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.

If the place is half empty then i’d think they’d rather sell you 3 coffees than nothing at all?

I think it's a piss take. A few doing this make the place look busy and puts off proper customers as they fear a long wait. Plenty of other places to work.

if I'm there at lunchtime I'll buy at least a flapjack to keep me going

it gets busy lunchtime

Do you not see a problem with those two statements from your opening post?

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

Um, ok. I hope you don't take that attitude with the cafe staff. If they don't go, could it be because they think it would be rude as hell to sit around nursing one cup of coffee because they 'like to mix things up'?

While I can see the point of view that one person sitting with a couple of coffees for hours is annoying and not very good for revenue, I also think that if, like the OP's case, the place isn't busy, it's OK. If you were hogging a table and eking out one coffee while people queued or decided not to come in, that's a bit of a different matter.

Also, the mark-up on a coffee in a cafe is huge. Doesn't it cost about 10p to make a coffee? And they charge (in London anyway) anything upwards of about £2.40.

Plus, it's a bit short-termist and simplistic to divide customers into freelance piss-takers and leisure spenders. People are potentially both. If I were to go and work in a cafe one weekday, I might take up a table for (e.g.) three hours and only buy a coffee and a sandwich; but then I might decide I liked the place and go back at the weekend, possibly with others, and proceed to order ££££ worth of food and drinks.

I WFH too it's boring but I'm far too tight to go out for coffee when I can make it at home

I wouldn't worry, if no-one buys much and just sits there with a laptop it will soon have to close down anyway.

I think 3 hours, 2 coffees is fine! I spend about that long reading the paper at a cafe, also with 2 coffees. A one-hour meeting in a cafe or bar would normally involve one drink each.

As long as you aren't hogging a table at lunchtimes, I imagine they'd rather have bums on seats than not :)

Why do you get bored working in libraries and at home? You're doing just that: working. Stay home, drink your own coffee and then go out every couple of hours for a quick walk.

Buying coffee and meal/odd snacks throughout the day clears my conscience.

In response to those people wondering why people work in coffee shops - I'll tell you.

I have worked full time from home for 4 years in a pretty brain intensive job (scientific journal editing). It's mainly just me and DS2 (aged 10) at home these days. It's quiet. It's mostly fine and I regard working at home a privilege.

I can work wherever there is WiFi. Here are some examples:

• take the car to have its MOT, work for a couple of hours in a coffee shop or the library, before collecting it or not!

• drop DS2 and friends at the sports centre or cinema (I'm a single parent so I juggle a fair bit during the holidays), and then work for a couple of hours in a coffee shop before collecting them.

• have a work meeting somewhere, and it's easier to just bunk down in a coffee shop before collecting DS2 from the childminder, or maybe I will have combined my work meeting (in the city) with meeting friends later, so will go to a coffee shop in between.

• DS1 might want to look around the shops so he can do that while I work.

• neighbours might be doing some building work, or I might find myself particularly irritated by a barking dog. I can just leave for a bit.

• last of all, sometimes I just want a change of scenery or to be with other humans or to work with a hubbub of noise.

These are all as well as breaking my day up with lots of sport ie the move to a coffee shop is not to alleviate boredom.

In answer to the OP's question, I would have a cup of tea every hour and if it was over a meal time probably have a snack. I rarely go when it's busy and my town is not a university one - the nearest city is and I've seen cafes full with students looking like they've hunkered down for the day.

My personal “policy” (as in, just sitting here thinking through what I’m comfortable with) is as long as I want in chain places, and no laptop use at all in independent cafes (or, on very rare occasions, an hour or so with a coffee and meal). This morning I had breakfast at McDonalds (£4.50) and spent about 2.5 hours working there. I do this regularly. But I also wouldn’t do that in, for example, a tiny and busy branch of Starbucks, because I’d feel obligated to move for new customers. Sorry, I’m not sure how helpful an answer that is OP. But having to get up every 30 minutes to buy something more would put me off too.

I like your policy decision making style Hummus

When you finish your drink buy another or food or something. Basically just always have something you've purchased and don't take up the big comfy group chairs

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?

I can concentrate much better when away from all the pleasurable distractions of my home.

Plus I'm often working a train ride away from my house.