I am a barista. This means that I am unashamedly pretentious about my coffee. I prefer dark roast to light, cappuccinos to lattés, and I know what a macchiato is (it isn’t the same as the sweet caramel treat at Starbucks). As warmer weather approaches, nothing hits the spot quite like an iced coffee. I’m not talking about an iced latté, or an iced Americano, but good ole cold press iced coffee. A trip to Sayles seems to be sufficient to satisfy this craving. However, as many will attest, the coffee and espresso drinks at Sayles leave much to be desired.

One day, I was standing in line waiting to order some French fries. The woman in front of me ordered what she hoped to be a refreshing iced coffee. I was shocked when I saw the barista put ice in a cup and pour hot drip-brew coffee over it! I had heard of this happening before, but I thought that it must have been an error on the part of a new staff member. After seeing it with my own eyes, I wondered why Sayles always made its iced coffee incorrectly.

To get at an answer, let me first explain how iced coffee is supposed to be made. One must first grind up coffee beans, and then let them steep in a bath of ice and cold water, preferably over night. This process produces a coffee that has a smoother flavor and is less acidic than traditional drip-brew coffee (the stuff you make every morning with a paper filter).

While there are other coffee shops in town, that do make ice coffee correctly, Sayles has an advantage in its central position on campus. This in effect creates a monopoly. Sure a student could go to Goodbye Blue Monday, but at the cost of a half hour round trip.

Time is a finite resource. Just as students often do not want to give up half an hour just for a solid cup of iced coffee, Sayles does not want to spend sixteen hours steeping its iced coffee. If someone comes in to order an iced coffee, but the cold press hasn’t finished steeping, Sayles risks losing a sale. Because they know that faculty, staff, and students will come to them first, they are content to continue serving bad iced coffee.

Why, then, does Goodbye Blue Monday or Caribou Coffee make cold press correctly? Both are in monopolistic competition vying for the business of the people of Northfield. Each knows that if they produce a low quality iced coffee, they will lose the business of Northfield residents to the shop with a higher quality coffee. Each has an incentive to make good iced coffee.

The opportunity cost of producing quality iced coffee is too high for Sayles, which because of its location acts as a monopoly. Were Sayles in monopolistic competition with the other coffee shops in Northfield, it would have to make iced coffee the correct way, lest the residents of Northfield find some other coffeehouse to quench their thirst.