An AI Agent Tasked With Running a Coffee Shop. What Could Go Wrong?

• A San Francisco-based startup called Andon Labs opened a cafe in Sweden a few weeks ago. In itself, that isn't particularly newsworthy. But the company put an AI agent powered by Google Gemini in charge of everything, from applying for permits to hiring staff and ordering inventory. It went about as well as you might expect. Among other whoopsies, the robot invited potential new hires to attend in-person interviews, impersonated an Andon Labs employee to skirt Swedish rules around alcohol licenses, and ordered a bunch of weird inventory.

The Coffee Industry Will Regret Embracing Generative AI

Coffee professionals and brands are increasingly adopting generative AI. But should an industry that prides itself on authenticity and sustainability really be embracing such a destructive tool?

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• Japan has a new coffee shop trend: crying cafes, or late night sanctuaries for overwhelmed new parents who can't get their babies to sleep. Inspired by an online manga series, the concept has spread around the country. “I want this to be a place of refuge where people can feel like they’re not alone in their struggles", said Madoka Nozawa, who runs a crying cafe once a week at her coffee shop in northern Japan.
• Workers at a Philz Coffee location in Berkeley, California, unionised independently in 2024. Two years later, they have decided to affiliate with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5. UFCW Local 5 is the largest private-sector union in Northern California, and also represents other coffee unions such as the ones at Verve, Cat & Cloud, and Highwire Coffee. Affiliating with UFCW Local 5 gives workers the “strength, resources, and solidarity” needed to bargain with Philz, the union said in an email to KALW.

For more on all these stories—plus how a North Carolina coffee shop, rebuilt following Hurricane Helene in 2024, was burned down in a suspected arson attack—check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:

Coffee News Club: Week of May 18

Parents in Japan are finding relief at crying cafes. Plus, a beloved coffee shop burns down just months after rebuilding due to damage from Hurricane Helene, and an AI chatbot manages a cafe poorly.

Fresh CupFionn Pooler

Last week, paid subscribers received a bonus article looking at coffee company names and why they're occasionally controversial:

What’s in a Coffee Shop Name?

For paid subscribers: Naming a coffee company is tricky, and choosing the wrong one can result in controversy. Just ask Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

I'll be back on Friday with a new long read, but until then it's goodbye from my friend Angela's sleepy cat Clem: