Do Coffee Shops Really Mind You Working in Them?
There’s a certain romance to the laptop-and-latte lifestyle. The soft whirr of the espresso machine, the low murmur of conversations, and that feeling that somehow, you’re twice as productive. But do coffee shops actually want you turning their tables into your office?
The answer, like whether to have chocolate on your cappucino, is split. In the UK, coffee shops are both embracing and resenting the remote-working crowd, and the divide often comes down to whether you’re in a big chain or an independent café.
The Rise of the “Coffice”
Post-pandemic, the UK has become the work-from-anywhere capital of Europe. Almost one in four UK workers now spend time working from coffee shops, according to recent surveys. For many, it’s not just about caffeine, 34% say they crave the social buzz, while 27% feel more productive in a coffee shop than at home. And with the average Brit spending over £700 a year in cafés (double the cost of broadband), it’s clear coffee culture has become entwined with work culture.
Chains like Costa, Starbucks, and Caffè Nero have leaned into this. Costa tops the charts as the UK’s favourite “coffice” spot, and Pret went further still, launching the infamous Club Pret subscription (unlimited coffee for a monthly fee) to lure back home-workers during the daytime slump. In other words: the big names know laptops bring lattes, and lattes bring revenue.
BIg Chains: Welcome, Within Reason
That doesn’t mean unlimited free Wi-Fi forever. Starbucks, for instance, quietly shifted its policy in 2024: customers are still welcome to work, but you now need to make a purchase to claim a seat. (shocking that people were bold enough to do it without even buying a drink!). A single flat white still buys you a desk for the afternoon, but the era of “open-door, no-purchase necessary” is over.
Others have taken softer steps. Pret expanded into the suburbs, betting remote workers would rather sip oat cappuccinos closer to home than commute into London. Costa and Nero, meanwhile, continue to keep their doors open without official restrictions.
But even among chains, there’s tension. When a Black Sheep Coffee in Reading banned laptops on weekends after complaints of students hogging space, the sign went viral. Head office quickly distanced itself, insisting laptops were always welcome. It summed up the whole dilemma: chains don’t want to alienate loyal flat-white freelancers, but they also can’t ignore customers who just want a table for brunch.
Independents: Fighting Back Against the Laptop Squatters
Walk into a small independent, though, and you’re more likely to see a polite notice taped to the till: “Laptops limited to one hour during busy times” or “No laptops at weekends, thank you.”
For many café owners, this isn’t about being unfriendly. It’s about survival. One London bakery, Pophams, explained that too many workers would buy a single tea and occupy prime seats all day.
“You just can’t afford to keep an establishment going like that,”
said co-owner Ollie Gold.
Others, like Milk & Bean in Berkshire, go further stating
“laptops banned on Saturdays and Sundays, with weekday time limits to keep things fair.”
The gripes aren’t just financial. Owners complain that banks of silent screen-staring customers kill the buzz of a café. As one put it,
“We don’t want laptops everywhere because it completely changes the atmosphere.”
The Public Split
Public opinion is just as divided. Some celebrate the return of conversation, joking that laptop bans are a reminder to “pretend it’s 1985 and talk to each other.” Others argue cafés have already become de facto co-working spaces, so why fight it? And for people living in cramped flats with patchy broadband, the local coffee shop isn’t a luxury, it’s a lifeline from remote working burnout.
Most people agree on one thing, though, that it comes down to coffee shop etiquette.
Buy more than one drink
Don’t hog the plug sockets
And for heaven’s sake, use headphones if you’re Zooming in the corner. (Only 8% of Brits think loud video calls are acceptable in a café, which tells you everything.)
So… Do They Mind?
If you’re in a chain, probably not, as long as you keep the coffee flowing. If you’re in a small independent, tread carefully, read the signs, and respect the atmosphere and the business.
The bigger question is cultural: are coffee shops community spaces first and workplaces second, or has the laptop brigade permanently rewritten the rules? Right now, the answer depends on which side of the counter you’re standing.
