I was incredibly lucky that my place was frequently full of really interesting people and many were well known musicians, writers, actors, politicians and playwrights, all happy to enjoy all that was on offer. But it was not always the case.

In the early days I struggled with the question of people staying without buying anything or sitting for 3 hours with a glass of tap water. Customers are like children, they like boundaries and often have a lot of fun trying to break the rules. Then either by luck or judgement, I found a way to deal with it.

First of all, I was happy for people to be in the shop as a busy place attracts customers. An empty place does not. The problem was only when the loiterers were taking tables that lunching customers needed.

I started a conversation with the person. I showed interest in what they were doing and how they were feeling. By the end of the short conversation they very nearly always bought something to drink and I was usually able to recommend something to eat! If not, they would soon pack up and leave. It was the relationship that made the difference. It is so much harder to ignore someone who has made the effort to be interested in you.

The chain coffee shops that we have so many of today don’t have that connection with their customers. They think they have a relationship through their branding but it isn’t powerful enough to create reciprocity which is what you need to keep the flow going. The flow of ” I offer a service/product and you buy my service/product.”

Coffee shops are meeting places. Places for conversation and connection. Today that means virtual connections and business owners need to understand that they have to engage customers and to some extent educate them. Putting tape over power sockets or banning laptops is short sighted because you become better known for something which is nothing to do with coffee or food!

In the end people go where they are welcome!