Cafes pull the plug on laptop table hoggers
Two cafes have restricted the use of laptops at lunchtime in an attempt to stop remote workers “hogging” tables.
Milk and Bean in Newbury has limited customers to using their laptops for an hour on weekdays but has implemented a complete ban on weekends.
The Collective, based in Caversham, has banned the devices between 11.30am and 1.30pm on weekdays and completely at weekends.
Alex Middleton, The Collective’s manager, told the BBC that the policy was about finding a “balance” which “doesn’t compromise us losing money”.
“We are a small independent business, so we need to keep those tables busy and turned around,” he explained. “We can’t have people hogging the tables and we don’t want to disrespect people that come in with laptops either.”
Meanwhile, Chris Chaplin, owner of the Milk and Bean, told the broadcaster that laptop use has led to “a lower turnover and quite a low spend compared to people that aren’t on laptops.”
“It also brings the vibe of the place down with people on laptops,” he added.
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Working from home has become increasingly popular since the pandemic with many remote workers choosing to make cafes a second office because there is often free Wi-Fi and electricity.
Cafes, along with pubs and restaurants, have been hit hard by lockdowns and rising food and energy prices because of the war in Ukraine.
Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge told the Daily Mail in April: “If I was a sole operator of one single restaurant, I would be absolutely terrified. It’s very, very scary right now.”
For some owners, customers with laptops are not just a financial burden, but can cause disruption to staff and other customers by taking up space.
The Fringe and Ginge in Kent banned laptops earlier this year after one customer asked staff to be quiet during a work call on Zoom.
Cafes in Europe, from Berlin to Paris, have also imposed restrictions on laptop usage following an influx of digital nomads on the continent. Some have referred to them as “cafe squatters”.