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?

Not EVEN people-watching! God, what utter wasters to be doing so pointless with their time that they're not even staring at strangers like normal people.

Is "you have to do people-watching" an unwritten rule of cafes now?

The likelihood is that they will order more than one drink if they are there for a prolonged period of time. Or they may buy one drink and stay for an hour. Unless the cafe have a policy of people to table ratio, they are free to sit wherever. Also if someone is WFH, the likelihood of them wanting to be there when it’s busy is unlikely.

A coffee shop close to me has a rule that anyone working on a laptop must make another purchase after 90 mins. They also ban laptops at the weekend.

It's actually good for their business. No different to nightclubs deliberately making people queue up outside. Having a cafe half full of customers (even if they are nursing the same coffee for three hours) makes the place seem popular and therefore more appealing to people walking past.

YANBU. It's fine if they're buying food and drink, but it's poor business to allow your tables to be used by non-paying customers who are just using it as somewhere to sit and work.

But it's their business, they'll soon feel the effects.

Our friends own a cafe and welcome people who want to work from there. They have lots of regulars, some that just buy drinks, but most have food too. It’s all business. They welcome dogs too. 😅 It’s a lovely atmosphere and a successful business.

Like most things in life, it comes down to using a bit of judgment and common sense. At times when the cafe is usually two thirds empty, buying a coffee or a can of coke and sitting there with your laptop isn't impacting negatively on anyone. At times when the cafe is busy and people are walking around with trays trying to find tables, then either buy some food or leave.

Likewise if there's very few larger tables in the cafe don't hog one for the morning. Take a smaller table for two and leave the larger ones for bigger groups.

It’s for the cafe to manage

Tbf I think there are a lot of people out there whose jobs have now gone fully remote but they don’t necessarily have appropriate workspace at home. There are more co-working spaces out there but they can be expensive.

fwiw I’ve done this but at busy times will only stay long enough to have my coffee.

ps Some cafes I know are actively allowing this by Charging a set amount for 2/3/4 hours, allowing wifi access and unlimited drinks over a set period. In that case the user shouldn’t feel any obligation to move on.

I've often thought a Wetherspoons would be a better place to work in than a coffee shop at least in the mornings. They tend to be quiet then, no mums with pushchairs and they do serve coffee!

You just randomly sit at tables taken by other people and talk deliberately loudly? I would be the one complaining to the staff about you!

If I can't get a table because a lot of them are occupied by a single person on a laptop, I'll either plonk myself down at one of those tables and not mind how loud I talk, or leave and tell the staff why.

Our friends with a cafe would happily wave you goodbye. 😅 If you deliberately talked loud to disrupt someone working, they would ask you to be respectful or leave.

Sounds sensible

Imagine having such an empty life that this sort of thing bothers you soooo much you have to go and tattle on the internet about it.

I wouldn't talk deliberately loudly, any more than I would at a separate table, but I'm not going to whisper my conversation, nor would I shush my companions. If people need quiet to work, I suggest a public place is not the place to do it. Especially a cafe, where other customers will definitely be chattering - not to mention the sound of clattering crockery and of espresso machines..

And obviously if I/we can't sit at a table, I/we will leave, telling the staff why.

Why have you put 'work' in inverted commas twice in the OP? If they're not working but are sitting there messing around on a laptop deliberately to block a table, that's very weird behaviour and YWNBU. But the far more common situation is that people do actually work at a café, and then it's up to the café staff to decide how long they want to let people stay without a purchase; different cafés have different rules. So if they are working on their laptops and making an occasional purchase, YABU to think that you have more right to a space than them.

Someone coming in every day for a few hours and buying a few coffees and maybe lunch or a cake EVERY day, is a lot more valuable than having a spare table for an occasional passer by who may want to call in for a one-off lunch.

Cafes etc need customers throughout the day. They can't survive on being full for just an hour a day at lunchtime.

One that is half full all day will make a lot more money than one that is full for lunch hour and empty the rest of the day!

Crikey! £25 - 30 per day! You must be a high earner. Sounds like the business' would close without you turning up and firing up your laptop for the day.

Cafes probably like these customers because they might be more regular. Going every day or several times a week. Maybe buying lunch and several drinks across the day.
Whereas your average customer might go once a week or less and buy one drink and no lunch. You can see who is spending more money there. If they were sitting and spending nothing the cafe staff would ask them to leave.

These responses are ridiculous. Does no one really think it is supremely selfish and entitled for one person to spread out on a table for four, with their laptop running Teams calls for hours? Virtually all cafes where I live are full most of the time with this kind of person. The employees will never ask them to move because, unless they actually own the coffee shop (rare), then frankly it isn't worth the pittance that are paid to get into a row.
Yes OP, it gives me the rage as it's pig ignorant.

Didn’t JK Rowling write most of the first Harry Potter in a café? Is that you Jo? 😀

THANK YOU!!! Someone who understands!!

This didn't occur this morning, but I've also been sat in a cafe whilst someone conducts a job interview at the next table!! I was cringing for the interviewee.

But why sit at their table? I’d honestly be quite scared if a complete stranger just came and sat with me

It’s all very well being annoyed at cafes being full of people working, but if all these people left, would you occupy their space? I don’t mean for today - would you visit your local cafe more regularly to keep the money coming in if these people weren’t there? Because that’s the bottom line for the cafe owner, they need a regular client base and cafe laptoppers are providing it.