American man baffled at cafes in Europe not permitting laptops instantly gets a reality check

The sight of a person working quietly on their laptop in a cafe or a restaurant has become quite common after the COVID pandemic. Usually, the establishments are fine with people sitting there for hours because they increase the revenue. However, an individual–who goes by @levelsio on X– recently highlighted how some cafes in Europe are not allowing people to use laptops on the premises and how it is permitted in America. But instantly, the user got a reality check, with people encouraging the 'no laptop' policy in cafes.  

He wrote, “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.” Also, he added two pictures; one was a notice from a cafe that read, “No laptop. Due to massive abuse, working with a laptop is no longer permitted in our shop. Thank you for understanding.” The next picture was of a fancy cafe where people were seen sitting and working on laptops in one corner.

In a follow-up post, the user wrote, "Obviously Asia is up there with America. Seoul has the highest cafe density in the world." The original post garnered 9 million views and people rushed to the comments section to explain why Europe cafes were being strict. @EmilesBertaInger commented, "Dude, it's about people occupying tables and seats without ordering anything or just having small coffees every few hours. You're welcome." @bcnorange wrote, "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."

@artistloveart shared, "This is not about progress or boring Europe. This is about people blocking tables for 6 hours and only spending 2$. Meanwhile, other customers cannot seat/spend and commercial rents are over the cloud." @forgebitz expressed, "If your average laptop warrior drinks 2 coffees all day hogging a seat in your 40m2 bar, you will 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 (sic)."

@SebAaltonen said, "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."

In a similar story, a woman named Halle Kaufax–who goes by @hallison on TikTok–shared a problem that she came across at a cafe she visited. She was seen sipping some coffee and looking at the camera. The text overlay read, "When you spend $8 on a coffee and prepare to park it for a while to do work only to then see one of these signs." She then showed her followers a sign on the table that said the cafe was a "laptop-free" zone. She didn't really like the rule.

People shared their opinions about what Hallie said. @_cherriblossom said, "It's actually crazy. So many places are going with no wifi/technology. $8 for a latte and can't use my laptop." @babedas_ commented, "I think it's to prevent loitering, but coffee shops are all about going to read or work." @asweroam suggested, "Instead of no laptops or wifi, why not make some tables working tables and some '30-minute or less tables' like parking spots."