Etiquette of working in Cafés

[homoioi]

I wonder if someone can clear things up. What are the secret rules of etiquette about working in cafés? How do I avoid being a CF?

There is a great veggie café near me, that often seems to have lots of students and academic etc working away behind their laptop screens or reading. It gets busy lunch time but otherwise it’s not busy.

I take myself off to a table out of the way, usually one against a back wall or not a “prime” one. Obviously if it’s just me, I’ll take a table for two or one if available.

What’s the rule regarding how often to buy a drink? I try and buy a new coffee every two hours. If it’s very busy maybe one an hour to feel less bad. However sometimes I end up getting sick of coffee (oh and it adds up £!). If I’m there during lunch I’ll get a sandwich or at least a flapjack etc to keep me going.

I’ve never understood why people do this tbh. Why would I sit in a cafe when I could sit in my own home in my comfy chair next to my own kettle and nice food?

Sorry, not the best person to answer this one. I hate coffee also.

You have to buy fairly regularly otherwise you are taking the piss

I’ve never understood why people do this tbh. Why would I sit in a cafe when I could sit in my own home in my comfy chair next to my own kettle and nice food?

Me neither. Maybe the OP lives in particularly Spartan accommodation?

Buy one as often as you would if you'd just gone in for a drink/ lunch etc. I can't imagine many people would sit with one coffee for two hours.

(Other drinks are available.)

Go to a library ?

This has always come across as a piss take to me too.
I always wondered why.

Is this a reverse?

Our local independent bans laptop use upstairs during certain hours, but you can use them in the basement. I think a few places are doing the same thing now.

I'd say you need to buy a drink an hour plus lunch if you are there then. Also it's really annoying when people working take all the tables along the back wall, I'd rather sit there than in the middle of the room with people pushing past all the time.

Apparently you don’t need to buy anything if you go in Mcdonalds and use their WiFi!

We overheard a manager telling a customer that!

When I go out for coffee/drinks with friends we'd go through at least 2, possibly 3, drinks in about an hour. (So three of us could buy 9 drinks, some cake, toasted teacake, paninis etc in an hour to an hour and a half.) A lot more profit than one drink every two hours.

One coffee every one or two hours will not keep the heating on, pay the staff etc or keep the cafe open. But on the other hand, unless someone else wanting to spend money needs the table then it doesn't really make a difference to shop profits if there is someone sat there or not, unless you're using their power to charge laptop/phone. Then you'd need to buy at least one extra drink every visit.

An order per hour would be fine, coffee to start, then a muffin later perhaps?

(oh and it adds up £!) so why not work at home or in the library? They're a business and I'm sure they welcome your custom, but only if you're actually buying stuff. One coffee every two hours is ridiculous.

Depending on when I get there, I would probably have breakfast then top up with another coffee when the first is finished or lunch topped up with another drink. I would never stay after the second drink and would always buy food. You should never sit at a table without any food or drink in progress. Ask the owner if they mind you sitting there & leave as soon as they get busy. You are potentially losing them customers if people see all the tables are taken, but were going to spend proper money there.

How do I avoid being a CF?

A coffee every 2 hours ? you haven’t avoided it.

If the cafe has a minimum of three staff then they need to be clearing ,after all expenses, at least £30 an hour every hour ,just to cover wages alone. But then they also have to cover, heating, lighting,cleaning,raw materials, set up costs, VAT, rent, bank charges, accountants fees, water charges, rates,breakages, bank loans, insurance, wifi. Oh, and maybe a bit of profit for the owner at the end of the week!

I think someone buying a coffee once every two,hours thinking their coffee covers all of the above is taking the piss.

I live in a town with a lot of university students and this annoys me. Sometimes the cafes are so full you can't get a seat and you notice many of them have a long-empty cup and a laptop open. It's fine if you want to do a bit of work while eating or drinking, but here the primary driver is working - the eating/drinking is the bare minimum needed to be considered a paying customer. Why not do work at home or at the local/university library as a much cheaper option?

Why does it matter that it's a veggie cafe if all you're buying is coffees?

In my opinion it matters how busy the cafe is. A coffee a hour is reasonable, if it's not too busy. If it's full and you're nursing a prime table from someone who would buy lunch, coffee and cake not so fair.

Think I last did this and took 3 hours and had 2 drinks and a snack.

I don’t think it’s avoiding being a cf either if you just buy a coffee every couple of hours (even one coffee an hour is pushing it!). I think you should buy a coffee, half an hour or so later buy food and half an hour or so later buy another drink, then leave half an hour or so later if you’re staying out of CF territory.

Of course the best thing to do would be to ask the cafe if it’s ok to be there a couple of hours and only buy drinks.

Sorry, don’t mean to drip feed. This café is basically empty minus lunch time. The majority of people there bar lunch time are on their laptops or reading. It’s definitely a studenty café. It’s not too expensive, but the building is very run down so not a “naice” café if you get me.

Alright, I’ll try and buy more when I’m
there then!

I get bored working at home and in libraries so like to mix things up. I usually do 3 hours, two coffees. Anyway, seems a lot of mumsnetters spend lots and lots in cafés, either that or they don’t go and are judging from their silver perch

Anyway, seems a lot of mumsnetters spend lots and lots in cafés, either that or they don’t go and are judging from their silver perch

You asked a question and posters answered you. Why are being so sneery? Yes if I'm taking up a table in a cafe for an extended period of time I expect spend a lot, if I can't afford to do that I stay at home. No judging or silver perches involved.

In the cafe I work at,the owner does not allow laptops regardless of how much is being spent.
She makes more money by turning tables as quick as possible

Three hours and just two coffees is very unreasonable.