AIBU to sit in Costa for 2 hours?

[SnippySnappy]

If you buy ONE coffee... what's the max time you should spend there before it enters into 'taking the piss' territory?
1 hour? 2 hours? 3?!

I am amazed at people saying the drinks in Costa are hot! I always find them lukewarm and apparently they serve them at drinking temperature rather than time for cooling (probably due to wanting people to drink up and more customers can be seated). I have to ask for my drinks extra hot.
I would only spend around 30 mins max, as I would have downed my drink within the first 10 mins. If meeting a friend I would then feel I would need to order another to stay longer.

I'd say an hour per drink is fair.

I’d say 30 mins to an hour depending on how busy they are.

My coffee is too cold after 5mins let alone 40! And it’s not milky!

It's a massive corporation with concessions in every supermarket. I wouldn't feel bad sitting for a couple of hours with one overpriced coffee.

Not that the atmosphere in there is particularly pleasant. Nero and pret has better seating/decor and coffee if you're going to a chain I think.

In an independent smaller shop I'd not want to block a table for more than about an hour max if only having one drink.

I think an hour would be the maximum I’d stay, although I can’t remember having been in there longer than maybe 30 minutes before. More than an hour and I’d order another drink.

As long as you want/ until they kick you out. Nice to relax without worrying?! In an independent you should at least buy another coffee.

Thirty minutes.

One of the costas near me would be almost empty if people didn’t use it as a place to study. I use it to study and will often stay up to three hours after buying coffee and cake and then just an orange juice or something. When a coffee costs £4-5 I feel no shame in sitting there for as long as I want.

If they didn’t want people to use them as a place for work or study, they wouldn’t provide so many plug sockets, or tables that only comfortably seat one person.

It depends. I met a friend recently, 3 of us couldn't get a seat in our local coffee shop as x 2 tables for 4 taken by 1 person on each with Lap top presume working.

Longest I've stayed is 45minutes, whilst I wait for the best part of my MOT to be done (it's on the same street) but it's weird when the coffee is gone so then I just walk up and down til it's finished.

Not been in this situation, all depends on why i would need 2 hours and if any otjer establishmens nearby.. If i had a 2 hour wait I would probably use the time to pop to a couple of shops, get a coffee and wait in my car. I wouldn't fancy just sitting down in one seat for that long really. Xx

It’s the place to do as it’s on the boycott list and not harming an independent business 😔

Spoons is cheaper, the coffee is at least as good, AND it's refillable.

Therefore, my advice is, go to Spoons. You can legitimately stay for hours.

I think an hour is fine, any longer you should buy another drink. If I am on my own I usually stay 40 minutes ish, if with a friend I would stay longer and get a 2nd coffee.

Massive soulless conglomerate like Costa, sit there for ten hours for all I care. Couldn’t give a shit if they lose money.
A small independent business I’d never take the piss.

1h per drink for me. I like to go with a book.

In five minutes, it is not cold, it is just not as hot as it was.

There is no medal for drinking a drink at its hottest possible point.

I stay in Costa about 30 minutes as I am on my own but a lot of groups of people stay longer.

Everyone knows that coffee and tea shops serve coffee and tea above boiling point. Usually the temperature of the sun

If it’s busy and there are people waiting, then either just as long as it takes you to eat/drink, or a half hour if you are catching up with someone.

If it’s quiet, stay as long as you want but I’d say no more than 1.5-2 hours without buying something else.

It's up to the café to kick you out or ask you to buy another drink if they no longer want you there.

The problem with the assumption that you can't harm a corporate conglomerate is that whoever owns it, it's employing local people. Maybe there are places where that doesn't matter but in my area, it does. So I'd be respectful, but nobody's going to mind, in our local Costa, unless there's a queue for tables. In that case I'd leave or buy another coffee after 20-30 minutes. Otherwise, as long as you like.

How are you taking an HOUR to drinke less half a litre of liquid??

Most of them are actually franchises