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Comment by nytesky | Hacker News Reader

That was their original plan

https://www.fastcompany.com/887990/starbucks-third-place-and...

But the rise of remote work and just an enormous class of workers looking for a free “office” has exploded. I’m sure they have been overrun with squatters buying 1 coffee and sitting for 7 hours — I bet their electricity and bathroom use alone makes them unprofitable. And they displace other transient customers who may have stayed and ordered more like when meeting a friend.

The model is broken at this tragedy of the commons scale.

They do not want to be in business of policing tables usage, and always run the risk of having to displace someone and having it escalate to some kind of video captured confrontation or shaming.

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The author of this article as well as many comments here are talking about this as a "third place" issue, but "third place" is 3rd because there's 2 others before it: home and workplace. From what I can tell, the author is really looking for a workplace.

I think the problem is that some WFH-types[1] have co-opted all the third places and have turned them into cheap workplaces, and coffee shops can't afford to be a coworking space (1 coffee for 7 hours as you say, which I'm sure more people do than some people here believe).

[1] I say this as a 100% remote person myself. But I've never felt right going to a coffee shop or restaurant and sitting there for more than an hour or so.

I am writing this from a coffee shop where myself and others have gone well over 4 hours working. The business owners don’t care so long as you make purchases and don’t sit at a 10 person table for just yourself.

I see people get a morning coffee, get lunch and a drink, and then maybe something on their way out. It’s not a problem.

I am right there with you; working from home for last 6 years and 10 of 12. If I work from an another location it is an hour or so. I also live in a neighborhood that is mostly professionals that are back in office, so it seems there is less WFH people in some places around me, especially some newly opened spots.

I was at a cute little cafe the other day that serves little desserts and baked goods and someone sat down, opened their laptop, pulled out the mouse and headset and proceeded to join a conference call. They ordered a croissant. Dude eat your croissant, enjoy the atmosphere and leave. Go do that shit at home. Honestly even my public library has been overrun with people squatting all day for work.

Just to play devil's advocate: The electricity in the restaurant would be on anyway, and bathrooms would be used anyway, regardless of whether the remote worker was there. What's the actual cost to a restaurant if I decide to sit in a corner all day on a laptop? As long as I was not disturbing anyone by having loud conference or phone calls, and as long as the restaurant is not full and I'm not taking up a spot someone else is waiting for. Surely the small trickle of electricity needed to charge a MacBook Air is not a material expense.

I mean charging the laptop does increase electricity consumption. As well as flushing toilets, using soap and towels, and wear on plumbing — and maybe frequent cleaning, depending on the restroom habits compared to transit visitors

Not to mention they seem to have also morphed into child daycare centers, at least the ones I frequent. Moms bringing their toddlers to run around and scream at the top of their lungs makes getting almost any meaningful work done impossible.

Panera Breads are a special hell now.

If only there was a company that rented space and provided office workers with options to work anywhere. We could work together!

WeWork in my town is $300/month.

1 coffee every day works out to $80/month, and there is no commitment. And you can probably get by with a cheaper than $4 coffee.

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