Creative Meanderings

A consequence of the pandemic is a need for businesses to adjust their ways to gain the highest returns for recuperating their losses over the past few years. 

There are changes that will likely never go away such as using QR codes rather than spending money on printed menus that will eventually have to be updated. However, this forces everyone to use their mobile devices as soon as they sit down at a table. Upon first glance at such a place, you can see people not talking but instead scrolling on their phones. 

While some people will make their dining/drinking choices and put their phones down, many these days will continue to play with their phones to make a post on social media or chat with others who are not physically with them. The common misnomer of multitasking conversation virtually and in real life will likely be the normal activity one might see from now on. 

Despite this unavoidable social development, we have yet to see the use of laptops in a similar vein as a phone. The pulling out of a laptop at a restaurant or cafe suggests that one might be planning to overstay their welcome in a way that a constant use of a mobile phone might not. 

In fact, a large family can take up two tables and eat slowly while passing time on their phones for more than an hour eating only dessert and a few drinks, but one person cannot sit at a table with a laptop open even for a short time, despite possibly having a meal and multiple drinks. 

I find it a strange contradiction and mixed view of device-use these days. 

For the food and beverage industry, it seems that what should matter is how much one orders and spends rather than laying down arbitrary rules about what devices are allowed or not. Even implementing table time limits, like in Japan, would be more acceptable and fair to the customer – especially if there is a table charge, which in essence should allow the customer to use that space as they like since it is being paid for. I believe most people will happily respect a time limit, but it leaves a sour taste in one’s mouth when the venue dictates how a customer can use the table space because of a misconception of a laptop over a mobile phone.

This post comes out of a recent visit to a cafe in Rome where I had researched and read was an excellent place for remote workers to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and also feel comfortable spending a little bit of time at. After walking about a half hour out of the main part of the city to find this place, I found the ambience to be as hoped and after an initial sitting down, ordering, and looking around I prepared to do a little bit of writing on my laptop.

At first, a server came up to me to say that I couldn’t really use my laptop at a table and that if I wanted to stay a while that I could sit in another section that faced a wall and was dark, plus another customer had already spread herself out there. Still, this first server said, I might be okay for a maximum of a half hour. A half hour was plenty of time for me to enjoy my cup of coffee, write a bit, and then move on. I had no issue with this time limit and set my watch for 20 minutes so that I wasn’t going over the allotted time.

Well, less than a minute later a different server came to me and more forcefully and less politely stated that I could not use my laptop AT ALL and instead, I had to move to the dark recess area if I wanted to use my device. At this point, I had only just received my coffee. I responded politely and put away my laptop. As I looked around, I noticed the large family next to me with only dessert plates and coffee cups at two tables. I saw another table where both people sitting were just staring at their phones. Another table where the coffee cups were empty, but the ladies continued to chat away. I looked outside to see plenty of empty tables where I considered asking if I could use with my laptop. However, the somewhat hostile air of the servers rubbed me wrong as they could have suggested this to me anyway.

In the end, I drank my cup of coffee quickly and got up to pay changing my plan to have a meal and more drinks. The cashier (maybe owner) asked “Was everything OK?” to which I mumbled “I guess.”

As I walked around the city pondering what happened and finding another place that didn’t seem to mind my laptop, I stewed. It wasn’t my fault and yet they made me feel as if it was. They must surely know that other websites are advertising – intentionally or not – that they are a cafe to visit for remote work and good coffee. As I brewed, I looked up Google maps reviews as no other sites would be as current, as I learned. Sure enough, there were a couple of other reviews with the very same disgruntled point. Thus, I decided to add my voice to this as they should know that people go out of their way to visit for the purpose of being able to sit and do some work, because being in Italy, there are a number of places where one can get a delicious cup of coffee.

Upon submitting my review, it wasn’t long before they replied in a rather unprofessional and rude way. I wish I had taken a screenshot of the original reply as they since edited it to be less aggressive in their response. It only made me laugh because their response only hurts them as a representation of their attitude toward customers not liking something.

Obviously, I understand that places like that need to make money. However, I also know that coffee has a rather high profit margin especially if they are roasting their own coffee and selling them. I also understand that they want to create a certain atmosphere that isn’t a remote working space. Again, there were so many empty tables outside that they could have offered that as a temporary option and still given me a time limit that I would have happily complied with in return for a customer-oriented solution.

Instead, they created someone who will actively make sure to not recommend them and find other places that are just as buzzing and delicious with their coffee options. I’m sure that they will have plenty of customers and I am just one person. Still, I hope that they will, at minimum, actually make it clear that it is not for remote workers despite what other websites have shared – and are responsible for getting people like me to visit in the first place – and reconsider how they treat people who are not aware of their non-laptop policy, but pro mobile phone one.

In this way, there won’t be any mixed signals and any negative repercussions for them and their customers can be avoided.

~T 😛