Cafes stopping food before they close

[athomemum1]

I love a cafe stop on a weekend but often find them stopping food or closing before they actually close. Today I went to a cafe that was advertised as closing at 5 at 3.55 we waited for a seat for 5 ish minutes to be told they stop serving food at 4. I can under stand stopping a bit before but a whole hour seems a bit much. Also walked to a cafe last month who closed at 4.30 and at 3.45 ish where told we couldn’t have a drink as they were closing at 4.30.

It’s fine, the cafe shuts at 5 they stop serving food at 4, just like many places open at 9 but don’t serve breakfast till ten or the bar doesn’t open until 11. Maybe ifs staffing issues, maybe that’s just how they like to run the place, just like pubs might not shut till midnight but food service stops at 9..,

Where I stay so many places close at 4 but take last orders for food at 2.30 it’s so frustrating at times as I prefer a sandwich or wrap out rather than a dinner and nowhere offers this later on in the day .

I would understand a half hour but an hour is excessive isn’t it.

If a cafe closes at 5 and someone walks in at 4.55 and ordered food/drink the staff then have to stay behind until the customer leaves. Stopping serving at 4 means the customers have time to eat/drink their food and the staff have time to clean up, therefore getting home when they are actually supposed to.

If the owner has decided that staff are paid until 5pm and no later, then it’s perfectly reasonable for them to close the kitchen and clean/prep for that last hour.

It would be good if places were clearer about last service and closing times.

It's fucking crazy how limited food service is in this country. Cafes packing up at 4, edging people out when they haven't finished the coffee they've paid for. Pubs serving food for approximately 14 minutes at lunchtime. It's embarrassing.

I am quite a slow eater but even I don't take a hour to eat a simple meal and have a drink.

Half an hour I could understand, bit a whole hour?

Is it common that employees work hours coincide with café closing time? If the employees are only contracted and paid to work until, say, 5pm them it would surely be more reasonable to have the cafe clising time set at 4:30. Or alternatively if the café is open until 5pm then pay the staff to work until 5:30pm.

If the café is advertised as being open until the minute when the staff expect to leave it feels like the customer is being misled.

Last orders at 4, 20 mins to prepare, 20 minutes for you to eat, then you want cake (typically they'll serve that until close) or another drink ... it's now 5

Well it must be the amount of time they feel they need to do a proper shut down because I'm sure they'd be happy to take more money for longer if they felt operationally they could.

@sprigatito

Most pubs serve food all day, and check the closing time before ordering. Often they can only staff until a certain time

Don't go there with pubs! I sometimes think it's not surprising some are going to the wall when they seem absolutely determined to keep to vintage timings of serving food from 12-2 with the kitchen serving last orders in by 13:45! And then serving meals from 18:15-20:00, It did get better at one point, with food being served from 11:00-15:00 and then again from 17:30-21:00, then bloody covid came and the pubs round these parts reverted back to old timings.

I work in a "cafe" that shuts at 5 but stops hot food at 3pm and all food at 4pm

The kitchen needs an hour to clean and they start 2 hours before opening, the floor takes an hour to clean, when is this supposed to happen if we are serving till close?

Hospitality is one of the lowest paid industries, hours are bare minimum. Unless you as the consumer is willing to pay more, it is as it is

Yes it's normal because they don't know how long people will sit and eat for. While someone might eat quicker, others don't and will happily carry on sitting even though cafe is closing. They can't change last serving timings according to how long they think the customer may stay for. Closing up and prepping kitchen for closure takes time.

I hear you OP.

I thought I'd found a new cafe not far from me about a month ago.
It was 12.20
They said "they could serve me a drink but no food at this point".
I double checked if that was the same every day (as opposed to being a specific issue on that day) and she said yes. They close at 1pm apparently.

But I've had it before at a different cafe, which closes at 2pm, but they won't serve food ordered after 1pm.
I 'get it' from the pov of an employee who is expected to have cleaned everything and is only paid until closing time, but how does a cafe expect to make money if it doesn't serve food at lunchtime?

Yes have encountered this several times lately. They close at 5 but stop serving at 4. Is it so they are out of the door at 5? 🤷‍♀️

A lot of it is so staff work a restricted number of hours each day to avoid them having to be paid for a lunch break.

Lots of staff also either don’t want more hours if it affects their benefits or have to be away to collect children from school or nursery.

Probably bitter experience of people taking ages to eat their food because they're chatting and then kicking up a fuss/demanding a refund if they're thrown out before they've cleared their plates.

Or people could use a brain cell of their own.

if a cafe closes at (say) 5, how do people think they're going to be taking orders much later than 4.

Do they not want to be able to take their time to eat/drink?
Do they think the kitchen cleans itself?
Do they the staff should stay, unpaid, until 6 to clean down & get it looking fresh for the morning?

HTG people just need think & be less self centered.

Daughter works in a cafe. It takes a good hour to get it properly clean at the end if the day.
It serves food. You wouldn’t be happy if you got food poisoning there because they didn’t clean it thoroughly.

This is the most English response I've ever read 😂

Thank heavens for the rest of the world, where you can get a cup of coffee after 4pm without being snarled at.

I agree if the cafe is closing at 5pm.

I don't understand why a cafe would stop serving food just as people are having their lunchbreaks. By saying you are open until 2pm, and paying staff until 3pm, you would take so much more money, than only serving food until 12noon.

The issue is the advertising. If they just say open until 5, then yes it's a problem. They should clearly state last food orders at 3 if that's what they want to do.

@NewName24 the cafe you mention is probably opening at 7 or earlier and making money on the breakfast trade. Do you know what time they open? That's a model for many places.

I think it's understandable they stop serving food an hour earlier than they close actually