Workaholic tech bro complains that European cafes hate remote workers: 'Can't believe cafes don't want dudes squatting in their business for 8 hours'

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jun 28, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

As an established member of the silly little laptop job brigade, I am no stranger to working in the occasional coffee shop or cafe. However, I also realize it is vital that you judge the vibe correctly before you go ham logging into your email and staring at spreadsheets. If the place is giving a. obvious chain, slightly cold and corporate, a Starbucks kind of vibe or b. run by a chipper Australian expat whose interests could plausibly include things like 'energy work' and Bitcoin, you're good to go. Anything else? You are probably bringing the mood down and you should take it back to the dingy desk in your bedroom. 

Not everybody agrees with me on this, as one mildly controversial Twitter thread has established. When one remote worker complained of European cafes being hostile to people working in them, he prompted a range of opinions on the matter. Perhaps that coworking space is worth the investment, after all.

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  • 01
    TEITERS
    via Kae Ng
  • 02
    @levelsio @levelsio Follow The difference between European and American cafes is so stark In Europe many don't allow laptops anymore In America they usually do and people are working on something cool! PAS DE COWORKING Suite à de nombreux abus, le coworking n'est plus autorisé dans notre boutique. Merci de votre compréhension. NO LAPTOP Due to massive abuse, working with a laptop is no longer permitted in cur shop. Thank you for your understanding.
    via levelsio
  • 03
    Klaas@forgebitz. 2d Replying to @levelsio lol if your average laptop warrior drinks 2 coffees all day hogging a seat in your 40m2 bar you would do the same TivoliVredenburg is a good example of a new bar that is large and work-friendly, most large places, in general, are happy with people working all day 22 1712 ❤ 4K ill 193K @levelsio@levelsio 2d ⚫ So why does it work in US and Asia and everywhere else but not Europe?
    via forgebitz
  • 04
    Sebby @sebby_builds - 2d Replying to @levelsio > "due to massive abuse" didn't realise the french considered productivity abuse 151 1744 ❤2.8K ili 252K @levelsio @levelsio 2d Work is violence (in Europe)
    via sebby_builds
  • 05
    Joe Nakamoto 4 @JoeNakamoto 2d: Replying to @levelsio BS. Lots of cafes in Europe have dedicated laptop tables, particularly Spain and Europe. It's not about being anti-laptop it's about doing whatever the cafe owners want from their space. 11 178 1.2K ili 87.5K @levelsio 2d • @levelsio Our local cafe in Portugal has a tiny single table for laptops Sitting there you're like an outcast
    via JoeMakamoto
  • 06
    BRUNO @0xedb.2d Replying to @levelsio wow. that really looks like the whole Europe 113 ılıl 33.8K ☐ ∞ @levelsio @levelsio 2d It's same in Portugal, France and Germany
    via 0xedb
  • 07
    Aaron Villalpando @aaron__vi⚫ 2d Replying to @levelsio do you think they want cafes do be more of a social place vs a coworking place?
    via aaron__vi
  • 08
    Raoul van Lennep @bcnorange. 1d Replying to @levelsio The problem in Europe is that they serve food and if you have someone sitting in a cafe buying just one coffee for the whole day you can't make money
    via bcnorange
  • 09
    Sebastian Aaltonen @SebAaltonen. 2d Replying to @levelsio I go to cafes that allow laptops. I guess that's a way to differentiate your cafe too. But I also understand that small downtown cafes that are always packed 100% can't afford half of the tables taken by people working and not buying anything but a single coffee.
    via SebAaltonen
  • 10
    stimulant enjoyer @gotitatguineys 1d Cafes are for having a small coffee and 4 cigarettes in the mid afternoon not working on your for dogs 99 startup that sells underpants Webs
    via gotitatguineys
  • 11
    H.K @HKesvani • 1d The average American will never understand nursing an espresso for 3 hours at a cafe while staring into the distance
    via HKesvani
  • 12
    NYC Jamali Chaidani @jamalichaidani - 2d I think cafes should be a place to enjoy coffee and talk to people and not used as dysfunctional offices REPORT TOWN ONT NORMAN ROCKWELL
    via jamalichaidani
  • 13
    m Chairman @LRH_Superfan - 2d Can't believe cafés don't want dudes buying one coffee and then squatting in their business for 8 hours to do work they could've done at home or in the office on better chairs
    via LRH_Superfan
  • 14
    Chris Reeves @ChrisReeves 3D ⚫ 11m Cafes are where we go when we're not at the office. Some southern california techbro idea to make literally everywhere the office. 8
    via ChrisReeves_3D
  • 15
    BRG MOUSE ANGEL @machine_____angel Follow "In Europe it is forbidden to use your laptop in a cafe. You have to be reading Dostoevsky or Tolstoy, or else they kick you out and ban you for life."
    via machine___angel
  • 16
    Patch D Keyes @patchdkeyes 1d • I refuse to believe anyone has ever done any meaningful work whilst sitting in a cafe let alone anything cool.
    via patchdkeyes
  • 17
    . Dr Philip Lee @drphiliplee1 1d European cafes are for you to drink coffee in, not as an ersatz office.
    via drphiliplee1
  • 18
    @Emo Foucault + 1d will or something I unironically believe that cafe attendants should be able to determine whether you should be allowed to work on your laptop depending on what you're doing. Writing a novel? Yes. Developer or coder? No, in fact leave the building. Emailing? No. Poetry? Yes. Office work? No.
    via EmoFoucault
  • 19
    jāna @yiihya • 1d Said this before, but I've always liked the concept of an anti-café. Unlimited coffee, tea, and snacks, you just pay for the amount of time you spend there. Basically a co-working space, but more social and relaxed. An anti-café (sometimes called a pay-per-minute café or a time club) is a venue that offers working space, food and drink, where customers pay only for the time they spend there. Anti-cafés became popular around 2011 in Russia and some CIS countries, with further in
    via yiihya
  • 20
    Marko Jukic @mmjukic 2d European cafes are 100% right to ban "coworking" i.e. staring silently at my electronic device screen for hours on end while pretending to work and taking up space in a public place intended for relaxation and socializing. Don't let Americans turn the cafe bar into an office!
    via mmjukic

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europe usa remote work working from home working wfh america cafe twitter Twitter Thread debate
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