Illustration by Aaliyah Diaz
Stepping through a restaurant door is the closest you will be to traveling to Narnia. In seconds, voices and laughter fill the room. Your senses are flooded with new smells and sounds. In a busy pub, Italian restaurant, or cozy cafe there is no lion to guide you or witch to fear, but a different type of magic. Anyone can enter. Conversation flows. There is no goal. This is the magic of the Third Place — now under threat as science-fiction turns to reality in our technological world.
The concept of the Third Place was first coined by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 novel “The Great Good Place,” where he underscores the importance of such gathering places for wellbeing, culture, and democracy. A Third Place is an inclusive, local, and informal gathering place — neither work nor home – where the sense of belonging and the absence of strict goals come together to soften the weight of daily life. Yet, in a world driven by consumerism the Third Place is in decline. Corporate culture means rotating between home and work, with little time for socializing. Restaurants are some of the few Third Place’s that remain, with the caveat that prices can infringe on inclusivity. Technology threatens this magic — not just for the physical disruption of screens — but for a more sinister reason.
There is a direct link between gentrification and the erosion of community. Along the L.A. river lies the Elysian Valley, home to Dario Herrera, a 22-year resident and son of one of the neighborhood’s earliest inhabitants. In an interview with PBS SoCal, Herrera reflected on the strong sense of community he grew up with: “You just knew everybody, because they were your family and you could rely on everyone.” But in the Elysian Valley and beyond, gleaming promises of progress — whether a bike path or a skyline of skyscrapers — often come at a cost. Prices rise, long-term residents are pushed out, and the tight-knit communities that once defined these neighborhoods disappear.
Technology adds an additional layer of complication. Urban scholar from San Jose State University Alex Schafran closely studied the foreclosure crisis and urban displacement in the Bay Area. Tech companies in particular have drastic impacts on real estate. During the 1999 dot-com boom, a period of venture capital and stock market upsurge, millionaires “bought and rented Silicon Valley and San Francisco real estate to new heights” in more ways than one. Rental prices skyrocketed before the visible signs of gentrification – the towers that overtook San Francisco — were clear. Technology companies can be a predictor of gentrification before it even occurs.
The insidious impact of gentrification by technology is that you cannot often see it coming. The surge in prices leads to a definitive loss of community, as described by Herrera. The effect of technology stems further. It is not just the gentrification led by tech companies, but the behavior that accompanies it. The magic of the Third Place is driven by the people: conversations between strangers and friends alike. Gentrification spikes prices, hindering the ability for restaurants to function as a Third Place. Ignore this fact, and the magic is still missing. Strangers stay strangers.
In an effort to appear tech-savvy restaurants often exacerbate the issue. In an article examining the decline of QR code menus by Amelia Nierenberg at the New York Times, innovation simply stifles connection. During the COVID-19 pandemic QR codes were a must, but now their charm is fading: “The seduction of the dining room is part of the get — dusky candlelight and uninterrupted, eye-to-eye conversation. A QR code can kill the mood: phones up, blue lights on, conviviality off.” There is a pressure to stay modern. To keep up with the rapid changes in society. To stay ahead of the competition. But human connection is not convenient or modern. It existed long before the 0s and 1s, computers, and even the Nokia phone.
With gentrification driven by tech companies and human interaction stifling connection, it may seem impossible for restaurants to capture the essence of a Third Place. You could outlaw phones, wifi, and computers but is it still possible to use technology for good?
In an interview with Murat Akyuz, co-founder of Toasted alongside Jaafar Altameemi, I was able to gain insight into their careful consideration to infuse community into their bagel business. For Akyuz, he shared early memories of food as a source of inspiration for Toasted: “I’m from Turkey and Jaafar is from Iraq, and food is always a very traditional thing from early breakfast to dinner with the family. Just sitting together from soup, to the full meal, to dessert or coffee.”
Both Akyuz and Altameemi lost this source of community when they moved to the U.S: “So, it was definitely something we wanted to instill about building a community around Halal food.”
While gentrification is a contributing factor in a lack of community, moving can have a similar effect. Furthermore, Akyuz and Altameemi veer closer to creating a Third Place by forming a business based on inclusion. Whether Halal or vegetarian, anyone can eat at Toasted. The decor has the intention of creating a welcoming place with “art and plants to feel comfortable sitting down and enjoying a bagel.”
But they do not veer away from technology. Instead, they welcome it.
“Technology was something we both loved. We try to use technology to improve team and customer experience.” These include a digital ordering system and text alerts. When introducing a self-checkout system in UDistrict and Bellevue, Akyuz and Altameemi were concerned that it would limit interactions between customers and the team. They introduced it and observed its effect: “Do people seem confused? Are they still happy?” They found it increased flow and provided images and substitutions that people would not know otherwise — furthering inclusivity within the business.
While Toasted UDistrict’s location often hosts studying students, other locations do not have this issue. Families and friends sit, enjoy a bagel, coffee and conversation. The presence of technology in our world is growing exponentially. It threatens the magic of the Third Place, by making restaurants unaffordable and lacking interaction. Technology cannot be outlawed. It is part of our society. But it does not define it.
Toasted may embrace technology, but it is not at the core of the business. The core is community. Carefully curated in plants, the menu, and the goals of its co-founders. Stepping through the door, the magic is still palpable. Toasted reminds us that fantasy and science fiction can coexist, where technology plays a supporting role and the magic of community takes center stage.