Coffee shop hits out at 'extremely rude' customers as it introduces controversial new rule

It was a cliché before the pandemic triggered an explosion in remote working, and it’s more true now than ever before: laptop workers moving into cafés each day for the ambience, readily-available coffee, and plug sockets.

Fans of Fleabag might remember the phenomenon getting sent up pre-pandemic, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s eponymous character watching in horror as one of her café customers sets up plug after plug of gadgets before ordering the cheapest thing on the menu.

If it was getting on Fleabag’s nerves pre-pandemic, we can only imagine her stance on the practice now that many people who work from laptops have the option of working at least part of their week outside the office.

Real-world coffee shops, it seems, are taking a stand, such as one in Liverpool that’s enacted a policy to counter ‘extremely rude’ customers.

Coffi, found on Pilgrim Street in the city’s Georgian Quarter opened in 2021, taking inspiration from founders Michael Davis and Natalie Southern’s love for the coffee variety available in Bucharest, Romania.

While the shop’s upstairs section was furnished with laptop users in mind, their use across both floors has precipitated a ban on downstairs laptop work. It’s ‘simply too small’ to accommodate laptop-using customers across the full coffee shop.

The owners have also stressed that bringing food and drink from outside is strictly prohibited, citing an occasion in which a customer brought a large tiramisu with them to eat on the premises.

“We’ve never been able to accommodate them downstairs, or on every table upstairs - our space is simply too small, and we can’t afford to turn away groups of people because one or two laptops occupy a table for hours,” said Coffi’s since edited 20 August Instagram post on the matter.

“As we continue to grow, it’s vital that we balance the needs of customers coming to enjoy coffee with those needing a space to work.

“When we developed our upstairs area, we put a lot of thought into creating a dedicated laptop bar. Every seat has a plug socket and a hook underneath for bags - please pop your bag on the hook so others can use the laptop bar too.

“You’re very welcome to use the laptop bar for work, but please remember: we are a coffee shop, not a library. If the bar is full, you’re of course welcome to stay - but laptops may only be used at the laptop bar.

“Some people have been extremely rude when we’ve had to explain our stance on laptop usage in the past - please be nice to our team on this.

“While we’re here, a reminder: food and drink from outside are not permitted. Eating your own food in any venue that sells food and drink is - hopefully unintentionally - rather rude.

“You’ll be asked once to put it away; if not, you’ll be asked to leave. Someone tried to eat an entire family-sized tiramisu upstairs once. You won’t outdo that - no point trying!”

While some customers seem to have found the new rule unjust, people in the comments largely felt the moves were fair enough, with many saying they couldn’t believe the cheek on some patrons.

“It's astonishing that you have to explain your stance on this in so much detail,” said one follower. “You're a business, not a change of scenery for someone who's chosen to work from 'home.’”

“Sad that you have had people be rude to your lovely team about this,” said another. “I love the thought you have put into designing your seating area, and hopefully everyone can follow the policy and keep it a welcoming space for all.”