To celebrate a special occasion is to dine-out. The choice of dining place is a matter of preference - maybe the ambiance, the food, the location or even the warmth exuded by the owners. It is always my personal choice to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions in a cafe -rather than a restaurant.
Here are some reasons for my choosing a catering cafe for my (and my family's) dining pleasure. Maybe, it is good to start with giving a description and comparison between a coffee shop and a restaurant - although both of them are for eating delight.
There is a great difference between a cafe and a restaurant. For one, the ambiance is different. I find the setting of a coffee shop more personal and cool hang-out. The coffee shop can seem to be less formal without deviating from the beautiful ornaments that decorate the shop. This becomes more personal because the decorations and set up are entirely different. Many coffee shops have shelves where different ceramic vases and equipments are displayed. This is one feature of a coffee shop that makes me like it - call it aesthetic appeal.
The variation in the food is not a long list of menu - I do not expect four or five page leather covered menu which usually are in restaurants. I love to choose from a funky styled menu card. There are not much of food choices in a coffee shop and a few visits to my favorite coffee shop can give me a full taste of all the offerings. This is not to say that I do not have to re-order those that I have already tried. This is only to say that trying out all the gourmet foods in the offering gives me some kind of gratification.
I belong to the new breed of coffee cultured people. I love a sip of fine coffee after meals. And I find delight in having a taste of different coffee concoctions - reason why I try to educate myself on the different kinds of coffee- latte, espresso, cappuccino and whatever they may call it. This is one of the reasons I hang out in coffee shops. And coffee shops have a wide array of pastries, cookies and cakes - also my cravings!
Most of all - the price of the delicacies (I call them this because of the uniqueness in appeal to my palate and the presentation) are within my restricted budget. The prices of the food are affordable - not to mention that they are gourmet preparations.
I may not share other people's view on coffee shops, but as I said, this is a matter of preference. But since coffee shops begin to thrive in many sections of the urban locale, I believe many share my view on the value of a cafe.