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This is something one would never see in Europe. In Paris it's acceptable to buy an expresso, or a glass of wine and stay for hours. On my last day in Paris I did this and got a free bowl of chips too! Talk about hospitality.
This is something one would never see in Europe. In Paris it's acceptable to buy an expresso, or a glass of wine and stay for hours. On my last day in Paris I did this and got a free bowl of chips too! Talk about hospitality.
Put another way - it's like that one client who paid you $50 to install a WordPress plugin 6 months ago who calls you weekly to troubleshoot their printer problems.
There's a very simple thing you can do which will keep any cafe owner happy. Every 25-30 minutes, have a glance around and check for vacant tables. If there are fewer than two tables available (or maybe one in smaller cafes) it's time to move on. The only exception being if you have just sat down, in which case, finish your food and beverage and leave.
The real solution is the local library needs to offer coffee.
As well as good wifi, some renovations, and better decor[0]. [0] At least in my experience. I'm not sure what it is about coffeeshops. Their decor is just conducive to working, much more than the local library, at least.
Why not use a library?
the bathrooms, at least in sf, are fucking cesspools. I mean a literal fucking piss moat around the toilet.
This is something one would never see in Europe. In Paris it's acceptable to buy an expresso, or a glass of wine and stay for hours. On my last day in Paris I did this and got a free bowl of chips too! Talk about hospitality.
What is this "expresso" you talk about?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's way easier if the cafe also sells food. Me and 2 others basically built a company some years back out of a cafe in Sacramento, but we always bought lots of coffee and bought our lunch there as well. We all shared 1 table too so the space was used well, and of course talked to the owner who had no problem. Here's a great way to discourage campers: no outlets, not even 1.
One of the cafes in the area put packing tape over all the outlets. When they did this I worked out that the coffee I drank cost over 200 times the electricity they saved-as you say they must be trying to displace people, not save money- but my MBP lasts nearly 6 hours[1] so I'm not so easily put off if the place is good :) [1] I use Turbo Boost Switcher to stop the cpu running hot and gfxCardStatus to stick to integ…
On the other hand, it would also look similar to how Abercrombie & Fitch refuses to make clothes in large sizes, in order to prevent fat people from shopping in their stores.
I wouldn't be surprised if a significant number of people here do this. I do this as well. Most of the time, I'm not asked to leave, but other times, if I feel guilty, I buy something else, like another coffee or a sweet. I suppose I'd willing to "rent" space if it were available. A funny relevant anecdote. Yesterday, I was at home trying to work, and I could not focus, so I walked to a nearby coffeeshop. Apparently,…
I've seen this as well. Some people get really weirded out when you sit down and share a table with them when it gets busy. There's a table there that seats six, and you're just two people sitting at it. It's not YOUR exclusive table. You don't own it. If you really want to have a private conversation without anyone around, don't go to a busy coffee shop.
When it is full, frequently it happens that if there is two people on one set of 6, the other 4 places are empty (does not matter where the two people are).
Except when the staff bother separating the tables by a inch or two, then all tables get used, it is a really curious effect.
I wouldn't be surprised if a significant number of people here do this. I do this as well. Most of the time, I'm not asked to leave, but other times, if I feel guilty, I buy something else, like another coffee or a sweet. I suppose I'd willing to "rent" space if it were available. A funny relevant anecdote. Yesterday, I was at home trying to work, and I could not focus, so I walked to a nearby coffeeshop. Apparently,…
I've seen this as well. Some people get really weirded out when you sit down and share a table with them when it gets busy. There's a table there that seats six, and you're just two people sitting at it. It's not YOUR exclusive table. You don't own it. If you really want to have a private conversation without anyone around, don't go to a busy coffee shop.
Why not use a library?