This study introduces theory about how deficits in social support motivate consumers to replace lost social resources by forming relationships with customers and employees in commercial “third places.” The authors demonstrate sup- port for a multiple-indicator, multiple-cause model that illustrates how six common events that destroy or erode a person’s social support can cause the person to obtain emotional support and companionship in a third place. The model supports the linkage between commercial social sup- port and a consumer’s sense of attachment to a third place that harbors his or her social support network. The authors also propose and test hypotheses that reveal that consumers obtain social support in a third place to the extent to which they lost it outside the place. In essence, third-place patrons match their lost support to their commercial support, thus remedying negative symptoms associated with isolation. The article concludes with a discussion of managerial implications and limitations. Keywords: social support; commercial friendships; place attachment; third places; loneliness Commercial service establishments such as bars, restaurants, and coffeehouses, essentially, third places Please address correspondence to Mark S. Rosenbaum, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Northern Illinois University, College of Business Administration, Department of Marketing, DeKalb, IL 60115-2897; e-mail: mrosenbaum@niu.edu. The authors thank the Research Support Grant Program at Arizona State University,W. P. Carey School of Business, and the Department of Marketing at Arizona State University for their financial assistance with the project. In addition, the authors express their gratitude to the owners of a very special neighborhood diner for permitting them to conduct research in the establishment. Journal of Service Research, Volume 10, No. 1, August 2007 43-59 DOI: 10.1177/1094670507303011 © 2007 Sage Publications A Cup of Coffee With a Dash of Love An Investigation of Commercial Social Support and Third-Place Attachment Mark S. Rosenbaum Northern Illinois University James Ward Beth A. Walker Amy L. Ostrom Arizona State University