What is a reasonable time for a café to stop serving before it closes?

[ohxmastreeohxmastree]

If a coffee shop closes at 6, when would you expect the last time to order a coffee and a snack to be before they close the tills?

I think OP wanted to buy a drink at a coffee shop earlier today - possibly one or two minutes before posting?!

If so, yes, that was way too early tbecome the tills. Maybe the shift manager had late night Christmas shopping to do.

Eat in 5.30
Take away 5.45

*way too early to close the tills.

1. Why are they open if they are not serving/ making money?

If it is in Norfolk in a tourist area it will probably close at the exact time you would expect it to receive the greatest footfall. They have some strange business logic up there. This is a local cafe....for local people.

Bingo re staff not being paid after closing. My awful old boss (very nice posh local café/shop in London) used to call it a 'gentlemen's agreement' when we asked, and were denied, our £6.50/hour pay for the extra 30 mins we worked every night. I never linger in cafés once I sense the staff are a bit stressed now for that reason.

5:50 or 6. I wouldn't expect to not be able to buy something from a cafe at 5:40 if it closes at 6. They should really put the "closing time" as the time that they stop serving.

That's when it closes

5.50 at the earliest for takeaway. They're open till 6, then they should be actually open till 6. 5.30/40 maybe to drink in, with a warning that they shut at 6 when you order.

I really hate it when they only pay the staff till bang on closing so everything is half shut down ages before. Everyone knows there's work that has to be done after closing, it's tight as fuck to expect staff to work without being paid and puts me off giving them my money, as what else are they crappy employers about?

Our local Costa shuts at 5 and starts using random furniture to barricade off the only pleasant parts of the cafe at about 3pm - usually when it's absolutely rammed with post school run kids and parents and no one can find somewhere to sit. Infuriating.

It's reasonable when they decide to stop serving. Their business, their choice. If you don't like it go somewhere else.

when i worked in a cafe in my student days we were open until 6 and the owner was very clear anyone arriving up to 6 would be seated and served. we were paid until 630 though so it was fair enough.

I would expect 15-20 min before closing time. But I think it would make far more sense for restaurants and cafes to call the kitchen closing time the actual "closing time" then give everyone 20-30 minutes to eat and leave. I have found when ordering food from places like Deliveroo the closing time is the premises not the kitchen so they will refuse orders 15+ min before the listed closing time, but then why is the app allowing me to order? Can you tell I've had hunger brain more than once 😅

For my (one to one client) business I close at 5.00 so the latest time for appointments is 4.30. I suppose if a cafe shuts at 6 they need have people served and finished by 6, so 5.30 for coffee and cake, 5 for anything needing prep?

If it close at 6 I’d expect to be able to order a drink to takeaway anytime up to about 5:58. I’d expect to be able to order a drink to drink at a table up to about 5:50 but with the disclaimer I’ll need to have drunk up and vacated the table by 6:00.

5:30 for sit in customers 5:40 takeaways. I suspect that they want to start the cleaning cycle on the machine by 5:50

If closing is 6 I would expect to order a takeout drink and a ready made snack/item of food up to about 5:50 to give them time to prepare it/bag it up and put it through the till.

I would expect last orders for staying in and eating a meal to be about 5/5:15ish with a pre warning that the table must be vacated by X time.

Sitting in to only have a drink, around 5:30.

There's a place near me that stops taking food orders an hour before closing, and we're only talking about basic light bites type food and sweet treats, not a full-on meal. I think they're stupid to do that as their opening hours are already short. I went in once with DC having promised them something to eat 55 minutes before closing and they said no which meant they lost an order for the sake of 5 minutes and put me off ever going back.

I had a temp job in a cafe attached to a supermarket. On Sundays we were under pressure from the supermarket staff to be out the door at 4pm. We used to serve up to 3.45 while warning people we needed them to leave by 4pm. So many people took the piss we had to make the cut off for sit down food much later. So, I would say 30 minutes before if you are sitting down, 10 if you are taking away.

And when do you expect staff to do the clean down in the kitchen and dining room

The entitlement of some of the posters on here is ridiculous.

I'd expect everything to be cleaned regularly throughout the day, especially the coffee machine, and then a final clean once all the customers have gone. Close at 6, staff leave at 7?

To me the closing time should be the latest time you can order, cleaning time is after that. I used to work in pubs and while you might try and do some clearing up before closing, you couldn't start properly till after last orders. Maybe cafes should put their last orders time on the door? I find it infuriating to go into somewhere that's "open" to be told I can't be served. You aren't open then are you?
I appreciate that greedy unpleasant bosses not paying for cleaning time is a big issue but opening hours should still mean exactly that.

After closing time, same as happens in pubs.

515, maybe 530

I manage several cafes and last orders for coffee and food is 20 mins before we close. Takeaway coffee and cake can be done right up to closing time. My staff are scheduled and paid for an extra 30 mins after close though. It all depends on when they are paid until.