Overheard a cafe owner say the nomad laptop crowd pays the rent

Was in a small coffee shop in Lisbon last Friday, the kind with one power strip by the window. Owner was talking to a regular about how the tourists come and go but the laptop people buy 3 espresso refills and stay 6 hours. He said it with a shrug, not annoyed. Made me think about all the places I treat like a free office and how they are actually running a business around my slow drip of cappuccinos. I usually pick spots with wifi and outlets and never consider what happens when I occupy a table through the lunch rush. Has anyone else started paying more attention to how much you actually spend per hour when you camp out somewhere? I calculated my average is about 1.80 euros per 3 hours and now I feel weird about it.

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river35126d ago

Doesn't it feel awkward once you actually do the math on your coffee-to-hours ratio? I started tipping more or buying a pastry with my second coffee when I know I'm staying for a while, just to feel less like a squatter. It's a small shift but it makes the whole thing feel fairer for both of us.