How many hours is taking the piss when using a cafe for work/study?

JackieChang

Recently started using cafes for study on a Sunday. Been spending a few hours there, maybe 3 maximum.

Would like to push my luck and get to 5 hours while also spending the minimum amount of money. Maybe a coffee and a sandwich for the 5 hours.

Would I be taking the absolute pish doing that?

Any cafe workers here who could tell me the best way to go about it?

OldMrBrennan83

I'd give you half an hour after giving you the sandwich and coffee and tell you to order again or get out.

mr_edge_to_you

1 hr is enough - be it meetings or study etc

Anyway, how in the name of jaysis can ya study in a cafe?

dartboardio

2 hours would be the limit imo.

After that I’d expect you to buy something. A bottle of water even. If not I would think you were stingy tbh. I worked in cafes for years

Me myself if I was using a cafe just for study or chill out purposes would buy something even if I didn’t want to because it’s not a drop in centre


But absolutely fine if you wanna sit there and renew your welcome every 2 hours or so by buying a bottle of water/coffee etc

5 hours and I’d think you were taking the piss and would have probably kicked you out by hour 3... just ignorant to take up space after that long and not buy anything

One hour, and not a minute latte.

Pints?

When your coffee is cold reorder or pack up.

Noveight

Are you using their leccy to charge a phone or laptop?

You'd surely have to leave them €3-4 per hour.

Riddle101

Not sure I agree with the idea of using a Cafe for studying. Don't get me wrong, if you have an hour to spare and want a coffee or something to eat then by all means study away while you're there, but I believe there should be a time limit.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Use a library if you want Internet and to study.

corner of hells

Allie Calm Schoolboy wrote: »

Use a library if you want Internet and to study.

Get out you , with your common sense.

NightStone

Wow society really is failing .
You have to ask if 3 or more hrs is taking the pish.
Hahaa. Ffs

Philosophy Zombie

Use a variety of disguises. It could make the study more fun and interesting.

Subcomandante Marcos

Patww79 wrote: »

I'd give you half an hour after giving you the sandwich and coffee and tell you to order again or get out.

You'd be out there for business in a month.

Pints?

Philosophy Zombie wrote: »

Use a variety of disguises. It could make the study more fun and interesting.

You could see which disguise gets you the longest time in the cafe...could do a study on it if you will!

Subcomandante Marcos

There are cafés that do free refills in filter coffee and supply comfy couches and armchairs, have small book collections and boardgames, all to encourage people to stay longer periods. They know someone who stays for a longer period will buy more stuff, even it's just a few pastries or a sandwich. Having people in makes the place look like it's popular too which is a weirdly important thing for attracting custom.

OldMrBrennan83

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

You'd be out there for business in a month.

By getting rid of freeloaders costing more than they're spending?

Don't be one of those people and start paying for stuff.

freshpopcorn

It would really depend on the size of the cafe. If it was a busy place and you were taking up space I wouldn't spend long.
If there wasn't many people around you'd get away with a while once you were buying stuff.
J.K Rowling wrote a lot of Harry Potter in café's!

Philosophy Zombie

Pints? wrote: »

You could see which disguise gets you the longest time in the cafe...could do a study on it if you will!

A fancy dress Taliban disguise combined with a ticking alarm clock in the bag would clear out the place soon enough anyway. That's really a non-runner. Mark that off the list.

Neames

It really depends on the cafe, if it's a big place with few customers then having someone sitting there for hours might not be a problem.

But I really think you should go to a library...free and no hassle.

DareGod

It's in the café's interests to have people in it to make it look busier so that it looks popular. So, by staying in it, you're helping the business. But have some manners and order something new once per hour or so. And if it gets busy and you haven't ordered in over an hour, then get out.

wakka12

Patww79 wrote: »

I'd give you half an hour after giving you the sandwich and coffee and tell you to order again or get out.

You wont have may customers doing that, an hour is perfectly fine for a sandwich and coffee if the place isnt busy

Ficheall

I always feel guilty hanging about in a cafe or pub and not buying stuff. I regularly meet friends for a couple of hours' chess/cards/****etalk/etc., in a pub/cafe/McDonald's, etc., and I generally spend about a tenner an hour on dinner, cakes, drinks, etc. that I don't often want. Some people who join me don't buy anything, and I always think it's fierce stingy..
Anyway, that is why I was delighted when someone brought me to the Clockwork Door the last time I was in Dublin - they charge you for your time spent there - about a fiver an hour, iirc, and they have various rooms with couches and boardgames and coffee and biscuits that you can help yourself to. Great spot. A wonderful initiative, and I hope it flourishes and doesn't have too many people taking the piss. I'll definitely be back in the next time I'm in Dublin. Not a shill, but I highly recommend giving it a look https://www.clockworkdoor.ie/the-clockwork-door/

boundlessSea

The idea of being able to pay directly for the right to be in a room seems like a good idea, instead of having to buy coffee/water every hour or so that you may not want.

Cyrus

Don’t people do this in Starbucks all the time set up at a desk plug in a laptop and sit there for hours

Hector Bellend

why dont you study at home and spend nothng

Wildly Boaring

Use the local cafe for work some days.
Young kids rule out home.

Buy a coffee or water or whatever per hour.

V small place.

Owner is often in. Have chatted a few times to her. Delighted to have me in. (She would say that) but she reckons same as above far better have the place busy and looking busy.

I always leave by 12.30 and wouldn't go in till after 2. She's busy for lunch and I'd hate to take up a table.

Robsweezie

depends on a few things - if the place is dead and not short of seats, and you have a good history of loyalty to their business where they know your face, you could get away with staying a couple hours if its important.

bloodless_coup

Do you have a MacBook to complete the look?

FTA69

Cyrus wrote: »

Don’t people do this in Starbucks all the time set up at a desk plug in a laptop and sit there for hours

Shower of millionaire tax dodgers, f*ck them. I often use Costa and Starbucks and McDonalds for meetings or places to work and barely spend nothing in there, no guilt. I wouldn't do it an independent business though or small cafe or a pub, pure sauciness.

JackieChang

Allie Calm Schoolboy wrote: »

Use a library if you want Internet and to study.

Which library is open on a Sunday?

Anyway, it seems like buying one item per hour would be acceptable.

Mellor

Patww79 wrote: »

By getting rid of freeloaders costing more than they're spending?

How is somebody staying in a cafe for a few hours costing more than they're spending? What resources do you think that are using?

Cyrus

FTA69 wrote: »

Shower of millionaire tax dodgers, f*ck them. I often use Costa and Starbucks and McDonalds for meetings or places to work and barely spend nothing in there, no guilt. I wouldn't do it an independent business though or small cafe or a pub, pure sauciness.

you are indeed a principled citizen

seamus

Stick 20 quid in your pocket.

Buy a cup of coffee when you go in.

When you feel like another one, buy another. When your 20 quid is gone and your cup is empty, leave.

I'd say 3-4 hours would be more than acceptable if you went like that.

OMM 0000

I often go to cafes to do some work. I'll generally do it like this:

Sit down and get some food and coffee.

30 minutes later get another coffee.

30 minutes get a mineral water.

And so on.

Similarly if I go to a bar.

elefant

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

There are cafés that do free refills in filter coffee and supply comfy couches and armchairs, have small book collections and boardgames, all to encourage people to stay longer periods. They know someone who stays for a longer period will buy more stuff, even it's just a few pastries or a sandwich. Having people in makes the place look like it's popular too which is a weirdly important thing for attracting custom.

I'm surprised at the amount of people having a go at the OP over this.
A quiet cafe can be a much nicer environment to do a bit of work than the library or sitting at home.

If you get a drink every hour or two and there are plenty of places available any cafe would be delighted to have you there. It's better than an empty seat, and far, far better than an empty establishment.

Thargor

Just use Starbucks, usually the most comfortable and the staff won't give a fook.

FTA69

Cyrus wrote: »

you are indeed a principled citizen

One does try.

loyatemu

JackieChang wrote: »

Which library is open on a Sunday?

The Lexicon library in Dun Laoghaire is open Sundays. Huge place with lots of space to study - it was full of students when I was in there on a Sunday a few weeks ago.

University libraries are probably open too, if you can get access to them.

Mint Sauce

If I sat in cafe over an hour chatting with a friend, over a just cup of tea/coffee and a sandwich, I think that would be taking the pee. Your in there, using table space, possibly the WiFi, after an hour or so, order something else, another cup, a bun, or peice of cake, anything, or move on.

Ave Sodalis

Mellor wrote: »

How is somebody staying in a cafe for a few hours costing more than they're spending? What resources do you think that are using?

Depending on the cafe, they're losing potential customers. My brother used to work in a cafe that averaged at about 400 customers a day (there was always a queue out the door). In the restaurant I work, we give about an hour per lunch sitting, cafe is probably a bit quicker but lets go with an hour per sitting anyway. You're there for 5 hours, and ordering the odd coffee. So say you spend €20 in total.



In the mean time, they could have had 4 more sittings (with an hour taken out for your own sitting). Even if it's only 4 single people who come in for lunch, that's still about €60 so they've a €40 loss. It gets worse if couples come in, or if, like what happens with us sometimes, you are sitting by yourself on a table designed for 6/8 people.



Again, it depends on the cafe. They'd rather someone sitting at the table than nobody, but if it's a cafe where a few people could have sat down while you're there, then I can't see them taking too kindly to it. They might let you away the first time doing it, but not on a regular basis.

Mellor

Ave Sodalis wrote: »

Depending on the cafe, they're losing potential customers. My brother used to work in a cafe that averaged at about 400 customers a day (there was always a queue out the door).

I wouldn't consider 400 customers a to be particularly busy. The place I grab by morning coffee does more than that in hour. Granted, I'm in a big city where cafes need to be meet much bigger demand.

In the mean time, they could have had 4 more sittings (with an hour taken out for your own sitting). Even if it's only 4 single people who come in for lunch, that's still about €60 so they've a €40 loss. It gets worse if couples come in, or if, like what happens with us sometimes, you are sitting by yourself on a table designed for 6/8 people.

That only holds up if the cafe is full and turning awY people constantly. If it's only 90% full, sitting there doesn't prevent anyone from sitting down. Plus, plus a busy cafe doesn't far more trade from take away food and drinks. I took it that the OP was referring to an iformal place like that rather than a place trading in sit down meals predominately.

Gwynplaine

Taking the piss lad. Buy something or get out.

Ave Sodalis

Mellor wrote: »

I wouldn't consider 400 customers a to be particularly busy. The place I grab by morning coffee does more than that in hour. Granted, I'm in a big city where cafes need to be meet much bigger demand.

The cafe I'm talking about it in a small town, and doing 400 people a day means an almost constant queue waiting on a table from open to shut.

That only holds up if the cafe is full and turning awY people constantly. If it's only 90% full, sitting there doesn't prevent anyone from sitting down. Plus, plus a busy cafe doesn't far more trade from take away food and drinks. I took it that the OP was referring to an iformal place like that rather than a place trading in sit down meals predominately.

I think we're coming from two different experiences. People who want food and coffee to take away go to a shop, deli or takeaway. The reason most people go to a cafe is so they don't need to eat as much as a restaurant, but it's still very much somewhere to sit down and be served. It seemed the same when I lived in Limerick, but I wasn't working in the industry then so I couldn't be sure.



At any rate, 5 hours is a long time for that table not to be needed.

Mellor

Late returning to this. Apologies

Ave Sodalis wrote: »

The cafe I'm talking about it in a small town, and doing 400 people a day means an almost constant queue waiting on a table from open to shut.

If it's that busy, it must be pretty small place. Which I think excludes it from the OPs situation

I think we're coming from two different experiences. People who want food and coffee to take away go to a shop, deli or takeaway. The reason most people go to a cafe is so they don't need to eat as much as a restaurant, but it's still very much somewhere to sit down and be served. It seemed the same when I lived in Limerick, but I wasn't working in the industry then so I couldn't be sure.

If a small country town. People might go to the local cafe for a small meal. In the rest of the world, it's entirely normal to go to a cafe for a coffee. Including coffee to go. Starbucks is a cafe.