Woman discovers cafe's unusual 'no laptop' rule that prevents people from working

Many people prefer to work at cafes for a variety of reasons. Each cafe offers its own kind of ambiance that can help individuals be productive or enjoy some beautiful moment of peace. It also helps that they are not stuck in an office cubicle, which they may get tired of quickly. Cafes also tend to charge a bit more for their coffee, but people are fine with it so long as they get to order one and sip on it while working. However, some cafes do not allow customers to bring in their laptops to work on.

Halle Kaufax—who goes by @halllison on TikTok—recently shared a viral video where she highlighted this problem at a cafe she visited. The video has garnered 1.3 million views and over 59K likes on the platform. In the video, viewers get to see Kaufax sipping on some coffee and looking into the camera. The text overlay reads, "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."

Viewers are then shown a sign on the cafe table, which designated the cafe as a "laptop-free" zone. The woman looked up into the air, clearly disliking the inconvenient rule and continued to sip her coffee. Other people on the platform also faced the same problem at cafes and chimed in with their opinions in the comment section. @_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 prevent loitering, but coffee shops are all about going to read or work at." @legendofnewhorizons said, "We need more third spaces! Places that aren't home or work where you can hang out. Libraries are one, but we need to bring this concept back." @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."

Interestingly, some cafes exist to help people meet their deadlines. Such places become a boon to people who tend to procrastinate as well. The Manuscript Writing Cafe in Tokyo, Japan, was established with the aim of helping writers finish their work. They do so with a simple method: not letting them leave the cafe till their work is finished. According to CNN, the cafe provides writers with all the basic amenities they need, with their staff frequently checking in with customers to make sure they are focused.

It originally started as a live-streaming space, which was severely affected by the pandemic. Thankfully, they have been getting renewed business owing to the new format of helping out writers. The cafe contains ten seats, specifically set aside for writers, editors and manga artists. They also offer customers unlimited coffee and tea, high-speed wireless internet and docking ports. Upon entering the cafe, customers put down their names on a board along with their deadlines for the day and the time it will take for them to complete it.