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> Sorry, the No Screens Cafe doesn’t have wi-fi. Maybe try the Cowork Cafe next door. It's interesting that sometime in the 2000s, there became an expectation
by chickenpotpie 3y ago
> Sorry, the No Screens Cafe doesn’t have wi-fi. Maybe try the Cowork Cafe next door.
It's interesting that sometime in the 2000s, there became an expectation that coffee shops became a workplace. I can't think of another food service business where the expectation is that anyone can come in, buy a single item, demand the wifi password, and work from that space for multiple hours.
- kortilla 3y agoMany people solely pay the ridiculous prices specifically because it offers a place to hang out. coffee shops expanded because they offered this. Nobody is forcing them.
- shortcake27 3y agoCafes are under no obligation to provide wifi and many don’t. Well before the 2000s people spent extended periods of time at cafes chatting, people watching, or reading. Why is the line drawn at working?
- hitchstory 3y agoI'm a bit weirded out by how judgmental people get about this. Cafes that wanted to ban laptops are free to do so and always have been. Generally people who work on laptops come in during periods when the cafe would otherwise be fairly empty (10-5 weekdays). This is an additional source of revenue to the cafe that doesn't interfere with their core revenue streams - the morning takeaway coffee rush + weekend brunchers. A local cafe near me bans laptops on weekends. Another one bans laptops on weekends unless you sit in a particular area. Another one has a special laptop area. These are all successful cafes. I have a feeling that the cafes who prohibit laptops outright are mostly just canceling a stream of revenue. That's certainly their right, but it's probably not what is best for them.
- 1123581321 3y agoIt comes from the Internet cafes that would sell drinks and have PCs available in the 90s. Then Starbucks popularized wifi access and independent cafes were forced to figure out how to offer it to compete. No one cares about being polite at Starbucks, but I would say the expectation at independent shops is still to purchase something periodically. Not everyone follows it. I don't see many independents limiting access with expiring authentication or codes given at purchase anymore. In the US, many attempting to do that don't seem to even know they're also running a free xfinity hotspot...
- 93po 3y agoi've seen cafes that explicitly state you have to buy something every hour if you want to stay. i've seen this both in the US and in europe.