- The guidance comes from that duke of decorum, William Hanson.
- She reveals her coffee hacks in a TikTok video with a million views
- Here too he offers further guidance exclusively for MailOnline.
- How long would you work in a cafe without ordering anything? Vote in our poll…
- READ MORE: William reveals how to persuade dinner party guests to leave
You’ve been working on your laptop in a cafe the wrong way.
You you you.
How? By spending too much time writing without ordering a coffee.
Etiquette expert William Hanson, in a viral TikTok video with a million views, explains that the maximum amount of time you should work on your laptop in a coffee shop without ordering anything is 45 minutes.
The Duke of Decorum says in the video: ‘There is no particular rule set, although as a guide I would say that 45 minutes per coffee is absolutely the limit.
Etiquette expert William Hanson, in a viral TikTok video, explains that the maximum amount of time you should spend working on your laptop in a coffee shop without ordering anything is 45 minutes. He says, “Remember, coffee shops are there for socializing, not necessarily as an extension of your workspace.”
“If you just go (to a cafe) to eat a sandwich and chat with a friend and you spend more than an hour at the table, you have failed as an educated human being,” William said.
But I suggest you use courtesy and common sense.
Remember that cafes are there for socializing, not necessarily as an extension of your workspace.
If you are a regular at a coffee shop and you notice a laptop user hogging a table, should you confront the hog?
William’s new book, Just Good Manners (Penguin Random House), is out September 12
William told MailOnline separately: “It’s often best to speak to staff directly. They can then make the decision to move table hogs, find you somewhere else to sit or do nothing.”
‘If it bothers you so much, you can choose not to frequent that café again.’
Is it reasonable for coffee shop owners to require laptop users to buy more than one coffee if they are at the table for more than 45 minutes?
William said: “There are not many ways to police this and cafe owners are probably – if it’s a good cafe – too busy serving customers to keep accurate track of who’s been there and for how long. This should be the responsibility of the individual to police themselves and not hog a table during busy periods.”
Does the 45-minute rule apply in general, even to those without a laptop?
William said: ‘Yes. If you go out to have a sandwich and chat with a friend and you’ve been sitting at the table for more than an hour, you have failed in your duty to be a polite human being.
‘The exception to this would be if the café is very quiet and there are lots of empty tables. But if you see people just arriving looking for a table, then it’s time to pick up the baguette wrapper and leave.’
How much extra time does shopping for food cost you?
“Twenty minutes,” William said.
For more information about Mr. Hanson, please visit his TikTok His new book, Just Good Manners (Penguin Random House), is out September 12. It’s billed as “a witty and authoritative guide to British etiquette,” in which William shares “his definitive guide to how to charm and delight those around you in every situation with idiosyncratic authority.”
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