Working from a coffee shop?

[ManhattanNY]

Let me firstly caveat this by saying I have no more than a passing curiosity. I’m not upset or anything like that, I just wondered if this is usual? It’s a lighthearted thread. I’m not trying to judge or shame. I’m simply bored on a Sunday and wondering.

DH and I were free yesterday, so I suggested a drive to our local Costa, where we could sit down and chat about an upcoming trip, with a coffee and one of their yummy Bakewell tarts.

When we got there around 10am it was heaving, without a single table spare. DH and I have a favourite seat in the corner and a man was working there on his laptop. No problem, we decided to leave it for today and do something else instead.

We went to the next town and visited Primark, did some other bits. Paid a visit to MiL and then went to Sainsbury’s, did some shopping, mainly cupboard stuff.

On route home around 5.15pm DH said, come on, let’s get that Costa, so we popped in. This time lots of free tables, so got our coffee and enjoyed 45 mins. But I noticed that the guy from that morning was still on his laptop in the corner seat.

As I say, just curious. I’ve never thought of working all day from a coffee shop, but I could see why it’s nice. Of course I’m assuming he’s working, I guess he could be gaming. But it also seems a bit impolite to take up a table all day - I guess he’s paying for drinks though.

just curious if this is a thing and how long do you spend on your coffee shop visits?

If I were a customer and the discussion was of a confidential nature, I wouldn’t want the person taking the call to be in a coffee shop.

I go and do it from Pret. £30 a month for a subscription and can have 5 hot drinks a day, unlimited free WiFi, electricity and heating. Convinced I’m saving money tbh.

That sounds like a bargain!

They said there were no spare tables....

I feel like this is really common, especially since WFH has become so common, but am in London so maybe more people in shared accommodation or smaller spaces that need to get out somewhere.

What drives me mad is the video calls. I can just about take someone being on the phone but last I was in an Ole & Steen and the guy very near me just launches into a multi-person zoom call. I could see myself in the bloody background!

Yes, that doesn’t seem right. When you’re not in work yourself, conference calls are the last thing you want to be in 😝 !!

I’ve come across this from various angles:

Oldest example first, when we lived in NYC back in the 2000s and 2010s it was commonplace to find people working on their laptops in coffee shops. Everytime I passed one particular Starbucks near where I lived, the same guy was in there working. Students and older people who didn’t seem to be students worked in the same way.

When DS was in primary school in the uk some other parents moved to a posh new housing area. They didn’t have broadband for quite a while and would often work in coffee shops or in the library.

Circa 2012 I was involved in a project where we tried to improve user services in the academic library I worked in by finding out how and where students liked to work and study. The actual library coffee shop was more popular for working in than some of the study spaces. As well as adjusting and improving study space options we invited students to share their favourite coffee shops to work in and review them as workspaces.

DC - now in sixth form. The college has lots of workspaces but local coffee shops and the city centre library are popular places to study. We live near enough that our DC could come home to work between lessons but not all students do, so often that’s the driver for choosing where he and his friends will study.

I sometimes work from a coffee shop, but like 1.5-2 hours, only long enough to slowly drink a coffee and finish up a few things. At a push, I might get another drink and some lunch and stay a bit longer, but 2.5-3 hours absolute max. But I wouldn’t hang around if it was really busy and I would never do a meeting from one. If nothing else, my colleagues do not need to hear random background chatter from Costa during a meeting.

I know lots of people who do this. 2, I know meet other people for quick meetings or work catch ups (especially when if they spend much of the week travelling to different places) and buy them a coffee then a coffee as well. So they could be buying more than 5 people would using the table for a hour each. They are consultants and it’s all worked into their rate or claimed back.

I don’t think it’s in the slightest bit rude/impolite to be taking the same table.

If he wasn’t on it, someone else might be. It doesn’t make a difference if the table has 5 different people on it or one person buying 5 or more drinks.

Your favourite table wasn’t available. Doesn’t matter if it was the same person twice. Or 2 different people.

I'd love this but like another poster I'm not allowed due to the information I handle (part of our WFH agreement is around screens not being visible to others etc) and I also do stints on the phones talking to our service users.

There are several cafes that actively encourage it and we also have a shared working space in town.

There's a pub local to me that does a "work day deal" Monday - Friday. Opens at 8am and you can work until 6pm £15 for high speed wifi, unlimited coffee / tea or water, and a sandwich with chips.

I have an app (Swurf) that tells me where remote workers are welcomed and many offer free teas and coffees for Swurf members. They also do networking events. I believe it's free.

The only reasonable thing to do in that case is wave to the rest of the people on the call & hope at least one of them will get the point that this isn’t a good idea!

I think working in a noisy Costa all day is odd.

I do a lot of WFH (we are all allocated 1 day per week in the office due to space issues if we're all in) I'll often only head to a costa or something for 1-2 hours on a quieter day to get some admin done and so that I see other humans in real life. Would never spend all day there though... I'd drink so much coffee I wouldn't sleep that night 😂

@Wadermellone

Of course it didn’t matter that my favourite table was taken. I didn’t say it did. In fact I started my thread stating clearly, that this was curiosity and nothing more.

I only mentioned it being my favourite because it’s the reason why I noticed that the same man was there for what I assume is over 7 hours, unless of course he may have left and returned.

If I go in and the corner sofa table is free, great. If it’s not, we sit at another table and it doesn’t affect the taste of the cakes 😊

Thank you everyone! I can definitely see the appeal of working from a coffee shop for students and WFH employees. And the subscription mentioned above sounds like something my son could use when he starts uni in Sept!!

People do this in the adult lounge at David Lloyd. One arsehole manager was berating a member of staff he had her on loud speaker and we could all hear her crying he also had another phone and another manager was able to hear her too. I was fuming and no I didn't say anything as he looked quite menacing.

I've also heard appraisals being carried out etc etc. it all makes me feel very uncomfortable.

However the amount of bullshit cliches I hear that passes as work speak makes me

Absolutely unacceptable to be having what should be confidential work calls in public. I'm sure some people have forgotten data protection and confidentiality, as well as common courtesy. A phone call in a cafe sticks out in background noise like a sore thumb because it's one side of a conversation, I feel my ear naturally filtering it out from all other background noise because it's different (is it just me?).

@PrimaniTu - that poor employee.

The Pret subscription sounds amazing! I'd spend an additional fortune on their delicious lunches though 🤣

I used to work from a pub or cafe quite a bit, pre-pandemic. I have a friend who would call it her Costa-office, and the change of scenery made it quite productive, although there was always the risk that there would be somebody or some thing that made it almost impossible to concentrate and it would be a wasted trip. Crying babies were my nemesis - and no don't pile on to me for that please, all i did was pack up and go home, their parent had just as much right to be there as I did, etc.

My DD does this sometimes. She has Pret membership with is £30 a month and you get up to 5 ‘free’ drinks a day plus a discount on food. Her local Pret is on 2 floors and the upper floor often has several people working in there during the week. She also goes to a local coffee house / library that encourages working from there during the week

Cross posted about Pret!

I go to Costa when I have a morning with no meetings and would be working at home.
Our Costa is sizeable and you can take a table upstairs without feeling you are hogging space.
I am a single parent and it’s just nice to have the hum of people around you.
I would not ever do a Teams or Zoom call in a cafe; I would hate to hear someone else do it and I think it breaches privacy. I also just take a two person table - taking a sofa or four person space is a bit cheeky.
I stay 2.5 to 3 hours - which is enough for coffee and breakfast, cup of tea and biscuit, then home for lunch and WFH in the afternoon.
Love being able to do this. I don’t think I bother anyone.

It doesn’t matter but you consider it ‘impolite’: that’s what I was addressing.

Would it be impolite if it was a different person but still on your favourite table?

That’s the point I am making.

many coffee shops encourage it

I wouldn't go to Kosta though, due to their promotion of painful and disabling surgery as a life style choice