Working from home has become quite popular since COVID-19. However, working from home can sometimes feel monotonous and discouraging. An easy way to break the routine is to work from your favourite restaurant or cafe. We can enjoy a change of scenery while sipping our favourite drink or eating a slice of pizza. But, what if cafe and coffee shop owners ban the use of laptops inside their establishments? According to a BBC report, several well-known cafes in the UK have implemented policies that prevent remote employees from using laptops between 11:30am and 1:30pm on weekdays. Additionally, they have banned customers from sitting at tables with electronic devices during the weekend.
Chris Chaplin, the owner of Milk and Bean, a coffee shop in Newberry, told the BBC that remote workers occupying tables during peak business hours was limiting turnover. “Having people using laptops is not really ideal – it means turnover is lower than people not using laptops and costs are also significantly lower,” he said.
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“This also leads to an increase in the number of people working on laptops. On the one hand, we depend on them for revenue, but on the other hand, they need to be reasonable and have self-awareness,” Chris said.
Remote employees are often seen working in cafes and restaurants.
Alex Middleton, manager at The Collective, explained that remote workers spend less but stay in their seats longer, bringing new customers back.
Middleton explained people’s reaction to the newly implemented policy, saying, “We’re quite fortunate that we have a lot of customers who come back again and again – so they respect the policy, but you also get people who get a little irritable about it.”
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Middleton also explained that they are trying to strike a balance without compromising on profit margins. He added, “We are a small independent business, so we have to keep those tables busy and rotate them – we can’t let people take over tables, and we don’t want to disrespect people who come in with laptops.”
