Walk into any café in the UK and chances are a remote worker has set up shop on one or more of its tables, their headphones in, laptop out and a half-drunk latte next to it.
The explosion in working from home, triggered by the pandemic, has left a lasting legacy – with offices closing for good and employees opting for social spaces to do their work and get out of the house.
But for many cafes, what might seem like a business opportunity has turned into a nightmare, with precious seating taken up by customers who are there to focus on their Zoom meetings and spreadsheets rather than enjoying coffee and pastries.
Business owners have told how they are losing money because of ‘table hoggers’, who buy as little as one bottle of water or eke out a singular hot drink for as long as they can in order to keep their spot.
In an attempt to tackle the practice and deter the WFH crowd, many have brought in tough new measures – refusing to offer free WiFi, limiting the hours laptops can be used in, and even banning them altogether.
In a retail area as in-demand as Finchley Road in north London, cafe owner Eric says he is losing money for each seat occupied by a laptop user rather than a paying customer.
Speaking at his shop, Local Coffee & Grocery in West Hampstead, a cozy spot which doubles as an organic food store, he said the problem got so bad and the cost so high that they stopped offering customers WiFi altogether.
Eric said: ‘We had to set boundaries. Usually, when people see there’s no WiFi they change their minds and leave.
‘Before, we had issues with people who would sit down and use the WiFi without even ordering anything.
‘Small businesses like us, we need to pay our rent, our rates, everything. I’ve calculated that every seat costs us £5 an hour. One coffee is not covering that.
‘Sometimes they don’t even buy coffee, they buy something like a bottle of water from the shop which costs £1 or £1.50 and want to sit here.
He said he and his staff have had to start asking people to leave if they only buy one item, telling them that they need to at least have a hot drink if they want to sit.
‘But when you take that risk, these kind of people bully you through Google reviews. We don’t have control over them,’ he said.
‘You’re trying to protect your business, to keep it alive, and some people just post and make things up. They get aggressive, especially if you don’t allow them to sit without buying anything.’
He added that while it is costing him to host people, those ‘using the space for work are saving their own money on electricity and heating at home.’
He added that big chains have money to tackle the problem – sometimes using software which only allows someone 30 minutes free WiFi before they have to pay. But this is something his small business can’t afford.
‘Especially now, we’re counting the pennies. Everyone is on survival mode now.’
Milk & Bean is a popular high street in Newbury, described by its owners as an ‘intimate’ space.
Despite its size, it has a welcoming ambience which encourages customers to sit-in rather than takeaway.
But with just four small tables inside and a handful outside – British weather permitting of course – the cafe needs to have a high turnover, with its co-owner Chris Chaplin saying that he finds laptop users don’t buy as much as customers who are there to relax.
‘Generally the spend of someone on a laptop is lower than a customer without. If people are in a social setting they are usually happy to spend more,’ he said.
‘We’re very lucky that we have a set up which lends itself to takeaways, but we still rely on our regulars.’
Chaplin, who runs the independent with his partner Freya, said the worst thing about the cafe being filled with laptop users was the impact it had on the otherwise friendly ambience, as well as the ‘lack of awareness’ displayed by some remote workers.
‘Sometimes they don’t care that there are people around them, especially if they’re on a call or something like that and speak out loud, it’s not nice.
‘Other times you come in here and everyone’s on laptops and it’s dead quiet. You think ‘what’s going on in here?’
The couple have now put stickers on each of the tables asking that laptop users be considerate that they have limited space, and warning them of their rules.
‘Most people are understanding when we ask them. There’s a way about approaching it. It’s about mutual respect.’
The barista said it can be tough on staff when the cafe is silent, with a lack of social interaction often taking the enjoyment out of their shifts and ‘ruining the vibe’ of the cafe, which he wants to be a welcoming meeting space for people.
‘That’s what coffee’s all about right? Socialising. I feel like it’s replacing the pub – chatting over a coffee rather than a beer.’
Neșe, who works in tech for a social media company and was busy typing on her laptop on the cafe’s smallest table, agreed with the establishment’s owner.
‘I was an office space employee but now I work from home all the time. So from time to time I need a change of scenery.
‘I keep it really short because I’m usually really busy with my meetings, and I don’t want to disturb anyone.’
She said that having meetings out loud in cafes is not only disrespectful, but also not discreet.
‘What I’m discussing in my meetings can be really confidential, and I don’t want anyone to hear it. I never do meetings outside, I wouldn’t feel comfortable.’
‘People are chatting, they’re chilled, they just want to have a coffee!’
The 36-year-old said one way for people to avoid awkward encounters was to ask for permission before setting down their laptops.
‘I ask for permission as well, I ask them if I can work here for a bit. Because these cafes are small businesses and they always have people coming and leaving, the rotation needs to be really high.
In Common Ground, a popular coffee lounge with a takeaway hatch in Finsbury Park, laptops are banned completely – with a sign at the door warning wannabe web users that this is not the place for them.
Fin, who works in PR, was having a coffee while scrolling on his phone. ‘I quite like it because I regularly meet colleagues and stuff here and it stops us going on our laptops.
‘I like that its chilled and not an office space. Small independent cafes around here get swarmed by people who want to work here all day.
‘So it’s nice to be able to nip in and out and know there’s going to be a space.
He added that he’d pick Common Ground over Gails and other big coffee franchises anytime. ‘It’s nicer than going to the big chains, this is a lot more of a relaxing space.’
Nadine, who has been a barista at Common Ground for two years, says sometimes it’s awkward to ask people not to use their laptops.
‘Some people are really nice about it, really understanding. But some throw absolute tantrums when you tell them.
‘We try to get everyone who walks in alone with a bag, you can tell they’re planning to, and say ‘I’m so sorry, we’re actually a laptop free space’.
‘But when they’ve already sat down, been there for a little bit, they tend to be a bit more standoffish. Like if they’ve already bought something, that’s when they get a bit upset.
‘It’s awful if we’re really quiet, and they’re the only person there, then it’s really hard to turn people away.
‘It’s really awkward sometimes saying no to people when it’s not busy. How do you decide whether to let them in or not? It’s just easier to have a blanket policy.’
She added that for her: ‘It makes it a nicer place to work. There’s another cafe nearby where loads of people are on laptops and I go in and I just think “I’d hate to work here”.’
Driton Budakova, who owns Barista on The Other Side in nearby Finchley with his wife Adelina, told that before bringing in measures to tackle laptop usage, their cafe was being treated ‘like an office’ by some customers.
Back in May, Adelina posted on Google to complain of the one-star reviews being left by disgruntled customers who had been asked to move to a smaller table, designated for remote workers, while using their laptops.
She said that many felt entitled to bigger tables of four or six seats ‘and when we offer them the tables assigned friendly for laptop users, they reject’.
The business owner said that regardless of how staff explained to these people about why they had such table rules in place, they would often become angry, and go on to leave negative Google reviews.
All of the negative reviews on their profile were from laptop users, Adelina said.
The buzz inside her cafe, which was full of people eating, socialising, and working on the correct tables earlier this week, suggested that such reviews don’t reflect the reality.
Driton said that before they introduced the signs: ‘We had people who would get one coffee and stay all day.
‘We have people who walk around speaking loudly on calls and treat it like their own personal workspace.’
‘The signs have pretty much solved the problem,’ he said. ‘They see that and think they should buy more or not spend too much time.’
Cafes with more space – like Vegivores in Caversham – say they have no problem with people using laptops.
Kevin Farrell, who runs the vegetarian eaterie, said the spaciousness of the restaurant means they are happy to encourage people with laptops.
‘Tables used to be very scarce, but since we’ve got more space we now have plenty of seating – so laptop users doesn’t trouble me as much now.
He said the diner turns into a restaurant in the evening, and that when candles are put out on tables customers generally get the message that it’s not the time for work.
‘We’re very hospitality focussed, we want this to be a home away from home for people, so if they want to sit here for a couple of hours I’m fine with that,’ said Kevin.
But the bustling spaces are not always ideal for people who want to work remotely either.
One university student, who was working on his dissertation in a cafe in the town, said: ‘I don’t think working in cafes is a great practice. I’d rather not if I had the choice, but the local libraries are closed three days a week.
‘This is the next best place. But it’s really loud in here, I’d rather be in the library, and you have to buy something.’
Tree Elven, a freelance writer and journalist, who regularly goes to Barista On The Other Side, says she thinks cafes need to be preserved as a space for both socialising and work.
She was sat on one of the cafe’s three high tables designated for laptop use – but was busy working with two notepads without a device in sight.
‘I really appreciate the fact that some cafes now say ‘we’re laptop free’,’ she said, laughing that some she had been to are like ‘battery hen farms’.
‘I appreciate both sides of the picture,’ she added diplomatically. ‘People are lonely, trying to earn a living, often working from someone else’s kitchen table – it’s tough. You go to a cafe for the human interaction.
‘But on the other hand, I come in here to see other people chatting and social interactions.
‘As a society, we’re just ignoring each other more – touch screen is not the same as touch.’