This story appears in the
August 2005 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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In the Dilbertesque world of corporate etiquette, most people
know it's rude to leave meatloaf decomposing in the office
refrigerator. But for the swarms of entrepreneurs whose offices are
local coffeehouses, what makes for good manners is often as murky
as a mocha latte: "Coffeehouse-based" entrepreneurs with
laptops hog tables near coveted outlets for hours at a time. They
chide baristas to turn the shop's music down and bark into cell
phones while ordering grande cappuccinos.
"It's just plain rude," complains Paige Kayner,
owner of Aurafice Internet & Coffee Bar in Seattle, where
freelance graphic designers and computer entrepreneurs work. Kayner
was so irritated by her customers' noisy calls, she stuck a
magnet on her espresso machine reading: "Your cell phone only
makes you more annoying." Then someone stole it.
The basis of all good manners is the consideration of others,
says etiquette expert Gloria Starr. For entrepreneurs using
coffeehouses as offices, that means limiting your time at a table
to an hour or two. It's also courteous to take cell phone calls
outside or to cover the receiver with your hand so your
conversation can't be heard. And if you're going to stay,
it's polite to pay for your space by buying cups of joe.
"You've got to feed the kitty," says David Story, an
independent nonfiction TV producer in Los Angeles who works at his
local Starbucks.
But if you really want to be courtly, Peter Post, great-grandson
of manners maven Emily Post, says you should only use coffeehouses
as meeting places for cordial conversations with clients. In other
words, don't make a public space your office, no matter how
good the coffee is.