Cafes are no longer pleasant experiences

Yes, definitely a more heightened more stressed and more intrusive atmosphere, not comfortable really in many places.

eh, yes.

Starbuks A14 Newmarket East - total dive for £22. A cappuccino, slice of chocolate cake for him, a strawberry refresher and a birthday cake pop (SB’s Mounjaro cake?) plus 2 bottles of faint sparkling water just for these drinks being taken a long time to be made up.

They print the toilet code on the receipt but after the very strong overwhelming smell of pee and floating water on the floor, erm terrible.

I have a nice cafe in my town which does a lovely white chocolate and raspberry latte to die for, with a free water machine.

Nope, I'm with you. I'm not paying a lot of money to drink mediocre drinks, eat boring sandwiches and cakes in uncomfortable seats, and leave still hungry.

I have come to MUCH prefer to create my own café experience at home. Tomorrow I have plans of putting some nice lounge music on, making a big Turkish breakfast spread (so easy to do, takes no time), make a pot of Bosnian tea and enjoy it all in comfort on my patio with my husband. For a fraction of the price it'd cost us to go to a café.

I bet you are one of those always unhappy type faces who always rolls her eyes if a child is crying or screaming or moving nearby. Read what I said - I never said they should be running around all the time but they will not behave as adults!

Anyway, it's such a miserable thread. I can't believe that so many people are unhappy about normal things - like people with laptops or toddlers in a cafe. IDC - it's your choice to be so unhappy. I am just so surprised that you don't see that the issue is you, not other people

I am not going to blame the café, because it is the people in it. A lot of the stuff you mention also pisses the staff off too.

Wobbly tables and shitty toilets... yes that is up to the establishment. People on loud speaker and wandering toddlers... up to the customers.

This. A perfect reply. Why go out if you hate all of this.

Are you perimenopausal? Just that I've heard it can increase sensory sensitivity and make things intolerable.

I'm struggling to understand how you'd tell who is a 'keyboard warrior' though?

Keep removing them, they'll quickly learn no sounds or movements should be made. We need more obedient people in this society - they will fit in!

none of those are cafes

You quite literally said That's quite normal for toddlers to run around and scream I have seen parents being told to restrain their children in cafes because of the danger of hot food/drinks being spilled on them - but if you're okay with that then take your little darlings to a cafe and let them run around
No child should be running, or screaming, in a cafe - I'll say it again, it's not a playground.

There are plenty of people who are actually able to parent their children. I bet you are not one of them!

Anyone daft enough to pay £10 for a jacket spud (even allowing for expenses) deserves to be ripped off. 😳

I still haven’t recovered from being charged £4 for a ‘small as possible’ Latte in a chain coffee shop.

I keep wondering if behaviour has worsened since lockdown / I’m different now I’m well over 40 / there is a generational issue with some people in the 20s? Service in cafes can be appalling, driving has definitely got worse, much more attitude nowadays…..perhaps I’m just old and grumpy.

My children are happy and not obedient at all times AND they have learned not to run around and make loud noises and cafes. Boom!

It's vile.

I don't want to come into contact with pet fur, dander and fleas. Many of them smell unpleasant, too.

How delightful. Enjoy!

Can I add... the 12.5% service charge automatically added to your bill??

Oh dear Boomer, you are way behind the times.A ten pound spud is a bargain and at least it's recongnisable.

I remember a cafe being a place where you could get a lovely sandwich ( crusts cut off), a nice drink and look around you and soak up the atmosphere. Well dressed people. A bit of a treat.

I was in an M and S cafe yesterday, it was £20 for 2 flatbreads and 2 teas! The flatbread was very nice- chicken and avocado- but everything is so expensive. There's a reason Greegs is so busy!

Me too I have renamed myself Victoria Meldew.

We’ve got lots of lovely cafes in our area, its the rising costs in some cafes, not all, that I ‘struggle’ with

it will get to the stage rapidly where i go back to the ‘old days’ with my friends and we have meetups in each others homes

but honestly even the really expensive one is busy although it has changed hands a lot in the last few years

Ooooo and in marks and soencers all the cups have shrunk to they can keep the price the same ish

I went in a Costa (always shit I know but my Dd wanted to go) the other day. Four individual people with laptops taking up four person tables each! It’s not a fucking office. If you want to work there fine but at least use the smaller tables if you are on your own. The independents near me are no better because they are full of 20 year olds filming themselves.

It is annoying but the costs are so high now for businesses that they have to try and cut corners. Cafe owners are not millionaire's.
The government is grinding businesses into the ground unfortunately.