To think this was an unreasonable bit of table hogging?

[Vycount]

This is probably going to all end in tears.

Anyway, I've just been to a very popular local cafe with a friend and spent about an hour and a half stuffing my face on a brilliant brunch, more coffee, and then some cake. (Katie Hopkins eat yer heart out!).
It's a really busy place, you can't book tables.

When we got there a long table for 8 was occupied by a group of 6 women, some with babies. We were doing that sort of scanning for space thing and hoping someone was about to leave, so I could see that a couple of them had cups in front of them, others didn't. Luckily a space came free behind them so we got in.
They were still there when we left an hour and a half later. In that time they ordered no food or ore drinks drink, but hung on to their couple of cups whenever the staff came to look to clear the table. Meanwhile people were arriving and hovering about trying to find somewhere to sit to eat, asking to share tables etc.
Now on the one hand maybe the serving staff should have asked them if they'd finished and kind of moved them on. But on the other, it just seemed to me they were pretty entitle/rude/pretending to be oblivious. Bit unreasonable to use a cafe as basically a warm place to meet and jiggle babies do you think?

Oh I didn't actually complain out loud. I just seethed. Waitresses were apologetic because they knew the girls were taking the piss - we're not talking your average slow-eating here; we're talking tiny nibble once every 5 minutes or so.

YANBU - It's really selfish. Cafe should have really asked them to move on though.

Bodicea - you might have a problem if it was your business being affected!

Table Rage

Yanbu that is really selfish. Not surprised staff didn't say anything as no doubt they would probably end up being complained about if they did!
I can understand sitting there for maybe 15 minutes at a push after you have all finished your drinks and finishing your conversation, but an hour and a half is taking the piss. Just because some of them had kids makes no difference, its not a playgroup.

I don't care if they are regulars or whatever other excuses people are making. And babies. WTF? They were RUDE to the other customers and RUDE to the owner / management.

The manager should have gone up to them and said you either order more or LEAVE.

But said it nicely of course.

OP, yanbu.

Boadicea: if you're talking about cafés and coffee shops on the continent where people sit for hours over one drink chatting, then that's fine. It's usually in countries where they're 10 a penny so always plenty of space. It's part of the culture for everyone to use them very regularly (and incidentally not be subjected to rip off prices by greedy corporations while they're at it!). Because there are loads of them they rarely get full so there is little need for "circling". Even if they're full people will just go to the one a few doors down.