You’re out for a coffee, cake and people watching in a cafe, what annoys you and spoils the experience?

[Britpopbaby]

People who “talk” so loudly that even in a busy cafe you can follow their full conversation.

@NoTouch you seem to be massively confusing what a public cafe is for!. It isn't something that only "quiet" people enter... they may well be loud people there too. Time and a place. A little consideration for your surroundings too!

Badly behaved children. Love dogs in cafes, though.

Dry cake, definitely.

Children and people talking.

Should have coffee shops that have quiet zones 🤣

Dogs.

Kids running around and screaming
People nearby talking loudly, louder than needed including on a mobile
There's hardly anyone in the place but some git will come and sit on the table next to you

My own kids. There's no point me going for a relaxing coffee when I've got them with me. Last time my drink got spilt and they whined the whole time. I felt judged by other people so got up and left.

@ElevenSeven

"Mummy’s having a coffee"

Maybe this is an irrational hate of mine, but I detest that manner of speaking to little kids, where the parent refers to themselves in the third person. What's wrong with "I'm having a croissant"? I never used that way of speaking to mine and they both have degrees and are not linguistically challenged. Is there some good reason for doing it?

Loud misbhaved children, who's parents are not concerned or think it's adorable.

Cold coffee.

People who are working in the cafe and have bagged one of the best tables that seats four, their laptop, phone, notes etc are all over the table and they are nursing one cup of coffee. Occasionally making really loud business calls.

I feel like most posters on this thread should accept that people-watching in a cafe is not an activity for them. Plenty of other ways to relax where you don't have to tolerate other human beings!

Performance parenting followed by shrieking kids would be the main reason I’d scarper.

People, noise, children. The more I read about adult diagnosis of autism the more I think I need to be tested. I cannot bear other people's noise and would probably not go into a cafe because of it.

Couples who ask if they can share my table, or worse still, just sit down without asking. Nobody on their own imposes themselves on a couple at a table, so why do couples thinks this is appropriate?

Dogs. FFS, leave the mutt outside.

Beat me to it.

Woah. Nothing like this has never happened to me. Did someone actually say that to you? 😮

In a Cafe Nero a few weeks ago I made the mistake of grabbing the table outside the toilet (it was the only one left). I then got interrupted by various people asking if someone was in there or if it was locked. No it's not locked so I guess somewhere is in there. I'm not the toilet attendant I'm just trying to drink my coffee and do some work in peace!

Next time I'm taking a tin and putting a note saying "tips for the toilet attendant" 😂

Totally agree with this, but you're forgetting the educational aspect. How do you spell babyccino, Hugo? Can you remember the recipe for croissants, Hugo? Can you remember when we had croissants in France, Hugo? Was it in the south or the west, do you remember?

People taking work calls. I've noticed it become more and more common for people to talk loudly on the phone, in public, about matters that sound confidential. Sometimes I wonder if it's just showing off about how important their job is.

People who don't look where they're going and kick the chair or the table leg which sends everything rocking eg your coffee. And don't bother apologising.

People smoking, dogs sniffing around and overly loud conversations from other tables would all spoil my pleasure in the moment.

Screaming kids.

I don't understand this. What's wrong with engaging your child in conversation, on a level that they can relate to? It's amazing for their verbal development and conversational skills and important for the parent-child relationship. Much better than just scrolling on your phone and ignoring your child. People talk in cafes, so I don't see what's so annoying about talking to a child.

I've actually noticed that children who are ignored by their parents in public places start following me around or talking to me. This has happened several times recently. It's annoying, but also sad. If their own parents would just talk to them like a fellow human being they'd probably be a lot more settled and leave other adults alone.

I work in a coffee shop and one of the worst ones for me is when we get a group of men in, there’s something about the deep tones of their voices that can instantly make the entire shop suddenly start chatting louder and it all becomes too overwhelming. The relief when they finally leave is immense!

It's people watching not people interacting 😁