-again relationship—you never knew who would come in with whom, or when. They eventually got back together, but who knows if it lasted? Oh, and then there was the doughnut guy! His wife wouldn't allow him to eat them, so he'd order a whole dozen and eat them right in front of us. He would also go to the local store and eat entire boxes of ice cream bars, which, in an ironic twist, was yet another call W responded to after someone reported a "suspicious man hiding behind the store."
These are people you never forget. It was a sad day when our bakery closed, not just because of my uncle's passing, but because of all the people I knew I'd most likely never see again. They are what made working there special, and I wouldn't trade my memories of them for anything.
And This is Why Coffee Talk Feels Like Home:
While the stories encountered in Coffee Talk may not be exactly the same as what I experienced, the dynamic still feels very familiar to me. You meet someone for the first time and make small talk, only for them to return later and reveal a bit more about themselves. Eventually, they are coming in every day, and you get to see glimpses of their lives unfold. Before long, they almost feel like family, and simply seeing them makes your day so much better! It is a special connection, and even if the encounters end up being brief, they leave a lasting impact that you'll never forget.
The fact that Coffee Talk is able to replicate this feeling within a game shows just how special the series truly is. Sadly, I had slept on the series up until the release of the third installment, but going through each of them now has been a real treat. It has allowed me to look back and catch a glimpse of the piece missing from my heart. Our bakery was incredibly special to me, and sadly, in this case, the saying is true: you can't go home again... But this game helps.
For those who would like to check out the series for themselves, Coffee Talk is available on Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, along with PC.
You can also find them via their Steam Pages here:
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