Who was in the wrong - bakery or me?

She was just telling you facts, why is that weird? There would probably be different insurance for sit in, definitely different prices, and don’t you need toilets to have a sit in eating place?
They have probably felt awkward about saying to you but since it’s gone on so long felt they should. Do you think they are wrong in telling you or that they didn’t tell you sooner? You know now.

I do think it a little odd that they took an entire year to inform you that the table and chairs were for waiting, not eating at.

Exactly, I have to say I’m 99.9% sure that the OP would have moved should somebody else have needed to only sit there but not use the table.

I can’t imagine for a moment that the OP is going to continue buying her sausage roll and sitting down. I think they’ve definitely stopped that aspect of her patronage.

At the very least you should hold a wall sit for the full eating time or hit yourself around the face with the sausage roll numerous times before eating.

You could get them shut down or fined... they are simply informing you of the laws.

They are not an eat in establishment likely because they do not qualify as one (you need to have customer facilities like washrooms, it was the big issue when greggs bakery tried to open eat in areas) and so they cannot offer that option.

If they’re not charging the extra for sit in then they’re not allowed to be a sit in place. They should really remove the table and just have chairs out for people waiting.
Now that you’ve been told though, you need to stop sitting in to eat.

So do you never sit down in a waiting room or a bus or anything just in case?

Everybody knows that all decent people eat their snacks in an attitude of strict penitence and humble self-flagellation.

So you could say "Sorry, didn't realise. Is it ok if we still sit there if no one is waiting?" and then don't sit there if the answer is no.

Chairs imply waiting.
A table implies eating.

I'm sure you would give up the chairs for someone who needed them, but the owner's point is that they are a not an eat-in establishment so you need to take the food away to eat it. You made an honest mistake about this and she's corrected it - no need for anyone to be angry or feel bad.

I haven't seen MN go off on a thread like this for a while, it's clearly hitting some nerves!

For creating a potentially embarrassing situation like having a customer sit by at a table they are not meant to sit at (with no clear indication) I decree that the cafe are weird and unreasonable. Good customer service means not making your customers unsure of what they can and can't do.

All of you who are there saying "of course it's obvious you shouldn't sit at the table beccause you should know the cafes VAT status/staff break situation/because you're only allowed to sit at a table when there is another table as well" cop on

Bangs gavel

Well I don’t think that is blatantly obvious at all. My local takeaway has a waiting area, seats only, no table. Why would you need a table if you can’t eat in there?

Yeah, I don't think you are unreasonable as there is a table there. If they wanted to put seating for waiting people, why not just put chairs?

The table causes confusion.

You don’t need a table to sit down and wait so I would have assumed the same as you tbh. I am ND if that makes any difference. They’re giving mixed messages by putting the table there. Unless it’s a low one meant for magazines or whatever? They’ve let you know now so no issues.

while you have your snacks in comfort.

HOW VERY DARE YOU, OP. SITTING AT A TABLE!

This thread is hilarious. What kind of acrobatics do the contrary posters have to do to come up with these responses to such ordinary expectations.

Poster sits at a table in a bakery to eat a sausage roll: SHE IS FLAGRANTLY EATING SNACKS IN COMFORT!

The table is causing the confusion here.

• Chairs by themselves = clearly for customers who are waiting for an order, like in a pharmacy

• Table by itself = probably to put your drink on while you add milk/sugar

• Table and chairs = sitting down to eat

The bakery either needs to get rid of the table or else put up a sign stating that no food can be consumed on the premises.

I find it an odd way to treat customers who have been coming in for a year and doing the same thing. Yes we have a table and chairs for customers but for goodness' sake don't sit there. But now you've been told I'd probably just find somewhere else you can get a nice sausage roll and sit down for five minutes without being told off.

This, she’s getting some weird replies.

This is an interesting post. Some posters clearly have difficulties with the norms of everyday life.

It also explains why there are so many CF threads.

Well exactly, but it's much more exciting for the OP to be painted as entitled or for the cafe staff to be weird for not saying something sooner, than the far more likely scenario that neither the staff nor the OP realised that it's not allowed, and the OP used the table in good faith and the staff let her not thinking there would be anything amiss with it and now they've been made aware and made OP aware that she can't any more.

"I prefer this as otherwise the flakes would go everywhere."
I am guessing the flakes still go everywhere so they want to also avoid clean up

Really? Mortified? That's a low bar for mortification.

I get fed up with cafes that expect you to be telepathic. This isn't the usual example - I don't think the OP was remotely unreasonable - but the usual example is where they expect you to know if it's table or counter service.

PUT A SIGN UP!

Exactly this!!

Thank you for having such a measured response.

Not everything has to be a drama.

The rules are that you cannot sit in and eat.
The person who works at the time that OP comes in may not have been aware of this but now that she is, she’s done her job by telling OP the rules.

It’s a non issue.
OP made an honest mistake and the worker told her the rules.
No harm done.