What if your local coffee spot was also where people came to chalk up their hands and attempt a V6 problem? It sounds like a niche concept, but for Joeleen Ng, it's a full-time career - and a surprisingly natural fit.
Eater's Pre Shift newsletter, which focuses on the hospitality industry, recently spotlighted Ng's work as part of a broader series on third spaces - those essential but hard-to-define places that aren't home, aren't work, but are where community actually happens. Think cafes, bars, hybrid hangout spots, and apparently, climbing gyms with a serious coffee program.
Why third spaces are having a moment
The concept of a third space isn't new, but the conversation around it has intensified. People are hungry for places that feel genuinely welcoming and community-driven - somewhere to linger, connect, and just exist without the pressure of a transaction or a to-do list. The challenge is that running these spaces is notoriously difficult. The economics are tight, the labor is demanding, and getting the vibe right is more art than science.
That's what makes Ng's story interesting. Climbing gyms, it turns out, already have a lot of the ingredients: a built-in community, a reason to stick around before and after a session, and a crowd that skews young, social, and experience-oriented. Add a well-run cafe to that mix, and you've got something that feels less like a transaction and more like a gathering place.
Hospitality in unexpected places
There's a broader trend here worth paying attention to. The most compelling food and drink spaces right now aren't necessarily standalone restaurants or traditional coffee shops - they're hybrids that attach themselves to something people already love. Bookstore bars, brewery taprooms, fitness-adjacent cafes. The common thread is community first, commerce second.
Ng's path into this niche also highlights something that doesn't get talked about enough in hospitality: the value of finding a specific, underserved pocket and doing it really well. Running a cafe inside a climbing gym isn't a stepping stone to something more conventional - it is the thing.
For anyone working in food and drink, or just fascinated by how we build community around shared spaces, Ng's story is a good reminder that the most interesting careers often start with noticing something that others have overlooked. The full piece is available in Eater's Pre Shift newsletter, which is worth subscribing to if the business side of hospitality is your thing.
