Take a look around you. It’s happening everywhere today. Even people with a ‘real’ office are doing it! You guessed it: they are holding meetings in their ‘new office‘. More commonly/formerly known as your favorite coffee shop…it is now often occupied by people ‘taking appointments‘ where you just wanted to go and relax and maybe even have a coffee with a friend. Who knew?
Now there are several schools of thought about this. From the perspective of the casual coffee drinker – someone who came for coffee and some ‘down time’ (remember when we used to call them ‘coffee breaks‘?)- this can be as annoying as not getting their favorite table, or as intrusive as having to listen to the sales pitch of the ____________(Insert Business Sector Here) an elbow-length away.
For the newly independent business professional, these meetings have become the norm, and also the necessity. It is the best way to get in front of people, and ‘I’m just going to grab a quick coffee’ is the free pass out the door, for anyone who wants to take a meeting on the bosses’ time.
For the casual observer it can be quite an incidental education, as people share intimate details both personal and professional – with increasing ease. For some serious business folk, the casual drinkers – we are still talking about coffee here – have a nuisance factor all their own. Have you ever heard anyone complain about the invasion of mommies and stroller-occupants onto their turf? (Lighten up – moms need coffee too. Where did you want them to go?)
…and that doesn’t even begin to include the issue of students with laptops hogging all that free wireless! Yikes – what’s a girl to do? Miss Manners didn’t have time for me today, so I made some up on my own.
Marilyn’s New Business Guide to Coffee Shop Etiquette:
1. This is a business and they are not renting space. Buy something! If you are there for more than one appointment, buy something again!
2. Free wireless is great, and also a marketing tool for the management, but don’t abuse it. If you have used up your time, they will give you another code – buy something when they do.
3. You are a guest of the establishment: behave like one. Respect the space, and the others in it. Don’t take over the whole room with your conversation or your high-volume iPod.
4. Your Mother doesn’t work here. Pick up after yourself before you leave.
5. Remember your manners. Say “Please” and “Thank-you”. Play nice, at all times.
I took my ideas to the first expert I found – cafe operator Jennifer Harrison (The Buzz Cafe, 901 Homer Street, Vancouver) Jen had just one Request
1. Please don’t use the word ‘grab’ when placing your request. You may tell your boss you are going to ‘grab’ a coffee….but to Jen, ‘grab’ is just another 4-letter word.