With more people than ever working remotely these days, your local café may have become a de facto office space. The combination of warm, energizing beverages, carb-rich pastries, mellow acoustic playlists and barista small talk often creates an environment that empowers you to check every single to-do item off your list.
Your stay may seem harmless, but at some point, baristas and shop owners wish you would pack up your stuff and hit the road. So when should you leave?
An average $6 drink buys you about 90 minutes in the café, according to Heather Perry, a two-time U.S. Barista Champion and the CEO of California-based Klatch Coffee.
Intentionally or not, you usually take up two to four seats at a coffee shop, depending on what type of table you’re sitting at and if you’ve popped your bag on the chair next to you to dissuade strangers. “If you’re by yourself, working alone, and you’re taking up that table for 90 minutes [for] $6 — that’s a pretty high cost for a retailer right there,” Perry explained. Stay any longer than that, and you might be affecting your local café’s revenue for the day.
But there’s not really one cut-and-dry answer for how long you can hang out at a coffee shop. Instead, consider your surroundings to decide if you’re overstaying your welcome, baristas recommend.
Think about what time of day you’re stopping in for a cup. Lingering for a few hours on a Wednesday morning probably isn’t as big of a deal as camping out at a table on a busy Saturday morning, Perry said.
You should also weigh the design, size and atmosphere of the space. Open layouts, couches and community tables are signals that you’re invited to linger, said Caroline Bell, the founder of the New York City-based Cafe Grumpy. If there’s plenty of available seating and tables — not just a handful of backless stools and one bartop — you could get away with a longer stay, she added.
“We have one store that’s a drive-thru store, so the interior stays a lot quieter, where people will hang out for two, three or four hours and there is no issue with it,” Perry said. “Some of them will buy one drink, some of them will buy two. It’s honestly not a huge deal.”
“I think it becomes too far when I have people who are taking up a four-top as a single, buying one drink, getting food from outside, and staying for more than an hour.”
- Heather Perry, U.S. Barista Champion and CEO of Klatch Coffee
On the flip side, if you hear people grumbling that there’s nowhere to sit and you’ve been holed up at a four-person table with one drink for a few hours, take that as your cue to head out, Perry said.
“I think it becomes too far when I have people who are taking up a four-top as a single, buying one drink, getting food from outside, and staying for more than an hour,” Perry added. “That’s when my red flags start to kind of go off when all of those things combine.”
If you happen to be the one and only customer in the space, a little lingering is usually welcomed by the baristas, said Chelsea Hewitt, a manager and barista at Good Seed Coffee Boutique in Solvang, California.
“Personally I don’t mind people ‘lingering’ at our shop. I consider it a privilege that people want to hang out in our space, and I am happy to host,” she said, later adding, “And if there is nobody in the shop, of course I want someone else to be there! Even if they aren’t talking to the barista, it changes the atmosphere to have someone enjoying the space.”
How you’re spending your time — whether it’s reading, working on your laptop, or chatting with friends — doesn’t necessarily affect how long it’s appropriate to camp out, according to the experts. But basic etiquette rules still apply.
“As a coffee shop owner, I feel very disrespected when people camp out for hours and suck all the power outlets for their own personal devices, from laptops to phones to tablets and cameras, and buy one miserable coffee for $3.50 — and they don’t even tip,” said Alberto Battaglini, the co-owner of Pony Espresso in Santa Ynez, California. “This is a business and not a non-profit church.”
Buy food from the café rather than bringing your own snacks from home. Don’t hold Zoom or FaceTime calls. Be willing to share the table and move your tote off the chair next to you. Say thank you. Keep your space tidy and don’t sprawl out (or nap!) on the couches. Order something — anything — so there’s some sort of trade, the pros recommended.
“Manners go a long way, and it feels like people have forgotten how to behave in social settings,” Hewitt explained. “This is your ‘third space,’ a place less formal than work and more formal than your living room. It’s a space to feel like you are contributing to society but not engaging with others. Respect those around you and those working around you and feel free to sit and stay a while.”