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priyarainelle t1_jdnbaow wrote

Reply to comment by MoreCleverUserName in DC’s cafe scene is great but lacks seating by ActuaryPersonal2378

Personally I’m less inclined to get coffee anywhere that doesn’t allow me to take a seat and actually enjoy it.

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VulcanVulcanVulcan t1_jdoeu3a wrote

Totally. But in Europe, a lot of coffee shops want you to sit and enjoy your espresso, and then leave. Then the table is there for other people. Not to camp out all day off of a single coffee.

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priyarainelle t1_jdoinrd wrote

This isn’t Europe, it’s America. Two different cultures re: coffee drinking and cafes.

It’s not some monumental ask for one to be able to sit and enjoy a latte or some other filter coffee drink (as opposed to an espresso) while reading a book or chatting with friends. Or, perhaps, just finishing the drink you just bought - which was probably $8-14 in this city.

I understand what you’re saying, but “camping out” is on the extreme end of things.

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Existing365Chocolate t1_jdouc1o wrote

> It’s not some monumental ask for one to be able to sit and enjoy a latte or some other filter coffee drink (as opposed to an espresso) while reading a book or chatting with friends.

This is entirely fine and expected

However a ton of spots are taken up by WFH warriors camping at a coffeeshop all day

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priyarainelle t1_jdoweg3 wrote

I’m so glad you agree with me that people “camping out” is an entirely different issue and expectation than what OP has, which makes the initial comment in this thread unnecessarily harsh and mostly irrelevant to the discussion that OP started. 🙂

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GloomyPapaya t1_jdpa1m5 wrote

Exactly. Sitting down to read a book while you eat & drink is no worse than people scrolling on their phone and not near the issue as people camped out on a laptop. All cafes becoming takeout only would suck.

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celj1234 t1_jdopdfi wrote

Is it? Esp with work from home as popular as it is now.

Feel like most people who “drink in” at this shops end up posting up for a long time

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priyarainelle t1_jdoqxdg wrote

What would you call a long time? I do tons of computer work (writing, editing, social media, etc.) and a lot of my regular “work” is just wandering around and knowing where to go so that I can make recommendations to people. From what I’ve observed, no… People camping out at coffee shops isn’t the big issue that this comment section is making it.

Most people have things to do and, in this city especially, there are many conversations that can’t be had in public. Plus, many places aren’t really super comfortable to post up in.

There’s a small minority of people who do hog up space and sure they are very noticeable when that happens. But it is overly dramatic to pretend as though the few people who do camp out at coffee shops are impactful enough to warrant a place literally restructuring their business model - which is based on volume and add-on items, anyway. Not dine in.

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GloomyPapaya t1_jdpa8ds wrote

I visit cafes a lot too and also haven’t noticed it being a major issue. Usually if I’m struggling to find a seat at a spot that has a lot of seating it’s because people are sitting around chatting, not working or (GOD FORBID) reading

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lux_ehterna t1_jdoz34l wrote

> But in Europe, a lot of coffee shops want you to sit and enjoy your espresso, and then leave

Off topic, but I'm not sure that's true. IME this varies a lot by country. Italy, sure. Greece, people commonly hang out for hours.

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VulcanVulcanVulcan t1_jdp5ym5 wrote

I think in Europe a “cafe” means it serves more than coffee and tea, ie, alcohol, light food, etc. Thats my perception at least. Straight coffee shops in the US are different.

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Fatcat336 t1_jdplj3x wrote

I’m from a country with a strong cafe culture and it’s quite the opposite. Cafes are where you go to drink a coffee, eat a snack, and hang out for several hours reading a book or chatting with friends.

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Thiemy t1_jdqv7sv wrote

Austrian here, we spend all day in coffee houses to study, work, read the newspaper (most Viennese coffee houses have all major newspapers/magazines there for free), meet friends. Noone is forced to leave if they don‘t keep consuming - same is true for restaurants, by the way.

I don‘t think we would have a coffee house culture if making money was the main incentive for these businesses. DC has better coffee than Vienna, but no coffee house culture (I‘d argue because of a pervasive capitalist mindset).

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