Or is this odd cafe behaviour?

[EightOfHearts]

Husband and I had just taken baby for a walk and stopped off in the cafe which is in the park. We ordered some drinks and cake and sat down. It was about 3.30 and cafe doesn't shut until 5, no one else was sat in the cafe but the softplay section was full with parents coming in and out to buy drinks.

Just after we sat down one of the staff members started hovering, it was quite loud so made it a bit difficult to chat. He got so close he was literally hovering around our table to the point I had to move my feet. After about twenty minutes of this he got the mop out and did the same, noise gone but it smelt quite chemically which didn't feel great with food and baby.

I would of thought they wanted us to leave but they couldn't of closed as softplay was so full. We didn't say anything as we didn't think it was worth it but we did find it really bizarre and had a chuckle about it on the way home. Normal cafe behaviour or a bit strange?

If by odd you mean incredibly rude then yes!

The people who run the cafe in my local park seem to hate parents, children and dogs (and are not all that keen on making coffee or serving food either)

Hovering or hoovering??

Oh no! I meant hoovering and I can't change it. Thanks for pointing out though.

If he was hovering, it was definitely odd behaviour!

But yeah, rude.

This happened to me once in McDonalds, I told them to wait until I’d finished.

You should’ve done the same.

Bit odd that you didn’t comment at the time. Next time tell them to leave the clear up til closing

Perhaps something had happened before you came in and they needed to clean it up.

He wanted to get his jobs done so he could be straight out the door at 5! Not sure why he had to start round your table though...

Voted YABU because people who don't challenge bad service but then moan about it later are annoying.

If the cafe closes at 5 he is probably paid until 5. That's usually how it works in small retailers so cafes are probably similar.

Yes, it is rude, but I have experienced it myself. Also, one cafe I recently went into closed at 5 pm, I was there around 3.40 and had to have my coffee in a takeaway cup and no plate for my cake. When I asked why, apparently they did the dishes at 3 pm and didn't want to use any more after that!!!!

Then perhaps the cafe should close at 4.30 to enable people to do these things without annoying paying customers.

Also, I was only ever paid until 5/5.30 in all of my jobs - I rarely walked out the door at that time.

Entitled much? Why should staff stay later because you can't cope with a brief bit of noise?

I wouldn't call it odd but the cafe / he is certainly not supposed to treat customers like that. Having said that, I do pity those who work in those type of cafe set ups. It must be hell from opening till closing time with no respite at all.

My local Costa does this. They basically start closing up after lunch, even though they're open until 6pm. They shut down the nice chilled upstairs area which has just been renovated and block it off at about 1pm and then send someone up to clean it and seal it up for the day. Everyone then has to cram into the downstairs until closing. I was in there today and the guy came and told us they were closing at 5.35pm and shooed everyone out at 5.44pm. it really winds me up.

He wanted to get off duty promptly. I've been in cafes where there's half an hour until closing and they've washed out the coffee machine for the day.

@ithinkthatmaybeimdreaming you need to tell that to the management. It would make so much more sense.
I worked retail. Shop closed at 5.30 I was paid until 5.30. But of course you have to get the last customer out, put the shutter down, close down your till.....such a con.

Tbh I really didn't care about staying a bit later to put things away, tidy up etc. It meant that I had no reason to feel guilty when I was late back from lunch etc. Swings and roundabouts.

@ithinkthatmaybeimdreaming unfortunately if I had been late back from lunch I would have been fired 😂

I'd be very surprised if any McDonald's staff were hoovering! No hoovers allowed, at least when there's customers in.

I would not be surprised if the dining area staff had been told to clean that bit by a manager, because it happens all the time in the McDonald's where I work. I've been there long enough to manage it and not upset the customers or manager but other staff might not be the same.

It's also sometimes unavoidable, with a food or drink spill or a lot of rubbish on the floor that's making the place unhygienic! But there's a way to do it so you're in and out and the dining customers aren't upset. I would only mop if there was a spill or vomit, but I'd also offer to help the customers move first too.

Being asked to leave at 5:44 when they close at 6 shouldn't annoy you - even though the customers might have all gone there's still usually loads to do before closing the store! The dining area has to be mopped, bins emptied and cleaned, machines all cleaned, toilets done, tills cashed up and probably more I'm not thinking of!

My McDonald's closed recently at 10pm for some work - I didn't get to leave until 11pm because the last customers out had left their table in such a state! And that was withoit doing a few detailed cleaning jobs that should have really been done too.

The staff still clean throughout the day... they don't wait until 10 min before closing. Otherwise people would complain that the place is a shithole.

I sit in a local Costa until closing. They sweep and mop the floor several times before they kick people out.

I wouldnt want someone spraying chemicals when I was eating,or near a baby.You could have asked him to stop.

So you were still there when the cafe closed.Winds the staff uo!

I would have complained. Ridiculous behaviour.