Believe it or not, I haven’t worked in a coffee shop before. I have studied in one as a student but pretty much everyone there was a student so never felt weird.
So, I’m not talking about a full 8 hour day, but I’m going to be in DC next month and I’m going to need to log on for a couple hours. I’d really rather not do it from my hotel room and while the hotel bar seems tempting, I might end up sending an email I’d regret!
So, is it fine to just order an iced coffee and maybe a pastry and just work away for a couple hours? None of this will be difficult work, I need to respond to emails and run a couple of spreadsheets that a 5 year old could do and there’s nothing at all that’s classified or confidential.
I don’t frequent coffee shops, but I would think that if it’s not crowded - that is, you aren’t preventing paying customers from finding a seat - I can’t imagine it’d be a problem. My understanding is that lots of folks camp out in coffee shops and other places with WiFi.
After two black men were arrested in a Starbucks last year for loitering (they were in the store for a couple of minutes), Starbucks changed their policies to say that anyone is welcome to sit in their cafes, even if they don’t buy anything.
BTW, I read almost to the end of the OP before I realized the question was about doing your own work in a coffee shop, not about working FOR a coffee shop.
My weekly knitting group meets at a Panera. Most of us buy dinner, but a few of our group who have less money don’t always buy something. Panera doesn’t seem to care. We’re there for about 3 hrs each week. While there, I see people working, studying or just hanging out. Most have at least a cup of something (coffee, soda, etc). Some don’t. I have never seen an employee say anything to anyone, or make comments.
I’ve been at a Panera where, when you connected to their wifi, you got a message that they reserved the right to end your connection after an hour, during busy periods (I’m guessing during breakfast and lunch hours); I suspect that this was the result of people camping there all day.
I suspect that, generally, if you’re actually buying a drink or food there, and you aren’t taking up an entire four-top table with your stuff during a peak time, you are likely in the clear, etiquette-wise.
Last time I looked, that $4 cup of coffee cost less than a dollar to create and serve, from rent to beans to labour. Most coffee shops, especially the chains, are in the business of renting space
Oh, I misunderstood. I thought you were having trouble finding a place.
I don’t think anyone will care if you are respectful. Afterall there is usually a sign on the door about free Wi-Fi.
Where did you hear that? I’ve sat in coffee shops for three hours on one purchase, and felt fine about it. None of the staff gave me the stink eye for it. It would be my last visit if they ever did.
I read an article from someone who owned a small café. She said that it was difficult because many people would simply camp out in her small café and sit there for hours without buying anything.
It simply matters about whether you are in a big place, or a small place. How busy it is, but the tables are crowded?
For someplace like Starbucks, I really wouldn’t worry about it at all. For an independent café with only four tables, then it’s not nice to only buy one small coffee and sit there for four hours.
I’m not entirely sure the cafe would care. The cafe isn’t your personal office and they have every right, in my opinion, to shoo you away if you just sit there for three hours on one purchase.
That said, when I worked at a cafe, it was pre-internet days, so we didn’t have this issue so much. We would occasionally hurry customers along if we were crowded and they were taking up space in the backroom just smoking all night or camping out for the day with only buying a single item, but that was rare. Most of the campers would buy a cup of coffee and get refills every 30-45 minutes. I’m not sure what the statement about not being able to say anything to someone who overstays. We asked people to leave all the time for various reasons, and overstaying was one of them (though, like I said, very rarely used, as it wasn’t necessary most of the time.)
Whether they can or will shoo you away is going to depend a lot on circumstances - there’s a difference between staying for hours on a single purchase at an uncrowded coffee shop and doing so at one that potential customers are bypassing due to a lack of seats. And even if a shop ( say Starbucks ) doesn’t shoo you away in the latter situation, that doesn’t mean it’s polite for you to camp out for hours one a single purchase.r
When I first got an iPad (many years ago) I would use it for work related stuff, answering emails and the like, in a bar. I liked the efficiency of sipping a beer while being productive. I’m not sure why I stopped doing this. Now I drink without my iPad.
My rule of thumb for whether it’s okay to longer at the restaurant table after we’re done eating is that if there are two tables open and it’s not close to closing time, it’s okay. Basically, I think it’s a problem if you might be crowding out potential new customers.
not really the issue if the question is etiquette. You are far past the line of good manners by the time an average person feels the need to call you out on your being rude.
We can usually get away with being rude impolite people without anyone stopping us or saying anything. But clearly it would not be good manners to, say, bring our Thermos of home brewed and bag of snacks and camp out at a coffee shop’s table all day doing work, whether or not anything was said, even if no one even noticed you were there.
Giving something in return, by way of purchase(s), for the use of the space is good manners. The longer the stay the more that something in return should be, the more that use inflicts any potential opportunity cost to the shop (even if the hired hands present don’t care) by taking up space at a fairly busy time, the more that something should be.
It’s not like there is a meter running with surge pricing calculated for you, but yeah, buy something every so often.