People who 'work' at cafe tables

[BeagleMum1]

Why do cafe's allow this? I'm sitting in a cafe and over half the tables are being sat at, by a single person on laptop, 'working'. These tables could seat up to 4 people. Some have bought a cafe drink but others are just sitting there without a drink or food.

They are table blocking and at busier times, will prevent other customers who might buy more drinks / food from getting a seat. AIBU?

I don’t think it’s pretentious to not want to be in your own home for 24 hours a day every day. Also a lot of people house share (esp in big cities) or else (like me) have a partner and kids using a not very big house while I am working. If I want to get anything done I have to find somewhere quiet and comfortable where I don’t get co tiny ally disturbed for mummy duties. If I work in a cafe I usually buy breakfast or lunch as well as several hot and coke drinks through the day. That’s quite a lot of custom I’m providing repeatedly. I’m sure others are the same. If it didn’t work economically these businesses wouldn’t offer it.

Who pissed on your chips? No need for the tone.

It was quite clearly a joke with the laughing face 🙄

One of my local cafés has banned laptops! I assume it's for this reason so they must cause issues. YANBU OP.

There’s a cafe in Oxford who banned laptops and also have a sign up saying “we don’t have WiFi, you should talk to each other.”

I assume it’s because they’re pretentious dickheads rather than anything else.

I meet a friend once a week in a local busy cafe & we buy 4 drinks between us & sit there chatting for 2 hours. We rarely buy any food. We would move if there were huge queues of people & tables were in demand though. During the summer months people prefer to sit outside anyway or get takeaway drinks instead. We see people working there on laptops or having meetings (loudly) but it doesn't bother me. Don't get me started on the bloody yapping dogs in there that I normally trip over as the owners have long leads & let them lie in everyone's way 🙄🙄

Some places actively encourage laptops and some do the opposite.

Some places are quiet and some are noisy.

Some are busy and some are empty.

I don't know what about the simple concept "different places do different things so vary your behaviour according to the environment" is so hard for people to understand.

Anyway I'm working in a very lovely cafe today (cheese and kimchi pastries, yum!) and this particular client is paying me £500 per item for something I can knock out in about 90 minutes while eating. So I'll keep doing it, as the cafes obviously want my trade and a coffee and a bun is a pretty good deal for being able to work somewhere with lovely views of the river and air conditioning. (It's actually kind of chilly outside right now, but it's a boon having access to air conditioned space to work during the heatwaves.)

hmm - I can see both sides of this one.
When I went back to uni - cafe working is how I worked best / didn’t loose my sanity! One cafe nero l wrote the majority of an essay there and it was my best grade. if I worked from home I imagine I’d be at a cafe for a decent proportion of the day.
BUT I did / do / would but a decent amount of food and drink and pick a small table to be considerate.

I took my two young children into a supermarket starbucks recently - as soon as we were sitting down we got real stink eye from the laptop person on the next table. My kids were pretty good but it riled me because you’re in a supermarket coffee shop - If you didn’t want other people - people will have kids / talk - then stay at home!

*would buy

Why are you so bothered? I assume you have a table to yourself anyway or is it your cafe? And you're losing money? If no then like I said why are you so bothered? The cafe owner clearly isn't bothered otherwise I assume they would have said something to said "none customers" why can't people just concentrate on their own lives instead worrying about what perfect strangers are up to? Live and let live.

I’m sure if the cafe management saw this as an issue they would do something about it. It’s their business, not yours. Yes, table hogging is wrong, IF it is costing the business in lost custom. But if they’re not bothered, keep your nose out.

This!

I worked in a shop. The newly opened cafe next door offered all my staff free drinks provided we sat in the window to make it look busy and popular. Empty seats look bad.

Do you think those who work in cafes get free drink, because they are doing them a favour by making it look busy?

Your message makes no sense to me. I know that in the industry, empty seats make people wonder why and then they conclude that it is not a popular or good place. The pub should have been grateful of her custom.